The Supreme Sacrifice -- 3/29/09

Sunday, March 29, 2009

THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
Gen. 22:1-19

Last week I had someone ask me if we were going to get to Genesis 22 last Sunday. I had to inform that person, “No, we will have to wait one more week.” Well, I’m glad we’re finally here. So what is so special about Genesis 22? It is one of those red letter chapters in the Bible, one of those special passages that we come back to over and over again. Last week I mentioned that Genesis 19 was one of the ugly chapters in the Bible. Though chapter 22 begins with great difficulty, when we get the whole picture, is there anything more beautiful?

We could approach this chapter in many different ways. We can’t begin to exhaust its riches in one study. However, since our purpose in this Genesis study is to keep moving and not get bogged down, we will give it our full attention today and then move on. Before we dive in, let’s pause to ask God to speak to us this morning.

Pray.

Let’s read Gen. 22:1-19…
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2. And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5. And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7. And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. 9. And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 10. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 11. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door. 12. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13. For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19. Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

Let me go ahead and give you the outline we are going to use. Speaking of Abraham offering up his son, we consider these aspects of his actions…
1. What it required
2. What it revealed
3. What it foreshadowed

I. What It Revealed – Faith

We love our children, do we not? Not only do we love them, but we have hopes for them. As a father, I made many mistakes in raising our boys. Obviously, we parents see our mistakes more clearly as we grow older. Nevertheless, I can say from the depths of my heart that I long for them to do better than I have. I desire to see them following the Lord and leading their kids to do the same. When I see them doing better than I did, I am not jealous; I am overjoyed. Now with that in mind, suppose I found out that I would soon lose my sons. What would that do to me? I can’t even begin to imagine the depth of the pain. To make matters worse, what if God asked me to offer up my sons as a sacrifice, to take their very lives? Now let me make it crystal clear that God will never ask any of us to take the lives of our children. What we have here in Genesis 22 is a once-in-the-history-of-the-world request of a human father. It never happened before and it will never happen again. We’ll see why next week. Imagine the agony. Not only would I be losing my sons, but I would be losing all the hopes that I had pinned upon them.

While that is certainly not a perfect illustration, it begins to unearth the depths of what Abraham must have felt when God tested him. By the way, the King James uses the word “tempt.” The English word “tempt” is capable of conveying more than one meaning. Here are the first two definitions in my English dictionary: 1. to entice to do wrong… 2. to make trial of; test. In this case, the idea is clearly one of testing. God never tempts anyone to do wrong, but He does bring testing into our lives. We find that truth in James 1:12-14…
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation [trial, testing]: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

There can be no doubt that God was testing Abraham’s faith. This was the ultimate test. Verse 2, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will designate.” Notice the emphasis on your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love.” But wait a minute. Was Isaac Abraham’s only son? While he was the only son of Abraham and Sarah, we know that Abraham had another son. What was his name? Yes, Ishmael. Then why does God speak of Isaac as Abraham’s only son? In order to answer that question, we need to go back and read Gen. 21:9-21…
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. 14. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

Notice two things from this passage. First of all, we see that God told Abraham to send away Ishmael and his mother. Understand that Ishmael was no little boy by this time. He was fourteen when Isaac was born, and this is after Isaac was weaned. By now, he was likely 17 years old. The word “mocking” in verse 9 is a form of the word “laughter,” but clearly it was a mocking laughter. No wonder Sarah was upset, as she watched this young man ridiculing her little boy. But how could Abraham do what Sarah suggested? This was his own flesh and blood. He could only do it because God told him to do so. The rest of the passage makes it clear that God Himself was watching out for Ishmael. Now that Abraham had been sent away, there was no question about who would be the heir. In that sense, Isaac was his only son. But that is not the most important factor. Notice God’s words to Abraham at the end of verse 12, “For in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” While Abraham had two sons, only one was the son of promise. So Isaac was the only son with whom Abraham had any contact and he was the only son who was given in fulfillment of God’s promise.

The Lord was well aware that this would be a very difficult test for Abraham. He did not make it any easier by reminding Abraham that this was the son whom he loved. From the time he was weaned, he was the only son in Abraham’s household. He was the son born to Abraham in his old age (100, to be exact). Most important of all, Isaac was the son through whom Abraham would be blessed with descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens.

