In Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only some, Isaac. However, Abraham was calm during this very trying request. It was an impossible task, to give up his most precious and only son, yet Abraham knew who God is and had faith. (Heb 11:6). His example of obedience gives us insight into true faith.

What faith isn’t?
Faith is not something you have ‘enough’ of. Faith does not have levels before becoming active. Faith is simply faith, not greater or lesser faith.

Faith is also not only praying and relying on faith alone, but also relying on the means God provided. In the same vein, assuming God will take care of everything is also not true faith.  Faith is also not ignorance, but an observable trust in God’s will be done. Based on the numerous example and countless promises in God’s word, there is the most solid evidence for faith. There faith is not just a wishful belief, but a choice of God’s word. In contrast, faith is not merely knowledge, but knowledge must be turned into faith, lest that knowledge indict you.

Faith is something you have or you don’t (Mk 4:40;9:23-24;Lk 8:24-25;17:5-6). The question is not about the size of your faith, but where your faith is genuine.

What is genuine faith?
Genuine faith is determined by what we have faith in. For example, Muslim’s faith is in a false god who is not Trinitarian. In the Muslim faith, God is one but alone and Jesus is not fully God and fully man, who died on the cross and rose again. Therefore, while many people might have sincerity in their beliefs, their faith is not genuine.

Genuine faith isn’t concerned with faith itself but only looks to Jesus Christ as the object of faith (Heb 12:2) “The power of faith lies in its object; faith is only as valid as its object. The crucial thing is not faith, but the object of faith. You can believe with all your heart and soul and mind until you turn blue.—But if your faith is aimed at the wrong object, you are wasting your time. – Ron Dun”

Abraham went through his trial by faith in God who was the object of his faith (v19).
He trusted God’s promises
• Isaac was the promised son Gen 12:2-4, Gen 25:2-6
• God never betrays Num 23:19, Jer 25:11
• God is powerful Heb 11:11, 1 Sam 14:6
• God is Father 1 John 3:1, Rom 8:32

God will fulfill his promises to the end. We can trust Him, just as Abraham places his faith in God’s promise towards him. For us, while we may not have a direct verbal promise,  all our promises of God can be summed up into Jesus Christ (2 Cor 1:20). In Jesus Christ, the object of our faith, we see the fulfillment of all of God’s promises in His word. There we must determine to partake in the suffering of Christ here on earth, so that we might obtain the promises of God and experience the power of resurrection (Phil 3:10-11)

When faced with a crisis, we often think skill, knowledge, experience and bravery is needed to triumph. However, Jesus asks, “Where is your faith?” (Lk 8:25). Do we have faith in Jesus when we face an impossible situation or task?

Faith is a belief and trust in God and His word (Heb 11:1). When it comes to examples of faith, there is none more exemplary than Abraham, the father of Isaac. In Hebrews 11:17-19 Abraham is mentioned for the second time for his faith and obedience to God. When asked to sacrifice his only and beloved son who was promised by God, it must have been a shocking crisis (Gen 22:1-14). Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, and his son was most precious to him, and now God was asking him to be offered. Through Abraham’s example of faith, we see his complete submission and obedience, we see true faith.

Clarification: God does not desire human sacrifice
God asking for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is not His condoning of human sacrifice. There is one other instance, where Jephthah vowed to offer to the Lord the first thing which came to greet him, and it ended being his daughter (Judges 11:34). However, this was Jephthah vow of his own volition and what Jephthah vowed was not as a sacrifice as in killing but dedication in service. Therefore, there is no pattern of God seeking human sacrifice.

Secondly, God’s law is written and settled. God does not change and neither does His law (Mt 5:17-19, Ga 3:10). In fact, God hates hypocrisy and is always consistent with His word both in His nature and actions (Mt 23:1-3, Deut 12:31, Lev 18:21). God’s law never demands a human sacrifice to be killed, but it is those who go against God’s law who resort to such things (2 Chron 33:6).

Lastly, human sacrifice goes against God’s nature. God’s heart is to love and to give himself to those He loves (2 Cor 5:21, Jn 13:2). God’s purpose for Abraham was to test his faith, not a desire for human sacrifice.

