Abraham: Justification, Good Works & Final Judgment

Abraham serves as a pattern by which to understand the Christian life. We are justified by faith - with a living faith that produces good works, which, in Final Judgement, evidence that we truly are believers in Christ. God judges & validates Abraham's faith which is evident by Abraham's works. We must understand how it is that Abraham is justified by faith (Gn 15:6) & how he is justified by works (Jms 2:21ff). We must understand this, because it shows us how it is that we, as believers, yet face Final Judgment where our living faith will be validated by the evidence of our good works. We, like Abraham, must live by faith. As ungodly sinners, we are justified by faith in Christ & legally accepted in Christ. As believers, we await the future 'justification' of our faith, that is, the validation that we really do believe, as evidenced by a life of obedience & good works. This future validation awaits us in Final Judgment. We must live by faith - a living, fruitful, working faith. Abraham's experience on Moriah gives us a paradigm for our own life of faith. May we so live that we too will hear the judgment of God, even as Abraham heard it on Moriah - 'Well done, good & faithful slave.'