Posts Tagged ‘Abraham’
Take Your Only Son
by Terry Wane Benton The test for Abraham was a type of the test that God Himself would undergo. In Abraham’s case, offering his only son, Isaac, was a test of his love for God. Would he trust and love God above his emotional attachment to his only son? Even though the command made no…
Read MoreHagar and Exclusion
by Matthew W. Bassford This became apparent last week when we studied the use of the story of Lot by Jesus and Peter. Today, gospel preachers like to bag on Lot. They condemn him for “pitching his tent towards Sodom” and point to the corruption of his family with grim satisfaction. By contrast, the New…
Read MoreHow could Cornelius be righteous if all of man’s righteousness are filthy rags before God?
Question: Hey Mr. Jeffrey, I’m having trouble in my understanding on a matter. In the book of Isaiah it seems to insinuate that a man’s righteousness is filthy rags before God, and Isaiah, a righteous prophet, felt unclean in the sight of Holy Yahweh; yet, the Bible also states we can please God with our…
Read MoreWhat made God say that Abraham will be the father of the nation?
Question: What made God say that Abraham will be the father of the nation? Answer: God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. See: How was Abraham famous? God didn’t have to offer that promise. He chose to make that promise and through that promise we see God’s power. “And we desire…
Read MoreWhat about the claim that camels were not used during Abraham’s time?
Question: All these links keep popping up on my Facebook feed due to atheistic friends. Could you explain this one to me as well? It’s got me stumped, not enough to discredit the Bible or anything, but another to make me feel confused. Carbon Dating on Camel Bones Contradicts Bible’s Accuracy Thanks. Answer: The claim…
Read MoreHow many sons did Abraham have?
Question: Regarding Genesis 20, where it says Sarah was untouched. So being the wife of Abraham she had no relations with him? Then how was it written she was barren? Abraham was married to his half-sister so he only told half a lie to the Pharaoh. Why was the Pharaoh plagued when this was the…
Read MoreWas Abraham a Gentile or a Jew?
Question: Was Abraham a Gentile or a Jew? I heard that he was first a Jew, but I also heard that He was a Gentile before and then a Jew. Answer: “Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for…
Read MoreWere Abraham and Moses in the church?
Question: I heard a quote from a preacher sometime ago that Moses and Abraham are not in the Church of Christ (Ephesians 4:4; I Corinthians 12:13), even though they are currently saved. I understand they were never baptized into Christ; but if they are not in the body, where are they? It is my understanding…
Read MoreWhy was Abram rewarded for lying to Pharaoh?
Question: I just read Genesis 12:1-20 and I’m a little perplexed by it. Abram bent the truth concerning Sarai by getting her to say she was his sister rather than his wife when they came into Egypt. I know she was his half-sister by his father, but it was still a lie. So why was…
Read MoreThe Sacrifice of Isaac
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SacrificeOfIssac.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 22:1-14 I. There are stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of sacrificing a human being to God. A. They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God’s opinion on human sacrifices. B. The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence – Genesis 9:5 C. False…
Read MoreWas the Law of Moses in effect while Melchizedek lived?
Question: Was the Law of Moses in effect while Melchizedek lived? Answer: Melchizedek was a contemporary of Abraham (Genesis 14:17-24). Moses was a descendant of Abraham who lived about 500 years after Abraham died. Therefore it would be impossible for someone to live under a law that was not given until hundreds of years later.…
Read MoreWhere is the Scripture that states Abraham’s strength did not diminish?
Question: Where is the Scripture that states Abraham’s strength did not diminish? Answer: I believe you are confusing Abraham with Moses. Regarding Abraham’s life, the Bible says, “This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good…
Read MoreDid Isaac come off of the mountain with Abraham after the sacrifice of the ram?
Question: Did Isaac come off of the mountain with Abraham after the sacrifice of the ram? Answer: The answer is logically “yes.” Isaac is mentioned many times after the sacrifice recorded in Genesis 22, so he must have come down from the mountain. In addition, before climbing the mountain, Abraham made a promise. “And Abraham…
Read MoreAre Gentiles also descendants of Abraham?
Question: If we Gentiles are also descendants of Abraham, then from whose mother: Hagar, Sarah or Keturah? Is it from Keturah to whom she bore Abraham six legitimate sons after Abraham married her after Sarah died? Am I correct to say that Muslims are descendants of Ishmael who later intermarry with the descendants of Esau,…
Read MoreWasn’t Abraham’s offering of Isaac because of pagan beliefs?
Question: Abraham “offered” Isaac to the mighty one (elohim) because he was still acting under a basic ancient pagan or heathen culture. This was a culture that believed that a great gift, such as one’s only child late in life, or any great blessing deserved thanks to one’s mighty one (elohim). The pagans thought that…
Read MoreWhere do the Arabs come from?
Question: Where do the Arabs come from? From which patriarch? Many people say Ishmael, but Ishmael had an Egyptian mother. Where in the Bible is the name Arab first used? Answer: In the answer to a prior question, “What happened to Ishmael’s descendants?” I gave a detailed list of the various Arab nations who descended…
Read MoreAbraham wasn’t baptized, so why should we need it?
Question: In Romans chapter 4 it talks about Abraham being saved by belief. “For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Did they baptize in the Old Testament? Nowhere that I have read. Now you might say that baptism wasn’t required in Old Testament days,…
Read MoreHow many children did Abraham have?
Question: How many children did Abraham have? Answer: Abraham had a son, named Ishmael, by his wife’s maid, Hagar, whom he had taken as a concubine (a servant who was also a wife) (Genesis 16:3-4). However, since he was not the child promised to Abraham and Sarah, he was not allowed to inherit (Genesis 17:18-21).…
Read MoreHow old was Isaac when he was offered up to God?
Question: How old was Isaac when he was to be sacrificed? Answer: The Bible does not give a specific age, but there are events surrounding Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac which gives us clues. Most scholars believe that Isaac was in his late teens or early twenties at the time of the offering. At the time…
Read MoreHow is Abraham famous? What did Abraham care about most?
Question: How is Abraham, or Abram, famous? What did Abraham care about most? Answer: Many, many years ago God promised a man named Abram, “I will bless you and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). The blessing was conditional on Abram’s willingness to leave his home country and…
Read MoreThe Promises to Abraham
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 12:1-3 I. Once in while I run across people who ask when God is going to fulfill the promises he made to Abraham. A. Here is a typical quote, “So if we are to believe God and his word, then all his promises, and all the prophecies must be fulfilled,…
Read MoreHuman Sacrifices?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Judges 11:29-40 I. There are two stories that cause some concern because they involve the concept of sacrificing a human being to God. A. They cause concern because the Bible is very clear about God’s opinion on human sacrifices. B. The slaying of humans invokes a death sentence – Genesis 9:5 C. False…
Read MoreHow were Isaac and Jacob blessed?
Question: How were Isaac and Jacob blessed? Answer: In the times of the Old Testament children could inherit two things from their parents: property and a blessing. If your parents had three children, then on their death their property was divided four ways (one more than the number of living children). The eldest child generally…
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