What is the meaning of Genesis 15:6? Setting the Scene Before the verse unfolds, God has just promised Abram innumerable offspring and an heir from his own body (Genesis 15:1-5). Standing under a star-filled sky, Abram hears the promise and responds. Abram believed • Abram’s response was trust, not negotiation or skepticism. • Faith here is personal reliance—Abram rests in God’s word rather than his own sight (compare Hebrews 11:8-12; Romans 4:18-21). • This faith is active: it moves Abram to follow, wait, and obey (Genesis 12:4; 22:1-3). the LORD • The object of Abram’s faith is the covenant-making LORD, the same One who called him out of Ur (Genesis 12:1-3). • Trust is only as strong as its object; Abram’s faith is sure because the LORD’s character is sure (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 18:2). • The covenant name highlights God’s personal, faithful commitment to Abram and his descendants (Exodus 3:14-15). and it was credited • “Credited” speaks of an accounting term: God places righteousness on Abram’s ledger (Romans 4:3-8). • The act is entirely God’s; Abram does not earn but receives (Ephesians 2:8-9). • This sets a pattern for imputed righteousness later clarified in Christ (Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21). to him • The pronoun stresses individual application: Abram, with all his imperfections, is personally declared right before God (Genesis 12:10-13; 20:1-2). • Salvation has always been personal as well as corporate (Galatians 3:6-9). • Faith, not ancestry or effort, is what God looks for in each heart (John 1:12-13). as righteousness • God considers Abram fully righteous—legally cleared, relationally accepted (Romans 5:1). • This righteousness is God’s gift, not a human achievement (Titus 3:5-7). • The principle foretells the gospel: “the righteous will live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17). summary Genesis 15:6 shows that God counts faith, not works, as righteousness. Abram hears God’s promise, trusts the Promiser, and is declared righteous. This verse anchors the doctrine of justification by faith, revealing that from the earliest pages of Scripture right standing with God has always come through trusting His word and His saving initiative. |
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