So how did Abraham respond? Verse 3, “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went where God told him to go.” If there was any reluctance, there is no record of it here. Don’t you wonder if Abraham slept any that night. Was there a wrestling with God, as when Jacob wrestled all night? Or could Abraham say what David would later say: “I lay me down and slept; I awaked, for the Lord sustained me” (Ps. 3:5)? We don’t know.

Where did God tell him to go? To a mountainous region called Moriah. By the way, according to II Chr. 3:1, this would be the site on which Solomon would build the temple. Why Moriah? Although we are not told, I think I have a pretty good idea. Notice in verse 4 that it wasn’t until the third day that they could see the place afar off. Best I can tell, it was some 50 miles away. Apparently Abraham was in no hurry. If he had hurried, he could have probably gone all the way in three days, but we see that on the third day they still had a ways to go. No wonder Abraham wasn’t in a hurry. It seems to me that the Lord deliberately chose a place a good distance away. That would give Abraham plenty of time to weigh this whole situation, to come to grips with this test of his faith.

Isn’t it a touching story, especially when Isaac said, “My father… I see the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering.” We aren’t told how old he was. He is referred to as “lad” in verses 5 and 12, but this may be a bit misleading. The Hebrew word could be applied to a baby or to a grown man, as it was used of Joseph when he was 30 years old (Gen. 41:12,46). He was plenty old enough to understand about the offering of sacrifices. The most telling evidence of his age is in verse 6, where we are told that Abraham laid the wood on Isaac. We are talking about carrying up a mountain enough wood to consume a human sacrifice. That is why it seems best to view Isaac as a young man, as an older teen or in his 20’s. That didn’t make it any easier. Maybe a little boy wouldn’t understand, but Isaac certainly would.

Ultimately we can describe Abraham’s response with these simple words: “He obeyed God.” No, he didn’t kill his son outwardly, but the deed was already done in his heart. He did not hold back. Yes, he raised the knife to slay his son. Had the angel of the Lord not spoken at that precise moment, the deed would have been done. Abraham was fully obedient to the Word of the Lord.

Now back to our question: What did his obedience require? How could any father do such a thing, much less a father who believed that the promises of God necessitated that his son Isaac have children. How could God fulfill His promises through a dead son? Why would God ask Abraham to kill his son? Pagans did that, but surely not a man who followed the Lord who gives life. Don’t you know that Abraham pondered these questions again and again as he traveled toward Mt. Moriah. He couldn’t talk to his servants about this, and he certainly couldn’t talk to Isaac. It was just Abraham and the Lord. But as he was thinking, he was obeying, coming ever close to the place of sacrifice.

For the answer to our question, we only have to turn to the New Testament. I would encourage to write in your Bible out beside chapter 22 a reference to Heb. 11. Let’s turn there. Heb. 11:17-19…
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. 18. Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19. Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham wasn’t able to figure it all out, but He took God at His Word. Whatever it took, God would not forsake His promise. Even if it meant bringing Isaac back from the dead, God would do it.

Think on that for a while. We read it so casually: So Abraham believed that God would raise him from the dead. Do you believe God could raise your child from the dead to fulfill a promise? This was no small thing. Abraham had never seen or heard of anyone being raised from the dead. His obedience required faith in a great God. Notice that I did not say his obedience required great faith in God. The focus isn’t on great faith, but upon a great God! Abraham’s faith is described by the three opening words “By faith Abraham,” but the key is verse 19, where we are told that Abraham accounted, reckoned, considered to be true, the fact that God was able to raise him up even form the dead. Abraham put his trust in a great God, and he was not disappointed. In a real sense, God did raise him up from the dead, because in Abraham’s mind and heart Isaac had already been slain.

No wonder we think of Abraham as the father of the faithful. Obedience grows out of faith. That is why the emphasis isn’t upon how great the man is, but how great is the God in whom he believes. That is the God we serve. Can you trust a God like that? Can you trust Him, even when you don’t understand His command? Can you trust Him enough to obey Him, no matter what? Surely He has proven Himself trustworthy. Praise God for this example of simple faith in a trustworthy God.

Do you have trouble trusting God? Do you feel like you are weak in faith? The answer isn’t to try to manufacture faith. It isn’t even to pray for faith. Oh yes, pray for faith, but don’t expect God to zap you right in the heart with ten pounds of faith. Where does faith come from? “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). And what do we find in the Word of God? We find the revelation of the true and living God, the One who is faithful and unchanging, the One who gave us His Son. And “he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). As we come consistently to the Word of God, we understand more and more of this God who was able to raise up Isaac from the dead. We come to know the God who loved Abraham so much that He tested him, revealing that Abraham’s greatest treasure was not his son Isaac, but the Lord Himself. As we gaze upon Jesus Christ, we come to understand what it means that He loved us and gave Himself for us. Can you trust a God like that? Can you trust the God who revealed Himself to Abraham and who is revealing Himself to us through the Word?

