What is Abraham's faith?

Today's scripture reading includes Romans chapter 4. Paul spent the entire chapter talking about Abraham's faith. He helped us understand (at least in part) how faith played a role in our salvation (how we are saved from condemnation which our sins deserve) and the concept of "justification" - a term used in the court of law (how we are justified before the judge and declared not only innocent but "righteous"!).

Abraham was the son of Terah, born 292 years after the flood. He was given the name Abram initially. He belonged to a people who had been scattered around the ancient world by God because of their pride, as recorded in the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Terah settled in Harran with his family although he intended to travel to Canaan. Little else is known about Abram's life except that he had two brothers Nahor and Haran (Haran died before the move from Ur to Harran) and a nephew (son of Nahor) called Lot. In Genesis 12 we are told that Abram was childless at the age of 75. God "called" him to leave his aging father and his people to move away from Harran. He took his wife Sarai and nephew Lot and arrived at Canaan (where his father was planning to move to previously).

One can only speculate how Abram heard this "call". In Genesis 12:7 we are told that the Lord "appeared" to Abram. Abram clearly heard God's call to leave his country, and the promise of many blessings if he would obey:
“I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)

And further more, the blessing would also include:
“To your offspring I will give this land.” (verse 7)

So the blessings included:

1. Abram will have descendants who will form a great nation (now believed to be the nation of Israel).
2. Abram will be famous.
3. He will be a blessing to others, including all peoples on earth.
4. The Lord Himself will protect him (the Canaanites were still living all around Abraham just as the Palestinians are living around Israel today!).
5. His descendant will own the land of Canaan (one can see why the nation of Israel looked upon Palestine as God's promised land).

Abraham believed all these!! And Paul in Romans 4:3 made this proclamation:
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

 Paul further explained this concept of "justification by faith":

• Didn't come by works (verses 4-5).
• Comes before "religion" - Abraham's call and his obedience happened before the rite of "circumcision" (which represents the entry into the Jewish religion). (Verses 9-15)
• Comes to us all (Jews and gentiles) through the same faith (not the Jewish religion). (verses 16-17)
• Faith does not depend on what is possible but what we believe based on our relationship with the person. Abraham based his faith on the Lord who had appeared to him. We base our faith on the historic Jesus who came to show us the same promise God made to Abraham and demonstrated to us by his death and resurrection! (verses 18-25)

Now what does Abraham's faith look like for me? Do I know the person of Jesus well enough to entrust my entire life to Him?

Oswald Chambers also wrote a nice piece on this theme - "Abraham's Life of Faith".