1. Hebrews 11:18 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What was going through Abraham’s mind when he had to offer up Isaac?

Hebrews 11:18 (ESV)

18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

Faith is more than a feeling: it is also reasoning, thinking about God’s Word and promises. Abraham knew that only through Isaac would God fulfill his promise (Hebrews 11:18). He also reasoned that, when he had to give Isaac to God by offering, God would bring him back from the dead. Why was he thinking that? Because he knew that God is reliable: he will fulfill his promises anyway. God is able (Hebrews 11:19; Romans 4:20–21): “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think [ . . . ] to him be glory” (Ephesians 3:20).