With these words, "Abraham believed God," Paul shows us that faith in God is the highest worship, the greatest allegiance, the ultimate obedience,and the most pleasing sacrifice. Whoever has a way with words should expand on this topic. That person will discover that faith is all-powerful. Its power is immeasurable and infinite. Faith gives God the greatest honor anyone can give him. Giving God honor is believing him, considering him truthful, wise, righteous, merciful, and all-powerful. In short, it's recognizing that he is the Creator and Giver of every good thing. Reason doesn't do this, only faith does.
Faith makes God real to us and real in us. Without faith, God's honor, glory, wisdom, righteousness, truth, and mercy cannot be in us. Where there is no faith, God has no majesty and divinity. God doesn't require anything more form us that to acknowledge his divinity and give him the glory and honor he deserves. We shouldn't think of him as an idol but as God--the God who accepts us and hears us, who is merciful to us, and who stands by us. When we honor God, his divinity remains complete and intact--he has everything that a believing heart can give him. When we honor God in this way, we are showing the greatest wisdom, the highest justice, and the best worship, while offering the most pleasing sacrifice. (26:226)
The question about faith comes up again and again. Faith is completely inspired by the object of faith, and thus no work. Yet, it is something in us, part of us. Faith grows through the means of grace, where we are presented with all the teachings and gifts of God. But in essence faith is about God. When we say the creed: "I believe..." it is all about who God is, what he does and has done. Nothing in the creed is about me, except that he also saved me. He is the God who "accepts us and hears us, who is merciful to us, and who stands by us."
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