FAITH AND TESTS
Published by Olwin Gosal in 2026 · 1 March 2026
FAITH AND TESTS
My beloved brothers and sisters, today we want to reflect on the truth of God's Word on the theme of Faith and Tests. Tests often occur in education, work, and even in the products we sell. Likewise, in the life of a believer, there will be times when God tests us, ranging from mild to moderate to severe. Let's open our Bibles to Genesis 22:1-19.
1. Testing from God
Verse 1 says, "Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to Him, 'Abraham!' 'Here I am!'" He replied. While the Indonesian translation says "God tested Abraham...", the correct translation is actually God tested Abraham. Testing and temptation are two very different things. Testing comes from God, while temptation comes from the devil. Tests are given by God to build faith, while temptations come to bring down and destroy. James 1:13 states, "When anyone is tempted, let him not say, 'I am being tempted by God!' For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone."
Verse 2, His words: "Take your only son, whom you love, Isaac, go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." If you think about it humanly, this is an unreasonable command, because Isaac was the son of promise, they waited 25 years before experiencing that promise. It is even said that Isaac was an only child, a child that Abraham and Sarah loved very much. If you only have an only child, how do you feel when that child is sick, or when he or she is in big trouble? We will try our best to help him, whatever we will sacrifice, the important thing is that our child is always in good condition. In this section, God asks Abram to sacrifice, in other words, slaughter Isaac to be sacrificed or given as worship to God. If we were in Abraham's position, maybe we would spontaneously say, what? Seriously, isn't this the child who was promised, didn't God say that his descendants would become a great nation? So why are you asking to be sacrificed now?
What important message did God want to convey to Abraham through this request? God's blessing, namely the offspring given to Abraham and Sarah, should not shift their priority and love for God. This was God's purpose to test Abraham, did Abraham prioritize and love God more than he loved his son who was a gift from God? My brothers, we all need God's blessings, but if we don't keep our hearts pure to truly love God more than anything, then we can make God's blessings an idol that shifts God's priority in our lives.
My brother, God will continue to test those who believe in Him, those he loves, even to the point of taking what they love to see how their hearts respond before God. In the end, God longs for people who believe to realize and admit that God is the most important of all God's blessings. God must be more important than husband or wife, than children, than work, than wealth and whatever we have.
God's tests for His people aim to mature their faith, purify the believer's heart, to prove whether someone truly believes in God or not! God will continue to do this to purify us before Him.
2. Obedience by faith (3-10)
Abraham responded with obedience. Why was Abraham so obedient to God? Hebrews 11:17-19, "By faith Abraham, when he was tempted, offered up Isaac. He, having received the promise, was willing to offer up his only son, 18 even though it had been said to him, "The offspring of Isaac will be called your offspring." 19 Because he thought that God had the power to raise people even from the dead.” And from there it was as if Abraham was willing to offer Isaac back to God because he believed that God was powerful and he would definitely receive back what God had promised. Abraham answered: "God will provide a lamb for a burnt offering for Him, my son." Abraham believed in God that he would not lack anything.
3. God provides (11-14)
“But the Angel of the Lord cried out to him from heaven: “Abraham, Abraham.” He replied: "Yes, God." 12 Then He said: "Do not kill the child and do not do anything to him, for I know now that you fear God, and you did not hesitate to hand over your only son to Me." 13 Then Abraham turned and saw a ram behind him, whose horns were caught in a thicket. Abraham took the lamb and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place: “The Lord provides”; That's why people say to this day: "On the mountain of the Lord, provision will be made." Abraham passed such a tough test and God himself said that Abraham was a man who feared God. This means he loves God more than the blessings God has given him. He didn't even spare God's child when he asked to be sacrificed.
What is the Gospel meaning of Genesis 22? The Old Testament is the New Testament that has not yet been revealed, while the New Testament is the Old Testament that has been revealed. The story of Abraham's willingness to offer Isaac is a reflection of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God provided the "lamb," His own son, to be sacrificed to save sinful mankind. And the Father also raised His own son, in line with Abraham's belief that God has the power to raise the dead.
The difficult trials God places in our lives often become times when we come to know God more deeply, who knows and provides all things for His people.
4. Blessings in obedience (15-19)
"A second time the angel of the Lord cried out to Abraham from heaven, 16 and said, "I swear by Myself - thus says the Lord -: Because you have done this, and have not hesitated to hand over your only son to Me, 17 I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore, and your descendants will occupy the cities of their enemies. 18 Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have listened to my word.” 19Then Abraham returned to his two servants, and they went together to Beersheba; and Abraham remained in Beersheba." Abraham's obedience caused God to once again express His guarantee and blessing to him. This means that behind the tough tests that God gives to His people, God also provides guaranteed blessings.
Conclusion
- God gives tests to help His people know Him better, grow in their faith, and be purified to love God more than all of God's blessings.
- A person who believes in God will obey even if it means giving up everything that is precious to them to offer it to God.
- Believe that God always provides the best for His children according to His will.
- Believe that God not only tests, but He also provides blessings after tests.