Though the issue of Abraham’s sinfulness is not immediately in view in the “justification” text of Gen 15, it is a crucial issue in the deeper context and structure of Genesis. This is true in two ways: First, Abraham is suffering under the curse of barrenness and death, and the promise will be fulfilled only if that curse is overcome, only if God raises the dead. Second, the promise that Abraham believes in order to be reckoned righteous is a promise of “seed.” This theme is established in Genesis long before Abraham appears on the scene, in Gen 3. The seed promise to Abraham is the promise of the seed that will come to crush the serpent’s head. In trusting the promise of seed, then, Abraham is trusting that Yahweh will overcome death and Satan, and will produce from him, Abraham, a seed like the stars of heaven.
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