Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Identity, Obedience
- Identity: Our true identity comes from God. Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.
- Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity. Our true identity comes only from Father.
I think Genesis 22 is a clear avenue to lift up this idea of
identity. God comes to Abraham and tells
Abraham to take his only Son and go to Moriah and lift him up as a
sacrifice. Now, let’s put this into
perspective. Remember that Abraham was a
hundred years old when Isaac was born.
It’s not like he’s a spring chicken and likely to have many more
children. Additionally, God had to open
up Sarah’s barren womb in order for a child to come forth. Furthermore, God had already promised Abraham
that his offspring through Isaac would be like the sand of the seashore and
like the stars of heaven. This grand
vision from God is put in jeopardy because at a ripe old age God asks of
Abraham to make a sacrifice out of Isaac.
Yet, Abraham’s identity is in God.
I’m not advocating child sacrifice.
Neither am I advocating thoughtless obedience. But I am advocating obedience in
general. Abraham can be obedient to God because
his agenda is set on godly pursuits. He
trusts that God has his best interests in mind.
He is willing to put God’s agenda ahead of his own. Abraham’s identity is from God, not from
himself.
It is only because he is willing to be obedient to God that he
ends up blessed. That’s the point of Genesis
22:16-17. God blesses Abraham and makes
him the father of his chosen people because Abraham’s identity was in God and
that identity led to obedience.
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