"Friend of God" Kind of Faith

James 2:21-24 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was 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. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

James gives us a great example of what real faith looks like, as demonstrated by the faith of Abraham. When asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God, Abraham responded by going to the mountain to sacrifice his only son; his son of promise. The act of sacrificing Isaac, alone, was not what justified Abraham. It was his faith that somehow God would provide a sacrifice in Isaac's place, or bring him back to life. This was evident in Abraham's answers to both the young men that went with him, and his answer to Isaac. In Genesis 22:5 we are told, "And Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.'" In verse 8 Abraham responded to Isaac's inquiry about the lamb for the sacrifice. It reads, "And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.' So the two of them went together." That, my friends, is true faith. Here was the son promised to Abraham and Sarah, who were both way beyond child bearing years; yet, Abraham's willingness to take the steps to sacrifice his only son was an action that was put into motion by his faith in God. If you read what James wrote, it was not the actual act of sacrificing Isaac that was counted to him for righteousness, but the fact that Abraham believed. What was it that he believed? Abraham believed the promise God made to him previously in Genesis 13, when God promised that He would make Abraham's descendants as the dust of the earth, that cannot be numbered. In Genesis 15, God repeated His promise that his descendants would be as the stars that cannot be numbered. Finally, in Genesis 17, God not only repeated the promise, but promised Abraham and Sarah that those descendants, who would inherit the Promise Land, would come through Isaac. Needless to say, it was Abraham's great faith in the promise of God that was counted to him for righteousness. In essence, the action of Abraham's faith proved that he believed, loved, and completely trusted God. Do we walk in that kind of faith? Do we hold back that which God calls us to give to Him, by faith, whether of our time, talents, or resources? Do we say, "Yes Lord, I trust you, but..."? Is there always a "but" in our service to God, or do we say, "Yes Lord, here I am, and anything you ask of me I will freely give"? Abraham could have made any number of excuses, and could have chosen to hold on to Isaac for dear life. However, he would have missed out on a much greater blessing; the blessing of being called the friend of God. What do our works, or lack thereof, say about our faith?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).