The call to sacrifice
Abraham was tested by God to sacrifice what he cherished most in this world, his beloved son Isaac. Facing this impossible request, Abraham responded in faith and obeyed. Does God still ask for this level of sacrifice and faith today, even from you? We might be tempted to categorize Abraham’s interaction with God unique and for the ancients.

The truth is God does not change and neither does the definition of true faith. We all have things that are precious to us, whether it is money, job, family or passions. (Mt 4:20, 9:9, 19:20-22,27), we are not to cling to them, but surrender them to the Lord Jesus. Like selling all we have to obtain the treasure of God (Mt. 23:44), we are to sacrifice in faith. What Isaac’s are in your life that you refuse to sacrifice when God is asking? God still demands everything in order to follow him, just as He did with Abraham.

In this world of convenient faith, can you forsake your idols to follow Christ? Are you following Christ on His terms or your own? Sadly, we have a hard time even giving up the smallest of treasures, whether it’s our time, money or things. Instead we must give up our very lives. If we do not, our faith might not be genuine. Also, we miss out on the blessings God has prepared for us (Gen 22:14-18, Mk 8:35 ).

The Bible is the inerrant and infallible truth. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which means beginning, God makes the universe and all life. In the entirety of Scripture, the Bible reveals who God is and in Genesis, one of the important aspects we learn is that God is powerful. God is not just powerful, but omnipotent (all-powerful). It is wise to remember, we walk with Almighty God. Hudson Taylor once said, “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.” (Mt 19:26, Job 42:2)

Do you see God in this way? Not just with confession of mouth but in the actions of your life? When faced with trial or hardship, do you trust in God’s power? (Zec 8:6) When Gabriel spoke, Mary asked “How can this be?”. Like Mary, We often forget the power of God.

Why do we forget God’s power?

1. We think we can achieve our desires through money, skills or work, and that we don’t need God. We think that with man it is also possible.

2. We replace God with other things, such as science or entertainment. We try to conquer death with science or appease our boredom with entertainment.

3. The society is becoming more feminine and therefore a powerful and masculine God is unappealing. Power in the traditional sense is offensive and unattractive, while a kind and gentle God is more accepted.

The truth is though, since the fall of Adam, we’ve been powerless due to our sin. Sin is a plague and a most terrible curse that we cannot defeat. Man is completely under the dominion of sin (Rom 6:23, Mt 4:4). No descendant of Adam  has ever overcome the power of sin or ever will without God’s saving power.

God’s power is the same as the beginning
The birth of John the Baptist and the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is an example of God’s unlimited power. It is the same as Creation, where life was created from nothing or ex nihilo (Lk 1:34-35, Mt 1:18, Gen 1:1). God is the Creator who can bring anything into existence by the power of His words. God doesn’t change and His power never fades (Heb 11:3, Ma 3:6, Heb 13:8).

We must believe in our minds and trust in our hearts that God is powerful. In our sin, we limit God’s ability or think God is not the same as He was in the Bible. Our God is the God of Genesis. We must have faith. Like the centurion, we must understand God’s authority and power (Mt 8:7-9)

God can save you
God saves you through the power of the Holy Spirit and works of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was also present in Creation, and where there is the Holy Spirit, there is God’s power (Acts 1:8). It is through Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God that sinners are saved (Eph 2:1-3, Mt 3:13). To be saved from sin, we need a sinless Savior. Only Jesus has the power and the righteousness to save sinners from death (Acts 4:7-12).

If men are saved by God’s power, the why are all people not saved? It is not because God couldn’t save them but because they are unwilling to be saved.  The reject the Savior, Jesus Christ. The gospel is offered fairly and freely but not all receive it by faith

God can sanctify you
After hearing Gabriel, Mary accepts God’s will for her, she receives it by faith and obeys. She demonstrates that by the power of God, we are sanctified.

Three means of sanctification

1. Humility: Mary says she is a bondslave of the Lord. Whatever means God has given, she is willing to submit, even if it’s to be an outcast of society. If we cling to pride, we would hinder sanctification. By pride, we reject God’s will for us and remain in disobedience (James 4:6, 10).

2. Willing prayer: Mary prays ‘may it be done to me’ in submission to God’s will

3. Faith in God’s word: ‘according to your word’.

God used these three means to help Mary obey and accomplish His saving will. Our response to God’s will and word must be be like Mary’s. We forget that God is powerful and able to do the impossible, even save a wretched sinner unto eternal life. May we remember and believe.

