Unpacking Genesis 15:6: Faith Counted as Righteousness

Context of Genesis 15:6

Genesis 15:6 comes at a pivotal moment in Abram’s journey, where God’s promise of countless descendants collides with human doubt and divine assurance.

After calling Abram to leave his homeland and promising to bless him, God appears again in a vision, reassuring him with the words, 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield.' He promises that his reward shall be very great. Yet Abram, still childless and nearing old age, questions how this promise can be fulfilled, wondering if his servant Eliezer will be his heir. Then God clarifies: 'Your very own son shall be your heir,' and leads him outside to gaze at the stars, saying, 'So shall your offspring be' - a promise so vast it defies human logic.

In response, 'he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.' This is not mere intellectual agreement but a deep, life-shaping trust in God’s word despite all evidence to the contrary. The Hebrew word for 'believed' (he'emin) carries the sense of firm reliance, and 'righteousness' here means God saw Abram as being in right standing - not because of moral perfection or religious rituals, but because he trusted Him. This moment becomes a foundation for how people are made right with God throughout Scripture, echoed later in Romans 4:3, where Paul writes, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.'

The Weight of 'He’ĕmīn': How Faith Became Righteousness

This one verse - Genesis 15:6 - does far more than record a man’s belief. It unveils a divine principle that reshapes how all humanity can be made right with God.

The Hebrew verb *he’ĕmīn* - 'he believed' - comes from the root *āman*, which means to be firm, steady, or trustworthy. It is the same root behind the word 'Amen' and conveys a deep, unwavering reliance, not a mental agreement. When Abram believed, he wasn’t passively accepting a fact - he was staking his future, his identity, and his legacy on God’s promise, even when biology and time said it was impossible. This act of trust was so significant that God 'counted it to him as righteousness' - the Hebrew *wayyaḥšabēhā ləṣĕdāqâ* - where 'counted' (*ḥāšab*) means to reckon or credit, like a transaction in a moral ledger. It sounds as though God looked at Abram’s faith and said, 'That’s enough; you’re in right standing with Me.' He did not base it on sacrifices or law‑keeping, which did not yet exist, but on Abram’s trust in His word.

This idea of being 'counted righteous' is known theologically as imputation - God credits righteousness to someone who doesn’t inherently possess it. It’s a covenant act, not a reward for effort. In the ancient Near East, covenants were binding agreements often sealed with rituals, like the one that follows in Genesis 15 with the animal pieces and the smoking fire pot - God alone passing through, showing He alone guarantees the promise. Abram didn’t earn this. He received it by faith, setting a pattern for all who follow. Later Scripture confirms this: Romans 4:3 quotes Genesis 15:6 directly, saying, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,' and Paul uses this to show that justification - being declared right with God - comes through faith, not works.

Faith, in God’s economy, isn’t a weak hope - it’s the act that bridges the gap between broken people and divine righteousness.

The ripple effect of this moment is massive. It reveals that from the very beginning, God’s way of restoring relationship has been through trust, not perfection. This isn’t a one‑off moment. It is a prototype for how everyone, from every age, is made right with God - by believing His promise, as Abram did.

Faith When the Promise Is Delayed

This moment in Abram’s life is more than ancient history - it serves as a mirror for anyone who has ever waited on God’s promise while doubt whispered, 'Is this really going to happen?'

God promised Abram a son and countless descendants, yet years passed with no child. That gap between promise and fulfillment is where real faith is forged - not in the miracle itself, but in the waiting. Like Abram, many today face long seasons of unanswered prayer, unmet hopes, or silent heavens, yet are called to believe anyway, as Hebrews 11:1 says: 'Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.'

Real faith isn’t believing God when everything makes sense - it’s trusting Him when the timeline doesn’t.

That kind of trust reveals a deep truth: God values our reliance more than our results.

The Gospel Foreshadowed: How Abram’s Faith Points to Jesus

This single act of trust by Abram shapes the theology of the Old Testament - it becomes the very blueprint for how all people, across time, are made right with God through Jesus.

Paul makes this clear in Romans 4:3, quoting Genesis 15:6: 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.' He then emphasizes that this occurred before circumcision and the law, making Abram the father of all who believe, not only those who follow religious rules.

In Galatians 3:6, Paul says, 'As Abraham believed God, so he was credited as righteous,' and then reveals the climax: 'Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.' This blessing flows to us because Jesus, the true descendant of Abraham, fulfilled the promise and became the ultimate sacrifice, absorbing God’s judgment and giving us His righteousness in return.

James 2:23 affirms the same verse - 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness' - but adds that this faith was 'completed' by his actions, showing that real trust in God produces a life that follows Him, even when it’s hard. Together, Paul and James show us that justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that remains alone - it lives, moves, and obeys.

Abram’s faith didn’t earn him righteousness - it opened the door for God to give it freely, just as we receive it through Christ.

This ancient moment points straight to the cross: just as Abram trusted God’s promise of a son through whom blessing would come, we trust Jesus, that promised Son, through whom all nations are blessed. As Abram’s faith was credited as righteousness, we are made right with God - not by what we do, but by what Christ has done.

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