We Must Have Faith Like Our Father Abraham.

The bible teaches us that Abraham is the father of faith. Abraham demonstrated his faith when God tempted him. God asked Abraham to take Isaac to a place he would tell him. There, God wanted Abraham to offer up his only son Isaac for a burnt offering. Abraham did as God asked. He started on his journey to the place God told him of with his son Isaac. When Abraham got to the mountain, he took Isaac and bound him on an altar. He was getting ready to take Isaac's life to offer him for a burnt offering, as God asked, when he heard a voice. The voice told him to do no harm to the lad for God knew he would withhold nothing from him. The bible tells us, we who are children of faith are the children of Abraham. Abraham is known as the father of faith. The bible tells us we are saved by grace through faith, and not of works. Salvation is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. In order to be saved, we must become the children of Abraham through faith. So what does the faith of Abraham consist of? Abraham had enough faith in God, he would not disobey him. Abraham was willing to offer up his own flesh and blood in order to please God. We, too, must have enough faith in God to be willing to offer our own flesh up as a sacrifice. So what is the flesh exactly, according to the bible? When the bible speaks of the flesh, he speaks of our own will and desire. The lusts of the flesh include adultery, fornication, anger, wrath, malice, envy, murder, emulation, etc. These are some of the desires of the flesh. In order to please God, we must put the flesh with it's lusts to death. Isaac was a picture of the flesh mentioned in the bible. Isaac was Abraham's own flesh and blood so to speak, his only son. Abraham was willing to put Isaac to death to please God. We, too, must put our flesh with it's desires and lusts to death. That is not to say we must literally kill. The bible is highly figurative. When it speaks of putting the flesh to death, it is speaking of not continuing to live after the desires of the flesh. The actions of the flesh with it's lusts must cease in our life. We must no longer live after the flesh in order to please God. Unless one is born of the spirit of God, he cannot cease from obeying the lusts of the flesh. The bible tells us we mortify the deeds of the body through the spirit of God. The spirit gives us power to become the sons of God. The spirit allows us to be pleasing unto God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we cease from following the desires and lusts of the flesh. When we are born of the spirit, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. Those who continue to walk after the lusts of the flesh are not born of the spirit. Those who are born of the spirit have put the flesh to death, it's affections and lusts. They are now alive in the spirit. One must first come to faith in Jesus Christ in order to receive the spirit of God. For we receive the spirit through faith in Jesus Christ alone. When one receives the spirit of God, the fleshly nature dies out of our life. We become a new creature in Christ. We become spiritual. When we receive the spirit, the nature of the flesh dies, we are now alive in the spirit and dead to the flesh. Therefore, we must have the faith of Abraham our father in order to be saved. When we come to faith in Jesus, we, as Abraham, offer up our flesh a sacrifice to God, not our child, but we cease from living in the lusts of our flesh. This story of Abraham is a picture of the faith required for salvation. The bible cannot be understood literally to follow God's message to us. However, many do not understand the true nature of the word of God, the spiritual nature. There is only one right way to interpret the bible, spiritually. Therefore, we have created this website to help others understand the spiritual truth in the word of God. Please follow our studies to open up the truth contained in the word of God. God Bless.