An Analysis of Genesis 15:1-21: Faith Counted as Righteousness

Setting the Stage for God's Covenant with Abram

This moment in Genesis 15 comes after Abram has left his homeland and followed God’s call, yet he still has no child and no real claim to the land he was promised.

Back then, if a man had no son, his household servant could become his heir, which is why Abram assumes Eliezer of Damascus will inherit everything. When God appears and says, "I am your shield. Your reward will be very great," Abram respectfully questions how this can be, since he remains childless. God responds not with frustration but with a powerful visual: He tells Abram to look at the stars and says, 'So shall your offspring be,' showing that his descendants will be too numerous to count.

Then comes a radical moment - 'And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness' - meaning God saw Abram’s trust and treated him as if he were living in right relationship with Him, not because of anything Abram had done, but because he believed the promise.

God's Covenant and the Radical Nature of Faith in Genesis 15

This passage marks a turning point in Abram’s life and in the whole story of redemption, as God establishes a covenant promising descendants and land, sealed to show His firm commitment.

In the ancient Near East, covenants were often ratified through rituals involving animal sacrifice, and cutting animals in half symbolized the consequences for breaking the agreement - the one who broke the covenant would end up like the dead animals. When God tells Abram to bring a heifer, goat, ram, and birds, and to cut the animals but not the birds, He is initiating a covenant ritual common in that era. But then comes the stunning twist: as Abram falls into a deep sleep, it is *only* the presence of God - represented by the smoking fire pot and flaming torch - that passes between the pieces. This means God alone takes upon Himself the curse if the covenant fails, showing that the promise depends entirely on God’s faithfulness, not Abram’s performance.

The phrase 'And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness' (Genesis 15:6) is one of the most important in the entire Bible. The word 'counted' (or 'credited') comes from a Hebrew word often used in accounting - it means God placed righteousness to Abram’s account, not because Abram earned it, but because he trusted God’s promise. This is the foundation of what later Scripture calls justification by faith - being made right with God not by our good deeds, but by trusting what God has promised. the apostle Paul highlights this in Romans 4:3, quoting Genesis 15:6 to show that faith has always been the way people are made right with God, long before the law was given.

God doesn’t ignore Abram’s honest question, 'How am I to know that I shall possess it?' Instead, He meets him in his uncertainty with a tangible, sacred ritual. This reminds us that our questions aren’t signs of weak faith but often the starting point of deeper trust.

Faith, in this moment, isn’t about having no doubts - it’s about choosing to trust God’s character when everything in your circumstances says otherwise.

Looking ahead, this covenant sets the stage for the entire story of Israel - slavery in Egypt, the Exodus, and the conquest of Canaan. The land promise, though delayed, will unfold according to God’s perfect timing and justice, as He waits until 'the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete' (Genesis 15:16), showing that His promises are always tied to His holiness.

Trusting God's Promises: Faith, Certainty, and the Path Through Suffering

This moment with Abram shows a pattern of how God works throughout the Bible, calling people to trust His promises even when fulfillment seems delayed or impossible.

God assures Abram that his descendants will inherit the land, yet also reveals they will endure centuries of suffering before that promise comes true - showing that divine promises don’t always mean immediate blessing, but often include a season of waiting and hardship. This 'suffering-before-glory' pattern echoes later in Scripture, like in Jeremiah 29:11, where God promises hope and a future to exiles in Babylon, but only after years of captivity.

God’s promises often come with a timeline we can’t see, but His faithfulness never runs on our clock.

The fact that God counts Abram’s faith as righteousness highlights a core biblical truth: what matters most to God is not perfection, but trust in His character and promises. This same idea appears in Romans 4:3, which quotes Genesis 15:6 directly, showing that being made right with God has always been about faith, not flawless behavior. And just as God passed through the smoking fire pot alone, He later fulfills His promises through Jesus, who bears the full cost of our brokenness - proving that God’s love is not earned, but freely given to those who believe.

Faith Counted as Righteousness: How Genesis 15 Points to the Gospel

The moment God counts Abram’s faith as righteousness is not just a personal blessing - it becomes a foundational truth for the entire New Testament’s message of salvation by grace through faith.

The apostle Paul zeroes in on Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4:3, writing, 'For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”' He uses this verse to prove that being made right with God has never been about perfect behavior or religious rituals, but about trusting God’s promise - long before the law was given. In Galatians 3:6, Paul says the same thing: 'Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,' showing that faith, not ancestry or law-keeping, is what makes someone a true child of Abraham. This means the gospel wasn’t a new idea in the New Testament - it was woven into God’s plan from the very beginning.

The writer of Hebrews also lifts up Abram’s faith in Hebrews 11:8: 'By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.' This chapter, often called the 'Hall of Faith,' presents Abram as a model of trust - not because he was perfect, but because he kept choosing to believe God’s promises even when they seemed impossible. The land he never fully possessed, the descendants as numerous as the stars, the covenant sealed by fire - all of it was a shadow pointing forward to something greater. Just as God walked alone through the pieces, taking the curse upon Himself, Jesus would one day bear the full weight of broken covenant on the cross, so that all who believe - Jew and Gentile alike - could be counted as righteous, not for their sake, but because of His faithfulness.

This ancient promise to Abram finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, the true offspring through whom all nations are blessed (Galatians 3:16). The land, the descendants, the covenant - all were signs of a deeper reality: God’s plan to redeem a people for Himself by grace, through faith, in a Savior who would do what we never could.

God’s promise to Abram wasn’t just about land and descendants - it was a preview of how He would make all who believe right with Him through Jesus.

So when we read Genesis 15, we’re not just looking back at a man who believed God - we’re seeing a preview of the gospel itself, a promise rooted in God’s faithfulness, not our performance, and fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

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