February 15 -- Today's Reading: Genesis 15 & 16 "Righteousness Through Faith"

Today's Reading:  Genesis 15 & 16

"Righteousness Through Faith"

In this passage, Abram (who has no children) has just been told by God that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and that God will give them the land of Canaan as an inheritance.

In response, Abram expresses his belief in God and his trust in God's promise. As a result, God credits Abram's faith as righteousness. This passage is significant because it is one of the earliest examples in the Bible of the idea that faith in God is the basis for righteousness.

The passage implies that God is not only the Creator but also the Judge of human moral actions, and that faith in Him is the means by which people can be justified or declared right in God's sight. This concept is later developed in the New Testament and is central to the Christian doctrine of justification by faith.

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul writes that "a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28). He goes on to explain that faith in Jesus Christ is the means by which people can be made right with God and receive the gift of righteousness (Romans 3:22, 5:17-18).

In the book of Galatians, Paul also emphasizes that righteousness does not come through following the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16, 3:11).

In the letter of Hebrews, the author states that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6) and that people are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ, who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:14, 10:14).