What shall we remember Abraham for the most? His obedience, his faith, his trust, his goodness or his righteousness? Abraham is known by more than one name, the most known being ‘the friend of God’ (James 2:23). I personally love ‘the gatherer of souls’ because he preached the gospel wherever he lived and collected converted souls (Genesis 12:5) but my favourite is ‘the father of the faithful’ (D&C 138:41). This title connects us to this amazing patriarch because we are ‘the faithful’, and if we’re not, we should be. Whether we have been born in the covenant or adopted into it, he is the father of us all, therefore when God said to him: “Thou shalt walk uprightly before me, and be perfect” (JST Gen 17:1), He issued that statement to all of us that belong to the family of Abraham.
Abraham was exceptional even before the beginning of his mortal life. When he was shown the great spirits that resided in pre-existence, he was told that he was one of them and that he was ‘chosen before he was born’ (Abraham 3:23). There is something interesting about that. When the Lord appeared to Abraham, He introduced him as Jehovah and showed him all His creations and explained who exactly He is: “I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all….my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen….my name is Jehovah and I know the end from the beginning….I am thy God” (Abraham 3:19,21; 2:7,8; 1:19). We read the interaction between Enoch and God along the same lines. After showing him all the workmanship of His hands, He declares Himself to Enoch in the most powerful manner: “I am Messiah the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven…” (Moses 7:53).
My point is this. The Saviour of this world was the firstborn of the Father. He was the perfect Son and therefore the perfect Brother. The Exampler who paved the way to obedience, who lifted us to heights we could not reach on our own even back then. He was the Shepherd long before we became mortal sheep, the Shepherd we followed and believed and chose to be our God. We, alongside the greats like Abraham, became great in our pre-existent state because of the perfect example we followed. This is evident in Section 138 of Doctrine and Covenants. The influence He has over us now would have been double-fold back then when we were in His presence. I testify of this because I was told once during a prayer: “My Atonement is my gift to you because you were so valiant in your testimony of Me long before you were born.”
How can I contain the magnitude of You
In the meagre chamber of my heart?
How can I absorb the brightness
Of Your light that outshines the rays
Of the brightest sun?
How can I explain the lightness of my being
When You lift me up on wings of faith
Making real the wonder of You?
My love knows no limits
My honour of You, no bounds;
My needy reach to heaven’s door,
To concede, in spirit I am forever poor.
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