There is no other miracle like the virgin birth and there will never be another like it. It was significant for Jesus to be a man but not be born of a man to the sinless Savior. When Jesus returns again it will not be a baby but in glory as the resurrected Lord. It is to the true Jesus, the Messiah, to which we must believe and follow. Any other understanding of Jesus is false and unable to save. Many people wish Jesus was a different sort of Messiah. Many Jews expected an earthly King who would rid them of Rome’s rule. Even currently, many people wish Jesus to be different, to be a friend, to be like them. Maybe people think they find Jesus in their own way, but Jesus is the one who seeks us. We are the sinners, and He is the Savior. When we surrender to the true Jesus, then we can truly be saved.

The real Jesus lives up to His name

The angel Gabriel tells Mary that she ‘would call His name Jesus’. The name Jesus was actually very popular in the first century. It has led to some misunderstandings, even finding a box of bones with Jesus name. Josephus, the historian, mentions a few people named Jesus during this time. The name Jesus stems from Joshua (Jeshua) which means `Savior`. Out of all the men named Jesus, only Jesus was born of a virgin and fulfills that role.

Christianity is unique in its view of sin and the Savior (Mt. 1:21). All other religions either claim man is essentially good and able to work towards salvation, or that sin is not evil and deserving condemnation. The Bible says all men are sinners in nature and that death and hell are the consequence (Zeph 1:17, Rom 6:23). It is not merely the action of sin that man is guilty of but our attitude of sin. We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners.

According to His namesake, Jesus comes to save us from sin, to remove the power, the presence and penalty of sin. Just as sin and its consequence is real, so is the the redemption and atonement of sin. By dying on the cross, Jesus appeased God’s judgement and become propitiation for us (2 Cor 5:21). It was a heavy price, but through His death and resurrection, our sin is forgiven and we are saved (Heb 9:18-22).

By the substitutionary work of Jesus, God is appeased and no longer angry at us. It is only by the interceding of Jesus are we saved from fiery judgement, but instead beloved by God, adopted as sons and daughters and promised eternal life. Our righteousness and blameless legal standing before the Holy God is accomplished by Jesus, the true Messiah. Only the Jesus of the Bible has done this and one day will return.

Conclusion

Who do you say Jesus is (Mt 16:13-16)? Is Jesus just another man or is He the Son of the living God, the Messiah? Do you live according to your own desires or do you follow and obey Jesus? By answering according to the truth of Scripture, you will be saved by the real Jesus who lives up to His name.

In Revelation 1, the Apostle John falls like a dead man when the resurrected Lord Jesus appears in all His glory. Jesus is glorious and to be worshipped. A very different attitude then our current culture, where the name Jesus is most commonly used as a swear word. For true salvation, life and joy, Jesus is not a swear, he is not just a friend, he is not just a good man, but He is the Messiah, the Savior of sinners. Do you believe and follow Him? (Mt 17:5, Acts 4:12)

Jesus is the Messiah

• Descendant of David and the true King (2 Sa 7:12-16)

• Born of the Virgin and without sin unlike all other men. (Mt 1:20, Rom 3:23)

Jesus is fully man and fully God

There is a danger in dismissing the humanity of Jesus Christ. The suffering and atoning work on the cross is possible because Jesus was a sinless man as an appeasing sacrifice. Without the shedding of His blood, we would not be forgiven for our sins (Heb 2:12, 14-17)

Jesus did not stop being God while He was a man. Jesus was not in the form of God but was still divine in nature and essence (Phil 2:5-6, John 1:1, 14, Heb 1:3). Jesus is equal to God but humbled himself to fulfill the role as the Savior of men (Phil 2:7). His deity was never lost, he never ceased to be God. In hypostatic union, Jesus was fully God and fully man.

Jesus the Messiah is the one who has opened the way to heaven through his death and resurrection (Heb 4:13). He is a man without sin, He is almighty God. Through faith in Jesus, we can fearlessly ask God in prayer and approach the throne of grace with confidence (Jn 14:13, Heb 4:16) Because He is man, He knows our needs and cares. Because Jesus is God, He can handle any situation. Jesus knows everything and is able to accomplish His good and perfect will. Is Jesus the Messiah your Lord and Savior?