Isaac and Ishmael: Faith Versus Flesh, Not Faith Versus Works
What is the difference between the manner of conception of Isaac and Ishmael? I ask this question because they are often used as an allegory for faith versus works. Isaac was born through faith in the promise of God and Ishmael by human works attempting to fulfill God's promise on His behalf. Ishmael turned out to not be the promised son and became instead the figurative father of works-based, legalistic religion such as Judaism and Islam (Gal 4:21-25), and indeed the literal father of the false prophet Muhammad. Isaac, on the other hand, became the only begotten son of Abraham (Heb 11:17), a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The thought that Isaac was born through faith in the promise of God and Ishmael, through human works to fulfill that promise, omits something very important and this omission leads to an error that denigrates works in the Christian life. The error is corrected when we recognize the fact that Isaac was not a virgin birth.
Abraham slept with Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, and Ishmael was conceived. Later, Abraham slept with Sarah and Isaac was conceived. The book of Hebrews gives the credit to Sarah for faith, and says that through this faith she received strength to conceive seed and be delivered of a child at her age (Heb 11:11). So in both cases, a work had to be performed. It is not as if the child Ishmael were a product of works and the child Isaac a product of faith alone. Do you see the point I am trying to make?
The difference is not faith versus works, it is faith versus flesh. What is the substance of this difference? In the case of Ishmael, Abraham had received a promise from God, a promise which could not possibly be fulfilled through Abraham's wife Sarah. Sarah thought therefore, if God's promise was to come true, the baby would have to be born through another woman and the closest this could be to Sarah was if the woman were her handmaid. So they conceived and executed the plan, and Ishmael was the result. Why is he therefore said to have been born, "of the flesh" (Gal 4:23)? Not because the people took on a role in the fulfilling of God's promise but because they avoided the impossible in so doing. They believed that the impossible was impossible and so they devised a plan to circumvent it. Their plan was entirely natural and did not depend upon God to do the impossible.
In fact, the operation of God is precluded in this way. The 'place' for God to act and fulfil His promise, as only He can do, was taken away by the act of substituting Hagar for Sarai. This reminds me of a passage in Romans, in which Paul speaks of the need to leave room or give place unto wrath (Rom 12:19). If we take vengeance ourselves then there is no place left for God to take vengeance because payback has already been made. But of course that would be a sin because vengeance rightfully belongs to God. Also in the case under discussion, because the space of impossibility in which God would act was filled instead by Abram's taking of Hagar, there was no room left for God to fulfil His promise. And as in the case of vengeance, it is a sin because by filling the proper place for the impossible with the possible, the need for faith is intentionally circumvented, and, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (see Rom 14:23).
Later, after God had visited and made clear that Abraham would have a son by Sarah also, He visited Sarah and she received strength to conceive and bear Abraham a son (Gen 21:1-3). So Isaac was not a product of faith alone but of faithful works. The difference is that in this case, Sarah worked right through the impossibility of her being past age by faith.
The child Ishmael was born to Hagar because Abraham and Sarah did not by faith go directly through the impossibility but found a human solution that circumvented the impossible, and thus the child born was, "of the flesh". The child Isaac was born to Sarah through Sarah's faith in God's promise, that she would conceive and bear Abraham a son despite the impossibility of it, and this is why Isaac is called, "the child of promise".
The apostle James teaches us quite clearly that faith works with our works and by our works our faith is made perfect (James 2:22). Faith is something that mixes in or intertwines with our works, and the grace of God is present with us as we do them. These are the works that don't shy away from even the impossible because, "With God, nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). The promise of God to give Abraham descendants as the stars in the sky for multitude, and as the sand by the seashore innumerable, was never intended to be effected without works but neither was it intended to be accomplished by merely human or dead works. The promise of God is received through the work of faith.
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess 1:11-12
The thought that Isaac was born through faith in the promise of God and Ishmael, through human works to fulfill that promise, omits something very important and this omission leads to an error that denigrates works in the Christian life. The error is corrected when we recognize the fact that Isaac was not a virgin birth.
Abraham slept with Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, and Ishmael was conceived. Later, Abraham slept with Sarah and Isaac was conceived. The book of Hebrews gives the credit to Sarah for faith, and says that through this faith she received strength to conceive seed and be delivered of a child at her age (Heb 11:11). So in both cases, a work had to be performed. It is not as if the child Ishmael were a product of works and the child Isaac a product of faith alone. Do you see the point I am trying to make?
The difference is not faith versus works, it is faith versus flesh. What is the substance of this difference? In the case of Ishmael, Abraham had received a promise from God, a promise which could not possibly be fulfilled through Abraham's wife Sarah. Sarah thought therefore, if God's promise was to come true, the baby would have to be born through another woman and the closest this could be to Sarah was if the woman were her handmaid. So they conceived and executed the plan, and Ishmael was the result. Why is he therefore said to have been born, "of the flesh" (Gal 4:23)? Not because the people took on a role in the fulfilling of God's promise but because they avoided the impossible in so doing. They believed that the impossible was impossible and so they devised a plan to circumvent it. Their plan was entirely natural and did not depend upon God to do the impossible.
In fact, the operation of God is precluded in this way. The 'place' for God to act and fulfil His promise, as only He can do, was taken away by the act of substituting Hagar for Sarai. This reminds me of a passage in Romans, in which Paul speaks of the need to leave room or give place unto wrath (Rom 12:19). If we take vengeance ourselves then there is no place left for God to take vengeance because payback has already been made. But of course that would be a sin because vengeance rightfully belongs to God. Also in the case under discussion, because the space of impossibility in which God would act was filled instead by Abram's taking of Hagar, there was no room left for God to fulfil His promise. And as in the case of vengeance, it is a sin because by filling the proper place for the impossible with the possible, the need for faith is intentionally circumvented, and, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (see Rom 14:23).
Later, after God had visited and made clear that Abraham would have a son by Sarah also, He visited Sarah and she received strength to conceive and bear Abraham a son (Gen 21:1-3). So Isaac was not a product of faith alone but of faithful works. The difference is that in this case, Sarah worked right through the impossibility of her being past age by faith.
The child Ishmael was born to Hagar because Abraham and Sarah did not by faith go directly through the impossibility but found a human solution that circumvented the impossible, and thus the child born was, "of the flesh". The child Isaac was born to Sarah through Sarah's faith in God's promise, that she would conceive and bear Abraham a son despite the impossibility of it, and this is why Isaac is called, "the child of promise".
The apostle James teaches us quite clearly that faith works with our works and by our works our faith is made perfect (James 2:22). Faith is something that mixes in or intertwines with our works, and the grace of God is present with us as we do them. These are the works that don't shy away from even the impossible because, "With God, nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). The promise of God to give Abraham descendants as the stars in the sky for multitude, and as the sand by the seashore innumerable, was never intended to be effected without works but neither was it intended to be accomplished by merely human or dead works. The promise of God is received through the work of faith.
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess 1:11-12