II. What Did It Reveal?

We have seen clearly that Abraham’s obedience required faith. Now I want to ask you a question. You will be happy to know that this is not an essay question, nor a true/false question. Rather, it is fill in the blank. (Put it on the overhead). Please don’t answer out loud; just think of the answer and keep it to yourself. Here it is: “You see then how that by ______ a man is justified.” Okay, how many of you filled in the blank with the word “faith”? Hold them up high. I know you are shy, but if that is what you think, let it be known. Is there anyone who had a different response. What?

If you said “faith,” you are mistaken. However, only one of two things could have tipped you off that “faith” is the wrong answer. First, you may have known this exact text I quoted here. Yes, this is an exactly quotation. Or, you could have suspected that I was trying to trick you. When it comes to the concept, surely you are right. Doesn’t the Bible say that a man is justified by faith and not by works? Listen to Gal. 2:16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." But maybe it was different with Abraham. Maybe he was justified in some other way. Let’s read Rom. 4:2-5…
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

We see Paul stating dogmatically that a person can never be justified by works, but that he must be justified by faith. He looks at it from the other side in Rom 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith [literally, ‘having been justified by faith], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." So where on earth did we get these words which I claim is a direct quote from scripture? Someone tell us. Yes, it is from James 2. Let’s read the whole verse, James 2:24, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." Did you hear that? James says that faith alone cannot justify a person. It makes you wonder if James was familiar with the apostle Paul, or if Paul had ever read James. It certainly appears that their statements are contradictory.

It helps me to picture the situation like this. Paul and James were fighting for the same cause. They were both faithful soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, they were fighting different enemies. Consider the United States during World War II. Some of our men were fighting a ground war on the European continent. They were armed with guns, and tanks. Their weapons were effective for the combat in which they were engaged. However, they would not have been effective in battling against Japanese planes. But we had another branch of our armed forces which we called upon to combat those planes. We had pilots who were trained to engage those planes and shoot them down. The Army and the Air Force were fighting for the same country, but they were battling two different enemies. As a result, they used very different weapons and tactics.

So it was with Paul and James. They both believed the same truth, but they wielded it against different enemies. Please allow me to explain what I mean. Paul was a Jew and even though he was the apostle to the Gentiles, he nevertheless wrote to churches where there were some Jews. As a matter of fact, Paul had been a Pharisee. Remember what he wrote to the Philippians: Phil. 3:4-6…
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Paul and his fellow-Jews were seeking to become right with God by the works of the law. But Paul, having encountered the risen Christ, came to realize that no man can ever keep the law. So he tells us in Rom. 3:20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." This idea of a works righteousness was so deeply ingrained in the Jewish people that Paul had to constantly fight against that false idea. That is why he says in Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast."

We all have a pretty good understanding of that, but now let’s come to James. He was fighting a different battle, but a very important one. I think it will be best if we just go ahead and read the whole passage – Jms. 2:14-26…
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15. If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16. And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. 19. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23. 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. 24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

So does verse 14 talk about a person who has faith and not works? No, it does not. Read it carefully. It talks about a man who says he has faith but in reality does not have works. That is the key to understanding this passage. He professes faith. The big question is posed at the end of verse 14: “Can faith save him?” I must say that the King James is weak at this point. It is not, “Can faith save him?” but “Can the faith save him?” The definite article is present, indicating that James is not talking about just any faith, but the faith, a particular kind of faith. So what kind of faith is he talking about? Context gives us the answer. He is talking about a professed faith which is not accompanied by works. He is referring back to the person who says he has faith but who does not have good works. Very clearly the idea is, “Can that faith save him?” In the Greek language, it is asked in such a way that it anticipates a negative answer. In other words, “That faith can’t save him, can it?” Or, “Surely that kind of faith can’t save him.”

