Abraham, father of those of faith

Abraham was a remarkable man. Scripture tells us that we need to be like Abraham – so Abraham should be very close to the heart of every believer.

God made some very important promises to Abraham which affect every Christian person. Click on the link below to open up a PDF detailing these wonderful promises, and their importance in our lives.

God's Promises to Abraham

Printable version of God's Promises to Abraham

Verses showing the importance of Abraham

The father of the faithful

If we share the faith of Abraham, we share the promises God made to Abraham.

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. . . . That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring -- not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

Abraham's faith

Like Abraham, we must believe God – fully convinced that God is able to do what he has promised.

"In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Faith counted as righteousness

Just as God counted Abraham's faith as righteousness, so He will also count our faith (belief) as righteousness:

That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

(Rom 4:13-25)

Our relationship to Abraham

By baptism into Christ, we become the offspring of Abraham and the promises God made to Abraham apply to us too – very good reason to become familiar with Abraham.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.   . . . And if you are Christ's,   then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

(Gal 3:27, 29)