We have thought that Abraham was a man who was an unusual recipient of grace as far as we can detect in the aspects of his life we have on record

James’ “faith and works” is a nothing burger.

Abraham was not called to believe. He was called to leave his home. The stages of his life do not include his witness of a large family dwelling in the land of Canaan. Here are the stages of the man’s life.

• The call and election
• The journey to Canaan
• The promise of greatness
• The promise of fame
• The promise of blessing
• The promise of land
• The promise of multitudinous progeny

Reality is not from obedience or hearing

If obedience and loyalty are the guaranties of real divine wealth this  is not demonstrated in the Bible, because Abraham did not set foot in the promised land and never saw the multitude of us family for which he believed God.

Hearing God’s voice= compliance

Reading that the blessing of all the earth’s families is a result of Abraham’s attention to YHWH’s voice comes as a surprise because the idea that Abraham earned these outcomes seems antithetical to grace. The fact however that this particular promise is guaranteed by an oath makes debt or performance irrelevant.  James, the Pharisee brother of the Lord Christ makes shipwreck of this abundant grace when he equates works (of any kind) with faith.

Oaths override regulations

Genuine happiness – blessedness – will appear at God’s prerogative, not as an earned reward

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account. (Romans 4:1-8, NASB)

Far too many people are swimming in a puddle and they are convinced that the actions they carry out will impress people that they are swimming in the wide open and beautiful ocean of grace. Hearing God’s voice does not mean juvenile obedience. In the case of Abraham and the list mass of mankind, hearing God’s voice means abandoning the current life support: one’s country, one’s relatives and one’s ancestral ties.