‘Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.’
(Galatians 3:7-9)
What does it look like to live by faith? Told by God to leave his home and family for a new land and promised descendants that will be as numerous as the stars, Abraham is called to live by faith. Yet when we study his story we see that his faith is far from perfect. Time after time he fails to walk by faith and trust the promise of God. Just like us, he has to learn to how to live by faith. Despite his faithlessness, Abraham’s story reveals a God who is unfailingly faithful. He does not give up on Abraham but is patient with him even when he fails. He repeatedly reiterates his promise to bless Abraham and, through one of his descendants, the entire world.
And in Jesus God was faithful to his promise. This is why Abraham’s story is also our story. The Apostle Paul tells us that ‘God announced the gospel in advance to Abraham’. This is what we will see as we study Genesis chapters 12-25. God’s promise to Abraham was ultimately fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We live by faith in a God who has proved his faithfulness to us beyond any doubt.
9th Feb Genesis 12:1-9 / Galatians 3:7-9 For God so Loved the World
16 Feb Genesis 12:10-13:4 Faithful to the Faithless
23rd Feb Genesis13:5-18 / Hebrews 11:8-10 Two Ways to Live
9th Mar Genesis 14:1-24 Risky Faith
16th Mar Genesis 15:1-21 The Grounds of Faith
23rd Mar Genesis 16:1-16 Kindness to the Outsider
30th Mar Genesis17:1-27 A Costly Covenant
11th May Genesis 18:1-15 / 21:1-7 The Last Laugh
18th May Genesis18:16-19:38 The Judge of all the Earth
25th May Genesis 20:1-21:34 Protector of the Promise
1st June Genesis 22:1-24 The Lord who Provides
15th June Genesis 23:1-20 / 25:1-11 Hope that doesn’t Die