We now approach the supreme trial of
Abraham’s life. Laughter in the
shape of Isaac had entered into his home and heart, and the promises were all
centred in that little life now growing up.
Abraham’s old age had been illuminated by the gift of God. Then came the test and the triumph. “Walk before Me and be thou perfect”, God had
said some twenty-five years previously.
The first act which followed that command was the rite of circumcision.
The act which we now contemplate is not
the rite of circumcision, but the reality. Philippians iii. defines true circumcision. It is threefold:--
(1).
Worship God in
Spirit.
(2).
Rejoice in Christ
Jesus.
(3). Have no
confidence in the
flesh.
Surely if the flesh ever made an appeal it
did in Genesis xxii. God said to Abraham:--
“Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon
one of the mountains that I will tell thee of.”
There is much meaning in the response of
Abraham:--
“And Abraham arose up early in the
morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac
his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto
the place of which God had told him.”
Here was no conference with flesh and
blood. Had Abraham consulted Sarah
surely she would have anticipated Zipporah’s reproach, telling Abraham that he
was a bloody husband, and have withstood his purpose, and probably have
prevailed. Had Eliezer been consulted,
he too might have urged such strong reasons against the deed, that Abraham
would have compromised. There were times
in Abraham’s life when he stooped to lies and to the appeal of the flesh, but
it was not so now. He had reached the end
of his calling and his faith, and so can tell no one, ask no one, but just obey
his God.
When God first appeared unto Abraham in Ur
of the Chaldees, there was the element of uncertainty in regard to his
destination, “he went out not knowing whither he went”. This is repeated in Genesis.xxii.
Abraham did not know the exact place of the mighty transaction, but went
out awaiting direction as the time arrived.
This is always the character of faith, it is the opposite to sight. The simple words of Abraham to his young men,
when read in the light of Hebrews.xi., reveal a triumphant faith:--
“I and the lad will go yonder and worship,
and WE WILL COME AGAIN to you.”
“By faith Abraham, when he was tried,
offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promise offered up his only begotten
son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting
that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he
received him in a figure” (Heb. xi. 17-19).
A most important lesson, perhaps we should
say the most important lesson for us here, lies in the word
“account”. It occurs once in Hebrews,
but eleven times in Romans iv. In
Romans iv. Abraham believes the
God of resurrection, and his faith is imputed, accounted for
righteousness. The important thing to
observe is that Abraham is passive as far as the imputing is concerned. Abraham believes, “is persuaded”, “staggers
not”, “gives glory to God”, but he imputes nothing. “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto
him for righteousness”: “his faith is counted
for righteousness”; cf. “the man unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works”. This is
the way in which the word is continually used.
At the beginning Abraham, as we said, imputed nothing, but when faith is
perfected his passive attitude is replaced by activity. What God can do in view of the resurrection
of Christ, Abraham can in his measure do.
So it is that the father can contemplate the slaying of his beloved son,
“accounting that God was able to raise him up”.
Romans vi. is a step forward from Romans iv.,
and there the active side is presented:--
“For in that He died, He died unto sin
once, but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God; likewise reckon (account) ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord” (Rom. vi. 10, 11).
We find the active again in Rom. viii. 18, “for i reckon”, where resurrection glory is
in view. We find the explanation of this
advance in the epistle of James. He too
speaks of the great trial of Abraham’s faith, and, as in Hebrews, it is
connected with the idea of “going on unto perfection”. In this connection temptation is prominent:--
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye
fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith
worketh patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, lacking nothing.”
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried he
shall receive the crown of life” (James i. 2-4, 12).
In
chapter ii. 14, 21 James asks a
straight question:--
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though
a man say he hath faith, and have not works?
Can that faith save him?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac
his son upon the altar?”
There is no confusion or contradiction
of Romans iv. Here,
Abraham was justified by FAITH in
Genesis xv. when he believed
God’s promise regarding the seed.
Abraham was justified by WORKS in
Genesis xxii. when, still
believing God’s promise, he offered Isaac, accounting that the God who gave him
in figure from death (“one as good as dead”), could raise him again from the
dead. It all resolves itself into a
matter of personal, experimental, individual, faith. It was comparatively easy for Abraham to
believe in the impersonal doctrine, the idea of resurrection. It was also comparatively simple to believe
that God some thousand or so years hence would raise His own Son from the
dead. It was quite another matter to build
the altar, take the knife and prepare to slay his own flesh and blood, and
believe that there and then (not some thousand years or so hence) God
would raise his (Abraham’s) son from the dead.
This is where faith is perfect.
“Seest thou how faith wrought with his
works, and by works was faith made perfect? and the Scripture was
FULFILLED, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto
him for righteousness and
he was called
the Friend of
God” (James ii. 22, 23).
This chapter (Genesis xxii.) is quoted in
another context in Hebrews, to which we must turn:--
“And we desire that every one of you do
show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end; that ye be not slothful, but followers of
them who through faith and patience inherit the promises, for when God
made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by
Himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee, and so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise”
(Heb. vi. 11-15).
The chapter opens with the words,
“Therefore … let us go on unto perfection”, and Abraham is cited as an
example. Notice too this fact. James says that Genesis xv.
was fulfilled in Genesis xxii.
Hebrews vi. says that the promise, made and believed
earlier, was obtained in Genesis
xxii. In Heb.xi.33
we meet the expression again, “who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises”.
There are some who look upon this subject
with suspicion, or at any rate treat it as something like a pet theme of the
editor. We would ask such to consider
our claim that this doctrine is a “Fundamental”, in view of the words of James ii.,
“Faith without works is DEAD”.
While Genesis xv. reveals the justification of Abraham, Genesis xxii.
shows its fulfillment. While
Genesis xii.-xvii. contains the
promises, in Genesis xxii. Abraham obtains them. We misunderstand the gift of life if we
assume that because it is a gift, and a gift of grace and not of works, no
activity on our part is called for.
Scripture speaks otherwise, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come”, “Awake thou that
sleepest, and arise from the dead”. We
have been redeemed from all iniquity, “that we might be a peculiar people,
zealous of GOOD WORKS”. Let no creed, or
remnant of a creed, cramp our minds and hearts.
The teaching of Scripture is our creed, formulated or otherwise, for we
all tend to turn the liquid metal into moulds of our own fashioning.
We have not dwelt in this article upon the
wondrous theme of the great Sacrifice on Calvary, so vividly presented in this
remarkable chapter. This is not because
such has no place in our heart or teaching, but because that aspect is so evident
to all, and so widely recognized. We
would nevertheless not let the opportunity pass without using it, if only
briefly.
Redemption by the blood of Christ, true
atonement by His death, and full acceptance in His merits, are the first words
of gospel preaching, and the first note of apocalyptic song. The religion of the age repudiates the
necessity for the blood of Christ.
Jude’s picture of the closing days is of men “denying the Lord that
bought them”. We cannot read seven
verses into the epistles of the Mystery without hearing that we are redeemed by
the blood of Christ (Eph. i. 7). God has
offered His only Son whom He loved, He spared not His only begotten
Son. That Son of God loved me and gave
Himself for me. Let us listen afresh to
the word:--
“Ye are not your own, ye are
bought with a price,
therefore glorify God in
your body” (I Cor. vi. 19, 20).
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