Reasonable Faith

It is very common, especially among those more educated (statistically speaking), to pit faith and reason against each other as opposites. After all, isn’t the Bible just a book of impossible fairy tales made up by men?

Just yesterday I was reading —the story of Noah and the Ark. It’s events resemble nothing like what we see today (doesn’t help that it’s been made cutesy and infantile). Anyone with half a brain starts asking all kinds of questions about how all that could have taken place. (Ask critical questions, just not like an atheist).

Reasons:

-Science

-Experience

-Majority Opinion (Peer Pressure)

There are all sorts of angles you could take to start addressing problems with the idea that faith and reason are exclusive (can’t have one without the other). For example, it takes faith to believe in the theory of evolution—faith isn’t simply “religion”. But I want you to know that faith isn’t blind, or against all logic and sanity—faith is reasonable.

*(WARNING: super familiar—don’t tune out. Look for details you may not have noticed before to see why God made sure this story was written and preserved for you.

Abraham’s Test

READ .

The event seems so bizarre. At the beginning one can’t help but wonder what kind of maniacal, cruel god would make such a demand. As a father and a son, this task is a deeply disturbing consideration until we see the end of the story.

Why is it important that verse 1 says, “God tested Abraham”?

Why is it important that verse 1 says, “God tested Abraham”?

-Gives us relief that his plan was not truly for Isaac to be sacrificed (human sacrifice was a pagan ritual, especially in worship of the false god, Molech).

“This is a test, this is only a test.”

God was testing Abraham’s faith.

-What is the evidence that someone has faith in God (believes God)? (obedience)

How were OT believers saved if they didn’t know about Christ and the cross?

-He may have had much less information than we do, but Abraham believed God, and obeyed.

What was the evidence of

What were some things that would have made it very difficult for Abraham to obey?

-v. 2 “Take your son, only son Isaac, whom you love...”

-God had already made his covenant with Abraham (), and it all depends on having a son. (what were the promises?)

-He and Sarah are very old, and it was already a miracle to have Isaac.

-Mental and Emotional/ethical hurdles.

There has been all sorts of speculation about what Abraham must have been feeling and thinking, but we don’t want to go beyond what we’re told in the text.

What are some clues that help us to see what Abraham was thinking and feeling about this task? (vv. 5, 8)

-He went through with all of it until the very last moment. *Interestingly Isaac must have also (strong enough to carry the wood up the mountain; recognizes there’s no lamb).

Another text helps us. READ .

Abraham’s faith is commendable, but is that the point of this event?

God’s Provision

Throughout the whole OT, God was progressively revealing himself to the humanity that had rejected him and unfolding his plan to provide redemption. So as we read the OT, the point of it all is not to elevate certain people to hero status, but so that we would see who God is. We’re not supposed to be amazed by Abraham, but amazed by God. Let’s see why God is so amazing.

READ vv. 11-14.

Who yells at Abraham to stop before he plunges his knife? (“you have not withheld your son, your only son from me” v.12)

Isaac doesn’t die. But is it still ok? Is it right for God to do this?

Sometimes there are issues in which we just have to realize we don’t understand what God is doing but his ways and thoughts are higher than ours (which by the way is a good thing “him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think”).

But everything makes more sense—faith becomes reasonable when we see what God is doing and saying about himself.

-First, he has already proven himself good and faithful. He has made promises and kept them. Abraham has a son, when humanly speaking it was impossible. Abraham is holding onto the fact that he knows God is trustworthy, even in the face of this seemingly counter-productive command.

-Second, God is revealing to Abraham and to us that he is the God who provides. “Yaweh Jireh” (Jehovah Jireh KJV) the Lord will provide.

What did God provide for Abraham and Isaac? (an education; a ram)

-Third, God was painting a picture that shows his immeasurable wisdom and kindness by giving a glimpse of how he was going to PROVIDE a way for sinners to be saved from destruction.

Did any of the events of the story or words that were used remind you of Christ? We should always be looking in the OT for where we see glimpses of God’s plan of redemption, namely Christ.

What are the things that teach us something about Christ?

-vv. 2 and 12 “your only son” to be offered as a sacrifice.

-v. 6 Isaac carried the wood—Jesus carried his cross.

-v. 7 “lamb” (behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world)

-v. 9 Isaac submitted himself to be offered as a sacrifice. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

-v. 13 We can also see another picture with Abraham representing God the holy judge, justly condemning sinners, but a ram is provided to be the substitutionary sacrifice like Jesus was for us.

-v. 14 Future tense: God will provide a Savior, on the mount of the Lord (Calvary).

Application

What has God provided for you/continues to provide for you?

What if God provides a test? A trial? Suffering? What happens when we find ourselves in a situation like Abraham?

When God provides trials, how can our faith still be reasonable instead of foolish and self-destructive?

-He has proven himself by providing for our greatest need already.

-The whole Bible shows us that he keeps his promises and always does what is right, so he can be trusted.

-Even every trial has a purpose and gives us reason to trust him more.

James 1:2–4 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

In what areas of your life are you tempted not to believe God? Can you trust God with:

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