Abraham’s Story: Saving Faith

Genesis 15

Personal Note: As we study “God’s Story in God’s People,” we are spending time in Genesis. We studied the book of Genesis last year. This time around, I am taking a slightly different approach. The previous Genesis study, along with Job, Isaiah, John, Romans, and Revelation, is available on the Living Grounded YouTube channel. Additional information is shared at the end of today’s devotional. 

The Bible is God’s story told through the circumstances and events involving his people, and it has four threads that stretch from “In the beginning” (Gen. 1:1) to “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). Wherever we are in the stories of Scripture, we are learning about these four themes: who God is, who we are, how to know God, and how to walk with him. Certainly, Abram’s journey with God was a walk of faith. 

When we come to Genesis 15, Abram had just won a significant battle and refused to take plunder from the victory so that no one could say, “I have made Abram rich” (Gen. 14:23). However, Abram is concerned about retaliation from those he defeated. So, God gave Abram this assurance, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Gen. 15:1).

Abram used this conversation with God to shift the focus from his victory in battle to his legacy. A decade earlier, God had promised that Abram would become a great nation, yet he and Sarai were still childless. Abram needed an update from God (Gen. 12:1-3). 

When God declared that Abram’s reward would be very great, Abram asked God, “What will you give me, for I continue childless…” (Gen. 15:2). Abram had already concluded that God would fulfill his promise through his household servant, Eliezer, who was the heir of his house (Gen. 15:2-3). But God assured him that this would not be the case, for his heir would be his biological son. Then God took Abram outside and said:  

Genesis 15:5-6
“Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.  

That last statement, “[Abraham] believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness,” is so important for us to understand.  It is repeated three times in the New Testament to explain saving faith.[1]

As a result of Abram’s trust in God’s promise, God deposited (or credited) righteousness, that is, a right standing before God, to Abram’s spiritual account. When Paul uses this example to explain saving faith, he says that Abram was “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Rom. 4:21).  

I believe Romans 4:21 offers the clearest definition of saving faith. When we are fully convinced that God sent his Son to pay the penalty for our sins and trust in the finished work of Jesus to forgive us, God removes our debt of sin and credits our account with his righteousness—a right standing before him. That’s amazing!

Abram believed God’s word; however, a stumbling block remained. He and Sarai were childless, and Sarai was past her childbearing years. God had also promised the land, so Abram asked, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess [the land]?” (Genesis 15:8). Don’t miss this: Abram believed, yet he still sought confirmation. 

God instructed Abram to take a heifer, a goat, and a ram, cut them in half, and make a walkway between the halves. Abram was also told to bring a turtledove and a young pigeon. After preparing the sacrifices, Abram spent the day driving away birds of prey. Then he fell into a deep sleep, and a “dreadful and great darkness fell upon him” (Gen. 15:12). This darkness signified that before Abram’s descendants would occupy the land, they would endure four hundred years of affliction and slavery. Afterward, God promised to deliver them “with great possessions” (Genesis 15:12-14). This refers to Israel’s time in Egypt, which we’ll learn about in the story of Moses. Then God enacted the covenant. 

Genesis 15:17-18
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram….

A covenant is an agreement between two parties, and there are two types: conditional and unconditional. In a conditional covenant, both parties must fulfill their obligations for the transaction to proceed. These are sometimes called bilateral covenants because the agreement is dependent on two parties. Marriage is a bilateral covenant.  

An unconditional covenant involves two parties, but only one party must act. Nothing is required of the second party. God’s covenant with Abram was unilateral and unconditional. It involved two parties, but the covenant was solely dependent on God, as shown by his passing between the sacrifices, symbolized by a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch.  

Our relationship with God through Jesus is an unconditional covenant. It involves two parties, but Jesus did all the work on the cross on our behalf. Salvation is solely dependent on the work and promise of God. And…God always keeps his promises.  

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Reading and reflection: Genesis 15.  What does it look like for you, personally, to be fully convinced that God is able to do what he has promised?

Talking to God: Ask God to help you trust him even when life doesn’t make sense. 

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SAVE THE DATE: Bible Immersion trip to Israel: November 4-14, 2026.

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