HEROES OF FAITH
Abraham:
Father Of Many Nations
Christian Faith is in Crisis in the
Western World, even more so here in the USA. A new report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University reveals a significant decline in
Christian Faith, a rise in non-Christian faiths and "no-faith"
segments, and widespread confusion about moral truth. George Barna found that
the percentage of Americans identifying as Christians fell from 72% in 2020 to
66% in 2025, a loss of about 15 million adults. At the same time, non-Christian
faiths are experiencing growth, with Buddhism increasing by 56%, Judaism by
21%, and Islam by 12%. In total, non-Christian faiths have expanded by 39% since
the start of the decade, outnumbering Catholics, the largest single religious
group in the country.
Another alarming concern is the
rejection of Absolute Moral Truth. One of the most significant outcomes of this spiritual shift is the
growing national rejection of absolute moral truth—a foundation that has long
been associated with the biblical worldview. The research found that 66% of
American adults reject or doubt the existence of absolute moral truth. Instead,
most Americans determine right and wrong based on personal feelings,
circumstances, or public opinion. This trend extends across religious
boundaries.
"Two out of three adults believe
truth is conditional, and more than four out of five Americans are comfortable
drawing from multiple sources or bases of truth," Barna explained. "Even
people who generally believe the Bible or the God of the Bible are the most
reliable sources of moral truth admit that it is common for them to make their
moral choices based on feelings, laws, traditions, peer pressure, social
standards, science, or ease."
Barna continued, "With a minority
of Americans believing that the God of the Bible is real and reliable, and an
even smaller number reading the Bible during a typical month, it's no wonder
there is such moral turbulence in our culture. Everyone becomes their own
arbiter of truth, and without absolutes, there is little sense that there is a 'right'
answer to discover, or to have ideas about how to figure it out if there were
such a definitive reality."[1]
What do these findings mean for the
future of the Church in the USA? These findings imply that our core biblical
principles are being challenged. Our Faith in God is being shaken. These trends
point us to the end times, before our Lord returns. In the midst of these
changing trends, how can born-again Christians hold and continue to grow in
their Faith? We will explore the answer in our Fall Series: Heroes of Faith.
Our first Hero is Abraham: Hebrews 11:8-19.
I. What is Biblical Faith and Why Live by Faith?
Before we study several biblical
heroes and heroines of Faith, let us examine what Faith is and why God wants us
to live by Faith in Him, as well as the basis of our Faith. But first, what
Faith is not? It is not a blind leap of Faith, as the World sometimes thinks,
nor is it presumptuous. Faith in God is not irrational or illogical, as
skeptics sometimes try to ridicule those who live by trusting in God. Here is what
Biblical Faith looks like.
Hebrews 11:1-2, "Now Faith is
confidence in what we hope for and Assurance about what we do not see. This is
what the ancients were commended for." Biblical Faith is closely tied to confidence
and Assurance. Our confidence is in God, who is all-powerful, gracious, loving,
merciful, generous, and absolutely reliable and trustworthy. That confidence
assures us that God will grant what we hope for in His own way and timing.
Sometimes we receive what we hope for immediately, while at other times it may
take some time, and yet in some cases, we may never receive it during our
lifetime. Regardless of whether we receive or not, we live our lives trusting
in Him.
II. Why does God want us to live by Faith?
First, God wants us to live by Faith
in Him to prove to the World and to us that He is real. When we refer
to God, we typically mean Jesus Christ, as many people often have
misconceptions about who God truly is. Though all things in the universe, on
the earth, and underneath the earth, both visible and invisible things have
been created by and for God, many say in their hearts that there is no God; the
Bible calls them fools or morally deficient. (Ps14:1).
Why were they morally deficient? It is
not that God was hidden from them. Indeed, since the creation of the World, God's
invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people have no excuse. Although
they knew God, they didn't glorify Him because their hearts had become
darkened.
If the first reason is to prove to the
World and us that God is real, the second reason is to see our Faith
increased. Think about the process God designed for us to go through as
infants. Our little Avila Joy is three months old and brings such Joy to all of
us. How about if she never grows and remains small all her life? She is very
active, moving her hands and legs, which helps her muscles develop. Soon, she
will stand up, walk, and run.
Similarly, that's how it works in our
faith Journey. Jesus invites us on a spiritual journey by saying, "Truly
I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven." Being like little children means
trusting God for both the small and the big things in life. Romans 12:3 says,
Each of us has been given a measure of Faith.
Faith
is a gift from God, but it must grow through use. The key difference between
Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock) and the rest of us is that he is committed to
increasing strength and muscle mass through exercise. No Pain! No Gain!
Similarly, Faith increases as we exercise. The disciples asked Jesus to
increase their Faith (Luke 17:5).
Jesus
could have imparted Faith to them miraculously, but He didn't. They had to go
through the same process as we do. Faith is a gift from God, but for our Faith
to increase, it must be used and tested. In YWAM, thousands of Missionaries
have learned to trust God for their food, drink, clothing, medicines, etc. The
third reason why we should live by Faith is that it pleases God. "And
without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to
him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly
seek him." Heb11:6
In
Hebrews 11, we find several people who, despite all odds, learned to trust God.
By their Faith, they earned a good reputation. (Heb 11:2). And God was so
pleased with them that He was not ashamed to be called their God. How is your
Faith today? Is God ashamed of you? Let me introduce you to one of such Heroes
of Faith: Abraham.
III. Abram's Family Background ( An Idolator and an Immigrant)
From our Sunday school lessons, we
have learned about this biblical character, Abraham. Before he was called
Abraham, his name was Abram, which means exalted father. His lineage traces
back to Shem, one of Noah's sons. His timeline was from 2100 to 1450 B.C. Abram's
father was Terah. Terah was 70 years old before he had his three
sons, Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
After
Haran's death, Terah uprooted his family from their home in Ur of the Chaldeans
and set out for the land of Canaan. For unknown reasons, Terah never made it to
their destination but stopped and settled in Harran instead. This is where
Terah died at age 205.[2]
Human migration to other places in search of better living may have begun
around that time.
After
Terah's death, and following a call from God (which we will discuss later),
Abraham himself relocated to Egypt due to a famine in the Negev. (Gen 12:10).
What was Abram's family trade? According to Jewish tradition, "Terah was
an idolater. Terah also made and sold idols, as the Midrash Genesis
Rabbah 38 explains."[3]
Abram's
ancestors were idol worshippers. Joshua 24:2, Joshua said to all the
people, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Long
ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived
beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods." Terah
and his family were idol-worshipers, and that means God spoke to Abraham before he even knew God. For now, it is a
blessing to know that God can call anyone, regardless of their family
background and former religious affinity and ideology, to live a life of Faith
in Him and to be a part of His great plan. But the question is, how will we
respond to God's Call?
[1] https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2025/05/01/awvi-2025-report-5-americans-abandon-christianity-moral-truth
barna/#:~:text=The%20latest%20report%20from%20the,of%20about%2015%20million%20adults.
[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/Terah-in-the-Bible.html#:~:text=Answer,the%20end%20of%20his%20days.
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_and_the_Idol_Shop
