1950 This Means Everlasting Life - A2Z.org

50 "THIS MEANS EVERLASTING LIFE"
spired James writes : "Was not Abraham our father
declared righteous by works after he had
offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? You behold
that his faith worked along with his works
and by his works his faith was perfected, and the
scripture was fulfilled which says : Abraham exercised
faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him
as righteousness,' and he came to be called 'Jehovah's
friend' ."-James 2 :21-23, NW.
4
The privilege of being a benefactor of all mankind
God gives to his friends and lovers, and not
to his enemies . This was why the divine promises
were made to faithful Abraham and his seed or
offspring . To make his promise of blessing through
Abraham and his seed even stronger for those
who hope in the promise, the Most High God
backed it up with an oath . He swore by himself,
the Supreme Sovereign of the universe . How and
when did this come about? To test Abraham's
faith still further God commanded him to sacrifice
his miraculously born son Isaac . With faith that
God Almighty was able to raise Isaac from the
dead, if necessary, and still carry out blessings to
all mankind through him, Abraham proceeded to
sacrifice the young man on Mount Moriah . When
Abraham had Isaac bound on the altar and was
about to kill him with the knife, Jehovah's angel
stopped him and said: "By myself have I sworn,
saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing,
and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son,
that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiply-
4. How did God make his promise of blessing stronger
for the heirs?