Please explain why there needed to be this test of faith. I am a bible believer. I study often.
Why God said in Genesis 22:12 Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." Its obvious in the text. The test was to see if Abraham had faith. My problem of understanding is why the test of Faith if God knows our faith already. He knows the future. First of all why a human sacrifice ? I understand Gods sacrifice of himself but this is a human sacrifice. But more importantly is the need to have this played out. I tremble with asking such a question that originated in my mortal mind but my curiousity has got the best of me. God said " NOW I know ". Now represents the present and in this case gives an indirect reference to the past. And that past was a time of " NOT KNOWING ". So I have written both a Christian apologist ministry and asked a bunch of Christians for their thoughts. You should see as I have seen that noone has given a good answer. ---




Update.... The English word 'know' used in Genesis 22:12 is from the Hebroo word 'yada', in which there are many applications. Genesis 22:12 "now I know" can easily be rendered as "now it is known" or "now it is shown", so that the verse would read-- " And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now it is shown/known that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Indeed Elohim knows all things from the beginning to the end, and therefore the testing of Abraham's faith was not for Elohim's 'need to know', but for Abraham's.

(On a side note-- how unfortunate that Abraham momentarily forsook that great faith in his old age, and sought to have a son through Hagar at Sarah's insistence)