Articles
Righteousness that Comes by Faith
Reading: Genesis 15
Even as God told Abram of His good purposes (v. 1), this man expresses doubt and confusion. He was promised to be made a great nation, but no child had been born to him (vv. 2-3). He had a hard time seeing how he would come to possess the land through which he traveled (v. 8). We can all relate to this, as we too carry questions and concerns through the journey of life.
To give Abram assurance of these things, God instructed him to bring sacrifices arranged in a specific way (vv. 7-11). As night descended, God ratified His covenant with Abram, displayed as the smoking fire pot and flaming torch that went between the offerings (vv. 17-21). Also, God showed Abram the stars to illustrate the multitude of people that would come from his line (v. 5)—both physically, and spiritually. No wonder Paul says God’s children are “faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world” (Philippians 2:15, CSB; emphasis mine).
In the record of this encounter, the Bible gives us a powerful statement that echoes down through the record of God’s plan of redemption: Abram “believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (v. 6). This righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ is what makes Christians today the children of Abraham (see Romans 4; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). Like Abram, we find greater faith and endurance when we bring our doubts and worries to God and trust His promises above our own wisdom and understanding.
