When someone is referred to as the father of something, it implies that the fellow is an important figure in the origin and early history of that thing. In other words, it would be impossible to talk about the topic without the mention of that person. Such is Abraham when it comes to faith.

Hebrews 11 chronicled a list of men and women who did exploits through faith. The account reveals that before Abraham, men like Abel, Enoch, and Noah had exercised faith. Abel offered a better sacrifice through faith, Enoch walked with God while Noah built an ark through the same faith.

However, none of these seems to exemplify faith in relatable, practical and real life experiences like Abraham. Abraham’s faith was tested in things that we can easily identify. We can quickly make reference to Abraham’s faith today after thousands of years because some of us now go through what Abraham went through.

Abraham seems to be the pioneer of practical relatable faith especially for those of us who are New Testament believers. Here are some of the ways Abraham pioneered and demonstrated faith;

1. In responding to the call of God. In Genesis 12:1, we read, “Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you”. It is very easy to travel to a named place even if you have never been there before. All you need is to ask for direction. But to pack your bags and begin a journey “to a land that I will show you” is strange. Yet “Abram departed as the Lord has spoken to him” Genesis 12:4. “He went out, not knowing where he was going” Hebrews 11:8. This requires a high level of faith.

2. In living in a strange land. Staying among people he didn’t know also was an act of faith. No matter how bad, there is something about home that we cannot find somewhere else. Hebrews 11:9 says, “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

3. In waiting for the birth of Isaac. This seems to be the crux of Abraham’s expression of faith. For about 25 years, Abraham and Sarah waited trusting God for the promised child. Romans 4:19-21 says, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform”.

4. In the sacrifice of Isaac. This is perhaps the hardest decision Abraham had to make in his journey of faith. It was crazy to even think God would ask him to sacrifice the child he had waited for many years. But because Abraham knew God, he obeyed. The Bible told us what his mind set was when he set out to sacrifice his only begotten son. He concluded “that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” Hebrews 11:19.

These are reasons why Abraham is often referred to as the father of faith and it is why anyone in the journey of faith can look up to his example and be inspired to trust God.

“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations) in the presence of Him whom he believed God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” Romans 4:16-17.

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