The Call of Abraham
‘Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. Io will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” (Genesis 12:1-3)
Sin brought about death and a curse for Adam and Eve, all humankind, and the earth over which humankind had dominion. Adam brought forth sons and daughters in his own sinful image. The image of God was still present in humankind, but it was severely marred. Now with Abram (later named Abraham), God brought a blessing.
God told Abraham to leave his country and family and follow Him to the land that God would show him. Abraham obeyed and left with this wife Sarai (later named Sarah) and his possessions. God’s promise was that He would bless and make from Abraham a great nation. God’s plan, however, was not to limit this blessing to Abraham and Israel, the nation that God would bring forth from him. Through Abraham, God planned to bless all the nations of the earth.
God led Abraham to Canaan and told him that all this land would belong to his descendants. When Abraham pointed out the fact that he had no children, God promised that Abraham would have an heir from his own body, and his descendants would be as many as the stars in the heavens. (Genesis 15:1-6; Romans 4:1-5, 3:4; Habakkuk 2:4)
Faith
And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) Adam and Eve, in believing the serpent and taking the forbidden fruit, disobeyed God and demonstrated a lack of trust in God. Abraham was born in Adam’s sinful image, but he chose to first obey God and go to Canaan, and then he chose to trust God and believe that his descendants would indeed inherit Canaan. God counted this faith as righteousness.
God did not ignore Abraham’s sin. He did not pretend that Abraham was something that Abraham was not. Instead, God reached forward to the death of Christ when Abraham’s redemption and forgiveness would be purchased and counted it to Abraham during his life.
Abraham is the father of all who believe God and find righteousness. All the believing saints in the Old Testament had this same righteousness by faith that reached forward to Christ’s death. All saints who have believed since Christ’s death have this same righteousness by a faith that reaches back to Christ’s death. It is Christ’s righteousness that is counted to us. None who believe like Abraham have this righteousness given to us because they deserve it. It is by God’s grace alone that it is given to us. (Romans 4:6-25; Galatians 3:1-4; James 2:14-23)
Discovery Bible Studies
Lesson #9: Abraham, a Man of Faith
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- Did Abram (Abraham) know where God was leading him?
- Why would obeying God be difficult for him?
- What did God promise that He would make from Abraham?
- What did God mean when He said that He would both bless Abraham and make him a blessing?
- What would be the full extent of this blessing?
- What was Abraham’s problem?
- What was God’s promised solution to his problem?
- When God told Abraham that his descendants would be like the stars in number, what was Abraham’s response?
- When Abraham believed God, what did God do for him in response?
- What part did works play in Abraham’s being justified and counted as righteous?
- How are faith and grace tied together in receiving this righteousness?
- Why is Abraham the father of all who are true followers of Jesus Christ?
- Are you a true son or daughter of Abraham?
- What part do works play in our salvation?
Additional passages for study: James 2:14-23; Galatians 2:15-21, 3:1-14;Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 3:4, 6-25
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