Genesis 15:1-6

"Abram Believes the Gospel "

In justification we are not made righteous, we are declared to be righteous—the thing is quite different.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

Genesis 15:1–5 (NKJV):  15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." 2 But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

In these verses, what we see being addressed is the greatest need of every human being on earth.

And that is, how can sinful man be made right with a holy God? Every other need you have in your life is secondary. The priority of everyone’s life is how can an unrighteous person be made righteous before a righteous God? There are many answers to the questions of how can I find acceptance with God? How can I when I die go to heaven and not to hell?

Read my Bible everyday

Pray every day

Go to church every Sunday

Volunteer in your community

Share the gospel All these things maybe wonderful and good and should be pursued with the right perspective. What you need is a perfect righteousness to be given to you. We are too sinful, and God is too holy to come before him without a perfect righteousness. What we have addressed in this passage is the perfect answer.  

This is a monumental passage. Verse six is specifically the Mount Everest of the entire Old Testament. Verse six is the most important verse in the book of Genesis.

It could be argued that this verse is the most important verse in the entire Bible. This is the John 3:16 of the Old Testament. This is the first time in the entire Bible that the word believed is used.

This is the first time in the entire Bible that the word righteousness is used.

This is the first time in the entire Bible that we have an account of a personal conversion. This is the first time that the important doctrine of justification by faith is taught. The doctrine of justification by faith is the major argument in the book of Romans and the book of Galatians, it was taught by Jesus, it’s taught right here in verse six. This is the heart and soul of genuine salvation. This is not a secondary issue, it is that which is most significant. If you’re right about verse six, you’ll be right in 100 other places in the Bible, but if you’re wrong about verse six, you’ll be wrong about 1 million places in the Bible. It’s a cornerstone doctrine. We have to be right in our understanding of verse six. If we are wrong here, we are on the Broad Road to destruction. What is justification by Faith? It is that though we are most sinful And we fall short of the glory of God That on the basis of Jesus Christ And what He has done for you in His sinless life and his substitutionary death because of faith in Christ alone, God takes the the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and gives it to you though you have done nothing to earn it, it is given to you as a free gift, a free prepaid gift, on the basis of the merit of Jesus Christ because you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, God transfers the vast assets of the unsearchable riches of Christ’s righteousness to you and has become your eternal possession and is the only way you can come into heaven and receive a welcome. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing and this is the main thing.

Now let’s walk through this passage; but just know we’ll be making our assent upward to verse 6 . We’re starting in the valley and will be making our way to the mountaintop.

Genesis 15:1 (NKJV): After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." After these things

We’re talking about Genesis 14

The king of Sodom, in coalition with other kings, is defeated by another coalition. Lot is taken captive. An escapee brings news of Lot’s captivity to Abram who, in turn, takes his trained men to rescue Lot. Abram defeats Lot’s captors and rescues him, his people and his possessions. Melchizedek is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, and arguably an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ, known as a ‘theophany’. Abram gives him a tithe of everything he has. Abram refuses to accept any gift from the king of Sodom for his rescue act.

The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision

Once again God takes the initiative

The word translated vision only occurs 4x in the Old Testament

Sometimes God “spoke” to Abram, sometimes He “appeared to” him, and here He communicated His will through a vision. God will do whatever it takes to show us His will!

What Abram hears is more important then what he sees at this juncture.

The word of the Lord came to is found only in this passage in the five books of Moses but it is found throughout the OT especially in Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Do not be afraid, Abram

This is not whosoever

This is Abram the fearless one as the last chapter points out.

Even the most courageous amongst us need encouragement.

Why didn’t Abram and Sarai have a child yet?

Is God gonna live up to his promise?

Everyday that goes by they are getting older?

Abram heard from God at other times, that wouldn’t be the most fearful thing ever experienced.

Even though it can be stressed anytime Abram had an encounter with God it was a fearful thing.

I am your shield

Psalm 18:2 (NKJV)

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 5:12 (NKJV)

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;

With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

The Lord is our protector.

Your exceedingly great reward

It will be worth it in the end for Abram to be faithful.

