Abraham was called the father of faith. However, when looking at his life you might have some questions. He left Ur, but didn't fully get out on his own. Plus he didn't get rid of his concusbines at first. Then he sleeps with Hagar. And then he tries to reject God's promise of Isaac and asks for his seed to come through Ishmael. Leaving Ur would represent leaving Babylon and it's sins, as it was the land of the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Getting fully on his own and away from his family, even though he was already a grown man, would represent being self-supportive. Getting rid of his concubines would represent an undefiled marriage with Sarah. Sleeping with Hagar would represent attempting to come up with an answer of his own as to why God's promise didn't happen yet. Sarah was the one who asked him to sleep with Hagar, but why did Abraham agree? And it's necessary to remember that we can be both the good guys and the bad guys in Biblical testimonies, and we can even be both of the good guys, meaning that it could really have been Abraham who was responsible for 'the sin of Sarah,' even though in the eyes of being married, they both were at fault. Also, Abraham attempting to ask for the promise to come through Ishmael represents an attempt to cover up his lack of faith.

So why was Abraham called the father of faith, and how did he believe contrary to hope (in a good way), as Romans says? By doing what God said in leaving Ur, and then not giving up despite his and Sarah's own shortcomings.

Even though Sarah and Abraham sinned, and even doubted and lacked faith, they always came back to God and His Promise.

In the scope of marriage and life, co-dependency is an issue. Abraham and Sarah were supposed to depend on God, but what about each other? Had they depended on each other, or had they depended on the LORD 'IN' each other, they would have side stepped most of their shortcomings. But what about being on their own and being self-supportive? A married couple are one being in God's eyes. Adam was already alone when God created Eve. The Bible says that we are already complete in Christ, so as to say that one human doesn't 'need' another, saying that we need only Jesus. And this can be used to battle against co-dependency. However, why does the Bible say that we need our brothers and sisters, isn't that co-dependency?

One might wonder, how could true love, faith, and hope fall in the sins Abraham and Sarah had? But I think the mystery of true love, faith, and hope overcomes sin, just as the Bible says that love covers over a multitude of sins.

Many Christians teach that where you are in your life, is up to you, and what sins you have are your fault. They might even look at Abraham and Sarah's walk as an example of how God tests us. But why does God test us? To show us how to not sin? To show us how to be more self-supportive? No. He tests us to teach us how to never give up. And that is where true love, faith, and hope are. What is predestined also says that love, faith, and hope are already present, instead of JUST saying that I am already complete in Christ. That is what foreknowledge is. But how is foreknowledge proven and or justified? Through understanding that Christ has already given us everything we need, and if all else fails, don't give up. Giving up is the one sin that love can not cover. And this doesn't mean that Sarah and Abraham gave up on each other and God's Promise through sinning as they did. This means that even though they sinned, they still didn't give up, and this is how Abraham is the father of faith, and this is how he believed contrary to what little hope he had.