After giving a very down-to-earth illustration in verses 15-16, James then makes this statement in verse 17: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Again, it is the same thing. “Even so that faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead, being alone.” A dead faith can’t save anyone. But someone might say (verse18), “It’s just a difference of perspective. One person has faith; another has works. To that James says, “Show my your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Do you see how he is stressing that true faith and works go hand in hand? Then in verse 19 he refers to the Shema, those words from Deut. 6:4 that the Jews quoted daily: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” Listen to him: “You believe there is one God; you do well; the demons also believe, and they tremble.” Then it wraps it up with verse 20, “But won’t you know, O vain man, that the faith without works is dead.”

Are you getting the picture? James was not dealing with people who believed you could earn your salvation by doing good works. He was confronting people on the opposite end of the spectrum. He was battling an antinomianism that is alive and well in our day. In other words, there were people who were claiming that a person can live any way he wants to live, as long as he has faith. Please allow me to put it in modern terms. “You don’t have to worry about me. I was saved when I was 12 years old and I know I was saved. I may not live such a great life, but I know I’m going to heaven because Jesus Christ is my Savior. He saved me and no man can pluck me out of his hand.” And if you haven’t heard anyone articulate that kind of thinking, I assure you that you meet people regularly who think that way and are relying on a profession that is not accompanied by good works. James says that kind of so-called faith is dead, worthless, vain.

You see, James isn’t talking about real faith, but about a counterfeit faith. It looks like the real thing, but it can’t be because it isn’t accompanied by good works. Yes, he could be talking about millions of Americans who say, “Once saved, always saved; I know I’m going to heaven.” Give me just a moment to clarify what I mean by that. If you ask me do you believe “Once saved always saved,” I will probably say “No.” Even though I believe the scripture clearly teaches that a true Christian cannot lose his salvation, I despise the terminology “once saved always saved,” because it carries with it the connotation that a Christian can live any way he wants to and have no bearing on where he will spend eternity. That is a lie, and James tells us so. Some of you don’t believe in the perseverance of the saints because you have reacted against those who promote this “once saved always saved” deception. We need a strong dose of James 2 in our day.

But what about Paul? Could he live with what James is saying? Of course, because he says the same thing. Come back to Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast." But now read verse 10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” While no amount of good deeds can make us right with God, we have been made right with God by grace through faith in order that we might do good works. We were created in Jesus Christ to do good works; that is God’s purpose for us. Paul is in perfect concert with James.

But now we must come to the rest of James 2. You are still wondering how James can boldly say that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. We’re getting there. In verse 21, James introduces Abraham as an illustration of a man who had a genuine faith rather than a counterfeit faith. He didn’t just say he had faith; he demonstrated it by doing good works. (You thought I had forgotten about Abraham and Genesis 22, didn’t you?) Not only does James refer to Abraham, but he also points to a specific incident in the life of Abraham. “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” Without question, James is referring us back to the events of Genesis 22. Abraham didn’t just talk about believing God; he did something in response. Now verse 22, “Do you see how faith operated together with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” In other words, his faith was brought to completion by his works.

Now come back to Romans 4 again. Rom. 4:2-3, "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." When Paul quotes from what the scripture says, the quotation is from Gen. 15:6, “And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Remember the context of that verse. At that time, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, “Fear not. I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” God had already made His great promises to Abraham, but Abraham still had no son. He complained that his only heir would have to be a servant in his household. That is when God assured him that he would have a son and that his descendants would be as numerous as the starts in the sky. That is when we read, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.” Here is Paul’s point. Abraham had done no great deed. All he did was simply to believe what God had said. Period. On the basis of that, God justified him, declared him to be righteous.

But now come to James’ use of Abraham to show that a man is justified (proven righteous) by works. “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?” Now where in the scripture do we find the story of Abraham taking Isaac up on the mountain to offer him as a sacrifice? It is in Gen. 22. If Isaac was around 20 at the time, then this takes place at least 35 years after Gen. 15:6. While earlier, in chapter 15, Abraham did nothing but trust what God had said, now in chapter 22 he acts. When God told him to take Isaac up and offer him as a sacrifice, Abraham has to gather provisions for the journey, get the wood for the fire, take Isaac, and go.

Do you see? In chapter 15 it was faith. In chapter 22 his faith resulted in works, and by works his faith was brought to completion. That is exactly what James is saying in verses 21 and 22.

But don’t think for a moment that James does not know about Gen. 15:6, which is Paul’s favorite source for justification by faith. He quotes it here in James 2:24, “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.” James says that Gen. 15:6 was fulfilled. How? It was fulfilled when Abraham took his son Isaac up on the mountain. He believed God over 35 years earlier, and it was that genuine faith that allowed him to be declared righteous, but the genuineness of that faith was fully proven years later when he did the deed. In chapter 15 Abraham was declared righteous; in chapter 22 he was proven righteous.

