The Faith of Abraham, Part I
2015-12-30
This will be a four part study of the faith of Abraham. It will not be exhaustive, but rather we will look at a famous verse, Genesis 15:6, and the three times it is referenced in the New Testament: Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; and James 2:23.
First let us consider Genesis 15:1-6.
Context
Leading up to Genesis 15, we see that Abraham was called by God to leave his homeland (where he served false gods) and to leave his extended family to go to a new country. The LORD had promised Abraham (called Abram at this point) to bless him and make him a blessing, to give him the land of Canaan, and to give him many descendants. We see that he immediately obeyed the LORD and left what he had known all his life (at the age of 75!). Even when he sinned in Egypt, God blessed him and showed him mercy. He was a war hero and was blessed by Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God. Abraham rejected the king of Sodom’s worldly blessings.
The Word of the LORD
When we begin Genesis 15, we see that “the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision.” This is the first time we see a reference to “the word of the LORD” in the Bible! Let us look at three things the LORD told Abraham.
- “Fear not.” Keep in mind that Abraham just defeated four nations with 318 men. You may think that such a brave hero would not need this exhortation. However, Abraham was in a midst of a pagan world. There is good reason to be afraid in the midst of such spiritual darkness. With God, Abraham did not need to be afraid. Neither do we need to fear.
- “I am thy shield.” God protected Abraham through the war that would have normally consumed him. God did this for His glory and to keep His promises to Abraham. We may not get the same physical protection in this life, but we know that God spiritually protects us, having given us eternal life.
- “Thy exceeding great reward.” God Himself is Abraham’s great reward, and this is true of us. Not heaven, not possessions, children or anything else. God Himself is our primary reward!
Abraham Responded to the LORD
Abraham asked the LORD in response: “what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” (Genesis 15:2). What good will anything You give me be since I have no family of my own? This is a valid question. How could God use the family of Abraham once he is dead, and he has no heir?
And He Believed in the LORD
The “word of the LORD” returned again to Abraham, with God promising a son in his old age, and a multitude of descendants. Abraham is somewhere over 75 years old, and his wife Sarah is passed 65. God promised a miracle.
And now our verse:
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
Here are four things I would like to emphasize about this verse:
- The word of the LORD precedes belief. Abraham heard the promise, and then believed. We heard the gospel, and we believed.
- To believe the word is to believe in the LORD. We cannot divorce the Word from the LORD.
- The Word caused Abraham to believe. If the Word caused belief, his faith is not Abraham’s “works.”
- Abraham was counted as righteous because Abraham heard and believed God’s promise. It is the same with us. We may not feel righteous or always act righteously. However, we are righteous, because God declared us righteous.