Secured by Faith
To understand the nature of a life walked with God, one must look to the foundational narratives of the patriarchs. The Scriptures are not merely historical records; they are inspired by God and profitable for teaching, rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB) All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
In the life of Abram, the complexities of faith are laid bare. His journey is a messy process of one step forward and two steps back, reflecting the universal human experience of wrestling with the flesh while attempting to follow the divine. Through the lens of Genesis 15 and its New Testament fulfillment, the theology of justification by faith emerges not as a modern invention, but as the ancient bedrock of God’s relationship with humanity.
The Shield and the Promise of Reward
Following a miraculous military victory against insurmountable odds, Abram found himself in a state of natural trepidation. Despite the defeat of four kings, the law of attrition suggested that retaliation was a looming threat. It is in this context of fear that the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, offering reassurance that God Himself would be his protection and his exceedingly great reward.
Genesis 15:1 (NASB) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.’
This promise of reward harks back to the initial covenant established in Genesis 12, where God promised Abram land, a great name, and descendants who would bless all nations. However, for Abram, the promise felt distant. In a patriarchal society where a male heir was the essential link to the future, Abram remained childless. Despite the earlier promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the earth, fifteen years had passed without the birth of a son.
Genesis 13:16 (NASB) ’I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.
The Tension of the Wait
Waiting is one of the most difficult disciplines of the spiritual life. Abram, acting as a realist, attempted to reconcile God’s promise with his current reality by suggesting that his servant, Eliezer of Damascus, would become his heir. This moment represents a relenting of the human will—a submission to what seemed to be the only logical outcome. Abram addressed God as “Adonai,” acknowledging Him as Master, yet he still struggled to see how the divine word would come to pass.
Genesis 15:2-3 (NASB) Abram said, ‘O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.’
God’s response was a firm clarification of the original promise. He led Abram outside to view the heavens, challenging him to count the stars. The promise was not for a surrogate heir, but for a biological son whose lineage would be as vast as the celestial bodies. These were God-sized promises that required more than mere intellectual assent; they required a fundamental trust in the character of the Promiser.
Genesis 15:4-5 (NASB) Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’ And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’
Justification Credited Through Belief
The theological center of this narrative is found in the response of Abram to these staggering promises. He believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness. It is vital to note that the text does not say Abram became righteous through perfect behavior; rather, righteousness was reckoned to his account because of his faith.
Genesis 15:6 (NASB) Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
This concept serves as the primary foundation for the New Testament doctrine of justification. Faith is defined as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (NASB) Now faith is the assurance of [things] hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Abram lacked the thousands of years of redemptive history that modern readers possess. He had no written Bible and limited personal exposure to God’s track record. Yet, he believed that God was a rewarder of those who seek Him. Without such faith, it is impossible to please God.
Hebrews 11:6 (NASB) And without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is and [that] He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
The Ratification of an Unconditional Covenant
To provide Abram with further assurance, God engaged in a covenant-making ceremony common to the Ancient Near East. In such rituals, animals were divided, and the parties making the contract would walk between the pieces. This act signified a self-maledictory oath: “May what happened to these animals happen to me if I fail to keep my word.”
Genesis 15:9-10 (NASB) So He said to him, ‘Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.’ Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.
However, this specific covenant contained a unique and profound deviation from the norm. As the sun set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram. While he was incapacitated, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch—symbols of the divine presence—passed between the pieces alone.
Genesis 15:17 (NASB) It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, [there appeared] a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.
By passing through the pieces while Abram slept, God signaled that this was an unconditional covenant. The fulfillment of the promise did not depend on Abram’s performance or faithfulness; it depended entirely on the character and agency of God. God swore by Himself, securing the promise by faith and sealing it, symbolically, in blood.
Prophetic History and the Gospel Reality
During this vision, God provided a glimpse into the future of Abram’s descendants, foretelling their four-hundred-year oppression in a foreign land and their eventual exodus with great possessions. This prophecy was fulfilled with precision, demonstrating that God is the sovereign architect of history.
Genesis 15:13-14 (NASB) [God] said to Abram, ’Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. ’But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.
This ancient covenant serves as a shadow of the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ. Just as Abram contributed nothing to the ratification of his covenant but sleep and faith, the believer contributes nothing to salvation but the sin that makes it necessary. Salvation is not achieved through works of righteousness but through the mercy of God.
Titus 3:5 (NASB) He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Humanity, in its natural state, is described as being dead in transgressions and sins. A dead person cannot perform works to earn life.
Ephesians 2:1 (NASB) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
But God, being rich in mercy, intervened. While humanity was still dead, He provided the means of reconciliation through the sacrifice of Christ. This grace is a gift, received through faith, so that no individual may boast in their own merit.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Conclusion
The narrative of Genesis 15 reveals a God who is both a shield and a promise-keeper. Abram’s story is a reminder that while mankind is consistently faithless, God remains consistently faithful. The same God who walked through the pieces in Genesis 15 walked to the cross at Calvary to secure a people for Himself. This promise is secure, grounded in the unchanging character of a God who justifies the ungodly and completes the work He began. The believer can rest in the certainty that what God has promised, He is also able to perform.
John 6:37 (NASB) ’All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.