Abraham trusted God in the midst of one of the greatest and most unimaginable tests of his life. Our Explore the Bible Study: The Faith Test focuses on this test. This is one of the most challenging passages to study, yet one of the most beautiful passages which ultimately points to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's Son for our sins.

God had made a covenant with Abraham and clarified and reminded him of that covenant multiple times. God promised to bless the nations through him. He patiently taught Abraham and Sarah about Himself and His ways even when they laughed at His plans. He extended grace when they took His plans into their own hands such as when Abraham produced a child with Sarah’s servant, Hagar. God gave them a child and Abraham could finally begin to see the fulfillment of God's promises. With the birth of Isaac, they could finally begin to enjoy the blessings of a young child and begin to witness the fulfillment of God’s promises. But now, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son!

In spite of this, Abraham knew they would return together. He knew God would provide a lamb for the sacrifice. He held on to the promise that God would fulfill His promises to Abraham through Isaac. We even see in Hebrews 11:17-19 that Abraham believed God would keep His promise even if it meant that God would raise Isaac from the ashes.

As believers, we should expect that God will test our faith, and we should pray that we will respond correctly. A test of our faith is not really for God’s benefit, as He already knows our hearts, but for our own, so that we evaluate our own spiritual maturity and grow from the experience.