"Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God" (James 2:22, 23).
Said Abraham: God has said, and that will I do. I interfered once in the promise, and I repudiated all that I had done, and came back to the word only. Then, by a miracle, God gave me Isaac, the promised seed.
Now He says, Offer Isaac, the promised seed, for a burnt offering. I will do it. By a miracle God gave him at the first; and by a miracle God can restore him. Yet when I shall have offered him for a burnt offering, he will be dead; and the only miracle that can then restore him is a miracle that will bring him back from the dead.
But God is able to do even that, and He will do it; for His word is spoken. Even the bringing back of Isaac from the dead will be to God no more than He has already done; for both my body and Sarah's were as good as dead, and yet God brought forth Isaac from us. He can raise Isaac from the dead, and He will. Bless the Lord!
"Abraham ... arose and went to the place of which God had told him" (Gen. 22:3). Abraham expected to offer Isaac for a burnt offering, and then see Isaac rise from the ashes and go back with him. For the word of God had gone forth, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." And Abraham would trust that word only, that it could never fail. (Heb. 11:17-19).
THIS IS FAITH. And thus "the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'" To trust the word of God only, to depend upon the word of God only, even as against the word of God--this is faith. This is the faith which brings the righteousness of God. [1]
"And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, 'In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided'" (Gen. 22:14).
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