Genesis 11:27–50:26 (1) The Word of the Lord in a Vision (15:1–6)

Abram had refused the rightful booty of his victory (14:22–23), but the Lord confirms that what Abram has entrusted to him will be rewarded. The “reward” is not paid to him as compensation for his heroic deeds of chap. 14, or he would have received payment from the kings; rather, the “reward” looks ahead to the gifts of descendants and land already promised. Psalm 127:3 identifies the inheritance of children as a “reward” given by the Lord. There is no sense that God is indebted to Abram; rather, the Lord reassures Abram that his confidence in the divine promise is well placed.

Psalm 127:3 NKJV

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Genesis 15:2–3 (NKJV): But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!"

Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (1985) Chapter 15

Lord GOD

Genesis 11:27–50:26 (1) The Word of the Lord in a Vision (15:1–6)

Cautiously, the patriarch addresses God and employs the name “Sovereign LORD” (ʾădōnay yahweh

Genesis 11:27–50:26 (1) The Word of the Lord in a Vision (15:1–6)

He places the ultimate responsibility of Sarai’s barrenness on the shoulders of the Lord (v. 3), who alone can remedy his problem.

The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–17 1. The Covenant Promises (15:1–6)

For the first time there is dialogue between God and Abram. Heretofore there has been only monologue (12:1ff., 7; 13:14ff.). Abram listened and acted, but he offered no verbal response. He has spoken to Sarai, to Lot, to the king of Sodom; but now he speaks to God, in the form of a challenging question.

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 1: Genesis 1–15 Comment

three times Abram has been promised a multitude of descendants (12:2, 7; 13:16)

Genesis 15:4–5 (NKJV): And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."

Genesis 11:27–50:26 (1) The Word of the Lord in a Vision (15:1–6)

The Lord answers by telling Abram in effect to wait on the birth of his own child (v. 4); such is the substance of faith, waiting on God to “make good” on his promises.

Whatever dim expectation of Sarai’s pregnancy there may have been soon flickered and died. Therefore, since Sarai is not specifically named as the birth mother, the offer of

Genesis 11:27–50:26 (1) The Word of the Lord in a Vision (15:1–6)

Not only will Abram father a child, but he will be the patriarch of multitudes, as numerous as the stars (v. 5). The Lord instructs him to view the night sky (šāmayĕmâ), which the patriarch has already acknowledged as the domain of Yahweh El Elyon, “Creator of heaven [šāmayim] and earth” (14:22). Lord Most High.

Now Abram must leave the future to the God he has confessed. It is simply not feasible that a person can “count” (sāpar) the stars, but God can number and name them (

Genesis 15:6 (NKJV): 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Here is the grand Mountain Peak. If you are going to get anything, get this. Then nasb95 “Then he believed” This was the perfect time This was the moment for Abram Everything was a front porch leading up to this door. Everything has been a preparation leading up to this one defining moment in Abram’s life. Abram believed in the Lord

How did this happen?

How did he know what to believe in?

When did he hear this gospel?

Galatians 3:5–9 NKJV

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

This was when it happened. Was Abraham already a believer? Notice there is a non-saving faith and a saving faith. Faith that does not save. It’s just in the head. It’s just checking boxes of facts. Saving Faith moves past the head and enters the heart. And the soul triggers the will and it moves a person to commit their life to God. Though Abram has been following the leadership of God, he has not yet come to the narrow gate of saving faith. It’s not enough to take steps towards Christ you have to go all the way to Christ That one step of saving Faith is you going from darkness to light. From death to life. Abram is putting in his confidence and certainty in what God said He will do. There are four things in this faith that Abram is exercising here. 1. It’s personal No one else could of believed for Abram There are no group decisions for Christ God has many children but no grandchildren 2. It’s decisive It takes place in a moment of time At the moment of conversion, there’s only one step of faith that you can take to close the deal 3. It’s hole hearted This is a firm confidence in God in which you rise up and say amen to his salvation. You are all in with God. 4. It’s necessary There’s no other way to be right with God. This is a crisis moment. He believed He didn’t do anything else In the Lord Faith is no greater then its object It’s really not faith that saves It’s the object of faith that saves Your faith didn’t save you, Jesus Christ saved you. What is the result of saving Faith? This verse is quoted four times in a New Testament. Romans 4 2x, Galatians 3, and James 2. Context- salvation We are given a righteousness that we have never earned, that we have never secured, that we could never buy, it’s given freely as a gift. Now The Bible uses 4 illustrations about being justified by faith. 1. Judicial illustration 2. Financial illustration 3. Clothing illustration 4. Merchant illustration