And that brings us to the quote I put up here earlier, from verse 24, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone.” Paul says that Abraham was justified by faith; James says that Abraham was justified by works. There is absolutely no contradiction. The key is understanding that while they use the same word, James brings out a different shade of meaning than Paul does. Paul says that Abraham was declared righteous by faith; James says that Abraham was proven righteous by works. To put it another way, Abraham was justified by faith, but he was vindicated by works. His faith was proved to be genuine by his works.

But we aren’t quite done yet. Sally says she is a Christian, and she has the works to prove it. She reads a Bible verse every day. She prays every day. Every Sunday morning she dresses in her Sunday best and goes to worship God. She loves her children and cares for them. When her husband goes to the bar, she has no desire to go with him. She professes that she has been declared righteous by God? Do her works prove her to be righteous?

Come back again to James 2 and think with me. James says that by his works Abraham’s faith was made perfect, was brought to completion (verse 22). Now here is the question: What works? What is it that James is talking about? Again, the context makes it very clear. “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” (21). James points to only one deed, the offering of Isaac. So why does James specify this one deed? Think with me, because this is extremely important. James points to this incident because it is not just any good work. Why did Abraham take Isaac up on that mountain, raise the knife, and prepare to plunge it into Isaac? There is only one reason – God told him to.

OBEDIENCE. This is the key. Because of his trust in the Lord, Abraham obeyed him, no matter what the cost. No, Sally’s works did not prove her to be righteous. As a matter of fact, Sally absolutely despised her neighbors on each side of her. Her neighbors on one side had come out of a background of drugs. They were no longer using drugs, but they still had the look. When they were outside, she made sure she was inside. The neighbors on the other side were atheists, and she had no use for atheists. She had what she considered good works, but she was not obedient to the Word of God. Faith is proven genuine by works of obedience. As Jesus put it, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 15:14).

Conclusion

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son” (Heb. 11:17). What did such a deed require? It required faith, a genuine trust in God. And when Abraham had done it, what did it reveal? It revealed faith, genuine trust in God. There is no way Abraham could have done it, had it not been for his trust in a faithful, Almighty, loving God. On the other hand, his obedience, his carrying out of the deed, revealed that his faith was more than just an empty profession. His deed of obedience revealed that his trust in God was the real thing.

Faith and obedience are tied so closely together that they can hardly be separated. You cannot have one without the other.

Now that brings us back to the latter part of Genesis 22. We read in verse 11 that the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and told him not to lay his hand on the young man. It was then that Abraham saw the ram caught in the thicket and knew that the Lord had indeed provided the sacrifice. Now come to verses 15-18…
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16. And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17. That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Notice verse 17. God gives Abraham great promises, assuring him that He will bless him and multiply his seed as the stars of heaven and the sand upon the seashore. We know that God had already made those promises. That is what Abraham believed, when God counted it to him for righteousness. But notice here what is on each side of the promises. Before them are the words “for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son…” After the promises are the words “because thou hast obeyed my voice.” If we read only this, we would have to conclude that God blessed Abraham with many descendants because he took Isaac up on the mountain and offered him to the Lord. It would seem that God blessed Abraham on the basis of his works.

Do you see? This is the Gen. 22 equivalent of what we find in James 2. We know from chapter 15 that God made these promises to Abraham with absolutely no conditions attached. But now he reaffirms them on the basis of Abraham’s obedience. It is as if he says, “Abraham, you believed my promises. And now your obedience has confirmed the genuineness of you faith. And because of that faith relationship, which produced your obedience, I am indeed going to fulfill my promises.” One writer puts it like this…

We must realize that God’s choice of Abraham included not only the end God purposed (blessings) but also the means (faith and obedience). After his ultimate test on Mount Moriah God can say that the blessings are a result of the obedience which stems from faith. This same sequence is evident in the New Testament. (Bob Deffinbaugh. Sermon “Final Exams,” found at http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=101 )

Brothers and sisters, don’t fear testing, for God uses it to prove the genuineness of your faith. 1 Pet. 1:6-7, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." The ultimate goal of the testing of our faith is that it might bring honor and glory to Christ at His appearing. It is through this testing that the dross will be purged from us and we will become the spotless bride of Christ. What glory that will bring to our Lord when we are presented to Him “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that we should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).