Christians was Abraham willing to sacrifice Isaac because he loved God more, due to trust & faith, or all?

Question

I've read a few messages by "Christians", who say they love their children, spouses, or parents first, and THEN God. Which means...their love for God comes second.

If you are a Christian who feels this way, I'd like to hear why you believe this is Biblical, and why this resonates with your heart? Also, do you believe Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, because he loved God more, trusted God completely due to faith, and did so out of obedience, or all the above?

Note: It's possible to trust someone and not love them more than your children, spouse, or parents, which is why I've asked the latter.

Lastly, to unbelievers who may not understand why Christians will disagree on this issue, please be aware, that every Christian has a different level of spiritual maturity, knowledge of scripture, and relationship with the Lord, just as all Christians have not been born again.

I was surprised to read this from Christians, and I'm interested in reading your responses?

Personally, my love for God, comes before that of any human, spirit, or thing. However, this question is to understand why "some" Christians, have a different belief. Thanks

Answer 1

God wasnt going to let him kill his son but testing Abraham for obedience and Abraham passed the test. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord God with all your heart mind and soul. Abraham was able to hear God clearly and did his best to be obedient because he loved God. We are to put God first. He doesnt want us to treat people bad. The second most important commandment is to love others. Because when you love and walk with God that love flows onto your other relationships and makes them godly and beautiful. God bless you and know that God wants the best for you and your family and friends and we show our love to Him with our obedience.

Answer 2

I think the book of Hebrews, which contains reflections of Paul perhaps, says that Abraham was so advanced in trusting god, that he knew God would raise Isaac from the dead. This is because he had learnt to trust Gods promises.

Abraham's sacrifice seems initially like a pointless test. However... actually it is prophetic. Abraham is the head of a covenant tribe, and his son is delivered because God provides his own sacrifice, an animal caught in a tree. Mount Moria where the event happened is traditionally identified as Mount Zion by the Jews, outside of which God's Son, Jesus, was given in sacrifice on 'the tree', so that we, partakers of Christ's covenant could go scot free. Cool prophetic image or what?

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A christian if they realise how much God loves them, will probably put God first as one would. But we are usually rather affected by the world around us and so are not aware in our souls of the greatness of Gods love.

We can grow into greater appreciation of God's love as we starting perceiving things the way we should. This takes time with many of us.

Answer 3

Abraham is often referred to as the father of faith. So yes, he trusted God that much. But faith was all God really required from Abraham, as he had become a holy man. God has some interesting tests...

it is possible but not allowed to love God less than anything or anyone. thing is, you have to trust God. like how God stopped Abraham's hand, so you too should know that God knows what's best.

also, in terms of life and death, I guess God is the only one to turn to you. life isn't something that should be played with. Maybe God will intervene, maybe He'll show you away out. I don't know.

Answer 4

Yes.

Context. Context. Context.

Abraham lived hundreds of years before the Ten Commandments were given to Moses and the Jewish people.

Abraham lived in a society where human sacrifice and child sacrifice was the normal thing to do.

God was just beginning to reveal himself to mankind and Abraham did not have the Bible or much of anything else to go on.

Abraham knew that his son was a gift from God. If God demanded that Abraham kill the son, then Abraham, although it probably broke his heart, would do it.

Under the same circumstances (context) would we be able to follow God's will?

Under the much easier circumstances that we live in today, can we follow God's will as Jesus revealed it to us?

With the Ten Commandments, the Prophets, and especially Jesus Christ as part of our current circumstances (context), God would not put us to this test.

But we do have similar issues to tackle, like abortion where we kill our children who are miraculous gifts from God just like Isaac was to Abraham.

In abortion we sacrifice our children to the gods of lust, convenience, economy, and selfishness.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named."

19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Answer 6

--Your absolutely right, Abraham had implicit trust in Jehovah God.
--Abraham's faith in God had to be based on the knowledge he had of the Almighties justice, love , power & wisdom(four attributes of God that emanate from the scriptures)

--Abraham knew that God promised that from his seed "all nations would bless themselves"---because of the seed(Christ Jesus as messiah)
--Also he had to have have had a clear understanding of the power of the earthly resurrection & its hope , that could have been enacted to bring Isaac back from the dead to have his children in the lineage to Christ. This is alluded to in this text:

(Hebrews 11:1-2) “11 Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld. 2 For by means of this the men of old times had witness borne to them.”

(Hebrews 11:17-19) “17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, as good as offered up Isaac, and the man that had gladly received the promises attempted to offer up [his] only-begotten [son], 18 although it had been said to him: “What will be called ‘your seed’ will be through Isaac.” 19 But he reckoned that God was able to raise him up even from the dead; and from there he did receive him also in an *illustrative way.” FOOTNOTE;Lit.,* “in a parable.” Gr., en pa·ra·bo·lei′

(Amplified Bible)
19"For he reasoned that God was able to raise [him] up even from among the dead. Indeed in the sense that Isaac was figuratively dead [potentially sacrificed], he did [actually] receive him back from the dead."

AND it had to be a earthly hope because no idea of the heavenly resurrection was ever thought of less believed in--that would come for the little flock, after Jesus death!

---OF GREAT INTEREST ALSO --was the fact that the whole scenario with Sarah , Abraham , Hagar and Isaac stood for something very dramatic:

(Galatians 4:21-24) “21 Tell me, YOU who want to be under law, Do YOU not hear the Law? 22 For example, it is written that Abraham acquired two sons, one by the servant girl and one by the free woman; 23 but the one by the servant girl was actually born in the manner of flesh, the other by the free woman through a promise. 24 These things stand as a SYMBOLIC DRAMA(my caps); for these [women] mean two covenants, the one from Mount Si´nai, which brings forth children for slavery, and which is Ha´gar.”

--SO THEN THE ENACTED DRAMA--pictured how Jehovah would request of his son, Christ to give his life up for mankind---He did so willingly!
--Interesting too that Isacc was in his 30's and yet he too showed a willingness to obey his father, with full trust!

Answer 7

He was obedient. He was willing to pay the cost, no matter the price. - God tested him, and he passed. The neat thing was that why he was walking up one side, God's provision of the sacrificial lamb was walking up the other.

-- i personally find it Biblical to love God first - its because of my love for God that my husband and i find loving eachother easier - its Heaven on earth really. God is the foundation of our marriage, and do so He must be first.

Answer 8

All of the above. God tested Abraham and he passed.

Answer 9

I feel grateful that I do not have to ponder this question because God is all and in all. To love one's children more than God is to love God more than God... ya know.

Answer 10

Abraham was willing to blindly obey God. This is obviously a factor of all 3. Even though it was against his interests. That is a rare thing.