Abraham was the only saint in the Old Testament who was called a friend of God. Abraham pleased the Lord greatly, but it wasn't because he was good or even because he was living a holy life. In fact Abraham did some things that would raise our eyebrows today. But nevertheless, he pleased the Lord because he lived fully immersed in faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says, ‘without faith it is impossible to please God..." so the opposite is also truth, with faith it is possible to please God. The rest of that verse goes on to say, "...because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." ( Hebrews 11:6 ) Abraham was a living example of this, he knew the Lord intimately and because of it, he was convinced that God was capable of everything he had promised to him. God loves that kind of faith!
The Bible is God's love letter to us. He has done everything that can possibly be done to redeem mankind. The Bible is God's promise to us. In the same way that Abraham believed what God had promised him and was credited with righteousness, we too, need only to rely on the promise within His word and what Jesus did to obtain right standing with him.
Abraham believed and exercised his faith in God and received right standing with God. In the same way, we also only need to put our faith in Jesus and firmly rely on him as our personal savior and then God credits us with that righteousness that solidifies our standing before him. Today if you have done this, then you, like Abraham, are also considered a friend of God! What a blessed thing!
