New: 29 May 2025
The Adventure
of Faith
Hebrews 11:8-12
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 NASB
The Adventure of Faith
Being justified by faith in order to receive salvation as a child of God is the beginning of the adventure of faith (see D7). We are called to live by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20). Faith is not something theoretical; faith leads to action! Faith without works is dead, as a body without its spirit is (James 2:26). People with true faith will act by faith in God and in accordance to how He directs them. Faith takes us on an adventure! As sinners, all we knew were sinful passions and evil desires, the pride of life and all its vain glory that is empty, meaningless and passing away (1 John 2:15-16). In Christ we are called to love what God loves and live according to His will (v 17). We discover a new way of life. We become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and learn to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4; see A12). We set out on our very own adventure of faith.
Abraham: Faith & Obedience
Abraham is the father of faith who set the example of going on an adventure of faith. He obeyed God by faith and followed His guidance (Hebrews 11:8). He obeyed God in faith, not knowing where he was going. Note that it doesn't say that 'he didn't know what he was doing,' but that he didn't know 'where he was going.' He went out not knowing where God would lead him, but he knew that God led him. Faith leads us to where God wants us to be, even if we don't know the destination at the outset. We need to obey God and walk by faith. As Martin Luther King said, faith takes the first step even if it can't see the whole staircase. It's like crossing a bridge through the fog. Obeying God is an adventure of faith.
Abraham had a promise from God and he knew that he would receive a place as an inheritance. He didn't know where God would lead him, yet he obeyed by faith. He was an example of those we are to imitate in our diligence and service to God, as one 'who through faith and endurance inherit the promises' (Hebrews 6:9-12). When God promises, He keeps His promises. All His promises are yes and amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:18-20). Although Abraham temporarily lived as a stranger in a foreign land, he trusted the God who is the architect and builder of what He prepared for him (Hebrews 11:9-10). God gave Abraham the land as the Promised Land. The nations living there had desecrated the land with idolatry and sin, and when the time was right, Abraham's descendants would inherit it. Abraham was a man of faith and obedience—and he inherited God's promise.
Now the LORD said to Abram,
"Go forth from your country,
and from your relatives
and from your father's house,
to the land which I will show you;
and I will make you a great nation,
and I will bless you,
and make your name great;
and so you shall be a blessing...
and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
Genesis 12:1-3 NASB
Sarah: Faith & a Miracle
Abraham is the father of faith and was a hero of faith, yet he was not alone on this adventure of faith. Sarah, his wife, played a vital role in the unfolding of God's plans for their descendants. Abraham was promised a land, offspring, and that he would be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Yet his wife was barren (11:30). God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and see the land He promised to him and his descendants, who would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or sand on the seashore (13:14-17). God would establish His covenant with Abraham and multiply him exceedingly (17:1-2). In view of His promise, God made a name change: Abram ('exalted father') became Abraham ('father of many nations'), as a reflection of God's plan for him (vv 3-8). But how could God promise offspring to a man with a barren wife?
It was Sarah whose faith gave her the 'ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life' (Hebrews 11:11). This happened because 'she considered Him faithful who had promised' (v 11b). God rewarded her faith and caused a miracle to happen because of her faith in Him. The faith of both Abraham and Sarah did not rest on their own ability or natural circumstances, but on God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist (Romans 4:16-17). They did not look to the natural situation (Abraham being 'as good as dead' in terms of producing a child at the age of 100 years), or the deadness of Sarah's womb (at the age of about 90), yet they believed in the promise of God, being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform (vv 18-21). God is faithful and keeps His word. He could promise offspring to an old man with a barren wife because He would fulfil His promises no matter how the circumstances look!
We can trust God and be confident on our own adventure of faith. Sarah and Abraham were partners on their adventure of faith. It is a powerful combination to walk with a true destiny partner by faith in God. Faith is the substance of things not seen, the conviction of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). These things are the things God promises and then brings to pass.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested,
offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son; it was he to whom it was said, "through Isaac your descendants shall be named."
Hebrews 11:17-18
Abraham: Faith and Sacrifice
God had kept His word and fulfilled His promise: Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah as a miracle. Their descendants would inherit the Promised Land and turn desert lands into a paradise. Yet then God tested Abraham (Genesis 22:1). He was asked to do something that didn't make sense: sacrifice the very son God had given them and through whom their descendants would multiply and inherit the land (Genesis 22:2). Abraham obeyed (vv 3ff) by faith (Hebrews 11:17-18). How could God ask Abraham to kill his son through whom He would fulfil His promises?
On the adventure of faith, we are sometimes tested and asked to sacrifice. We must approach these crucial moments by faith. We must trust God with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding apart from God's wisdom. Abraham did so. He stretched out his hand in obedience to God's instructions, yet the angel of the Lord stopped him on time, seeing that he feared God above all else. The problem with some believers is that God's promise becomes their idol, something even more important than God Himself. We must never confuse the promise of God with the God of promise. God must be our only God; we shall have no other gods beside Him. Nothing should be too valuable that we would withhold it from God. James commended Abraham's faith as such that had works, not only justifying him before God, but even earning him the title 'friend of God' (James 2:21-23). Millennia later, God would sacrifice His only Son for the sake of humanity lost in sin. Sacrifice is an expression of faith and love. God could command Abraham to sacrifice his son because God would fulfil His promises as He had spoken, yet had to make sure that Abraham kept his priorities right. Sometimes people shift their dedication to God and a sacrifice is necessary to get our hearts back to where they supposed to be.
Trusting God and Stepping Out
When God asks you to do something, obey Him, but first make sure it is of God. When God asks you to trust Him, follow where He leads you. The sons of God are lead by His Spirit in the ways of God (Romans 8:14), trusting their heavenly Father as those who inherit His good blessings (vv 15-17). You can trust Him and take the first step even if you can't see the whole road ahead of you. By faith in God you can step out, even into the unknown. You may not know what the future holds, but you know Who holds the future. God is faithful and won't fail you. Great things can happen when we obey God and step out by faith. We can be a blessing to many people. We can live a life of faith over fear.