A Short Study of Abraham, Faith and Works

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Yeshua saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham - John 8:39

What were the works of Abraham?

Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws - Genesis 26:5.

This is also the reason, which YHWH decided to make a nation from Abraham, as a father should be a perfect example for his children. The complete context is, along with verse 4:

And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Abraham furnishes the seed for all the nations, who would become part of Yeshua, as we know Galatians 3:7 tells us, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham," and Galatians 3:16 tells us, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." The scribes and Pharisees did not qualify to be Abraham's children, because they were not of faith, and because they did not do the works of Abraham, "keeping YHWH's charge, commandments, statutes, and laws."

Was Abraham justified because of His works, keeping these things and obeying YHWH? No, because Romans 4:3 tells us, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

Did his obeying YHWH's law make him fall from grace, as Galatians 5:4, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" is often misused?

No, it is written in Romans 4:16-17, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

From this short study, it can be seen that because Abraham believed YHWH and obeyed Him, all His statutes, commandments and laws, YHWH chose Him to bless the earth, with him being the perfect earthly, fatherly example of all the nations of the earth, to those who which are of faith. Faith and works can go hand in hand, and not only can they, but they should, because James 2:26 tells us, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

A better explanation of what James was referring to precedes verse 26, and spans from verse 14 to verse 18, and says, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be y warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."

James was referring directly to the Torah, as Deuteronomy 15:7 says, "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother."

This is a wonderful illustration of Romans 3:31, where Paul says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

Let us therefore establish the Law or Torah though our faith!

©Kimberly Padilla, A.A. Religion
15 November 2009