By faith Abraham, when he was
called to go out into a place which
he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went
out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith he sojourned in the land
of promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob, the heirs with him of
the same promise.
Hebrews 11:8-9
Abraham living in the land of the Chaldeans, living among those who worshiped pagan gods it seems rather odd that Abraham would not worship their gods and only worship Jehovah. One must look at the generational lines leading up to Abraham. Noah begat sons and daughters (Genesis 11:18), and what is revealed is that from Noah there is an accounting of those who beget men leading up to the birth of Terah who beget Abram, Nahor, and Haran who beget Lot (Genesis 11:27). Noah had a son Shem who beget Arphaxad and from that line came Abraham. This line from Shem was loyal to Jehovah God as the Bible reveals so Abraham was raised up in the knowledge of Jehovah God. Terah took Abraham, his grandson Lot, their wives and moved from the land of Ur, in Chaldea headed for the land of Canaan but stopped in the city of Haran (Genesis 11:31). Terah apparently took his family away from the paganism of the Chaldeans and moved to Haran, the same name as the father of Lot. While in Haran the LORD spoke to Abraham to go to a land that he would be shown and this land was the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:4) where they had set out with his father before settling in Haran. Yet, Abraham did not know where, what part of the land, would he eventually settle, but God would show him (Genesis 12:1). Abraham was not totally ignorant where he was headed but he did not know the plan of God for him. Abraham had become successful in Haran, now to leave and go to a new land, a land where he had never been before and not to know where in that land he was to eventually live: this took faith, but not blind faith.
Abraham did not rely on common sense, for there is no common sense to leave a successful land to go to a land where he might not be successful, a land where he would have to find people to buy his sheep, for he did need money to afford all those who went with him, worker, family. True faith is in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense in antagonism to faith is rationalism. Think upon this: there are Churches and congregants of those Churches whereby the faith of those is founded upon common sense, that is, what they say is faith and the exercise of that faith is that which they rationalized to be truth Authentic Christian Faith. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. The life of Authentic Christian Faith brings the two into a right relation for they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual; of impulse and inspiration. Oh! How we find and see impulsiveness among those who are living their lives based on spiritualness that is based upon rationalism and common sense. They do and say things that seem so rational, so spiritual, so Godly, when in fact it is nothing more than the natural life being satisfied. Nothing that Jesus ever said is common sense, it is revelation sense, and it reaches the place where common sense fails. Example: deny you family, your friends, deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Him. Wait! Wait! Leave my family behind? Stay away from my friends? Yes! If they are not aiding you or leading you away from being true to Jesus Christ and doing the work that Jesus outlined for Christians to do. This is hard! Yes! Faith must be tried before the reality of faith is actual. The bridge example: you can say you have faith in the bridge, but until that faith is tried by walking across that bridge it is not real faith. The purpose of God is to see that the ideal faith is made real in His children.
It looks "mad" for Abraham to pick up his things, move his family, his livestock, and not knowing exactly where he was going, move on faith that God will show him what he was to do and where he was to go. Abraham, and we, must venture out on God's word. Head faith must be turned into a personal possession always, not sometimes. God will bring you as he did to Abraham, into circumstances in order to educate us, our faith, because he nature of Authentic Christian Faith is to make its object real. And what is the object? It is Jesus Christ and until God and Jesus Christ is made real in us, then God, even Jesus Christ is nothing more that a mere abstaction, we cannot have Authentic Christian Faith in Him, but when we are tested, our faith is tested then God, Jesus Christ is made real to us. Faith is the whole man rightly related to God, to our relationship with Jesus Christ and this by the power of the Holy Spirit who leads, speaks, to us through prayer, through His word. Abraham heard the word of God and acted upon that word by faith. We too should act upon the word of God and not attempt to rationalize everything and to allow common sense to just rule over any circumstance.
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or terrified
because of them, for the LORD
your God goes with you; He
will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Put your faith into action
Richard L. Crumb
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