Genesis 15:6 and saving faith
Genesis 15:6 along with its quotations in the NT contain a wonderful message for today. To appreciate Paul’s usage of Genesis 15:6 and to safeguard against using these verses as proof texts, we would do well to observe four truths about faith:
- The New Testament uses faith/believe to summarize relying upon Christ.
- The Greek words for believing and faith can encompass much more than just believing./1
- What is required to believe/have faith is context specific. In other words, some contexts may only require believing while others require specific action(s).
- Within the NT, to trust in Christ requires the faith response of baptism.
First, as the World Bible School curriculum aptly notes, “’believe’ summarizes all that is involved in the biblical response to the gospel.”/2 When Luke, Paul and John wrote about believing in or having faith in Christ they summarized and pointed to placing one’s trust in Christ without delineating everything necessary for how to trust. For example, Luke summarized all of the components of Cornelius’ family’s conversion with “believe” (Acts 15:7).
Second, Hays accurately captured the range of meaning for the Greek words often translated as faith and believe. “The noun pistis offers a range of semantic possibilities for English translators. It can be rendered as ‘faith,’ ‘faithfulness,’ ‘fidelity,’ or ‘trust.’ It probably does not, however, mean ‘belief’ in the sense of cognitive assent to a doctrine; rather it refers to placing trust or confidence in a person. The cognate verb pisteúw (pisteuō) can be translated as ‘believe’ or ‘trust.’"/3
Third, what is required in order to possess faith/trust is situation dependent. In contexts where an unconditional promise is offered, faith only requires believing the promise. However in those situations where action is prescribed, to trust entails obedient action. Thus it was by faith Noah built an ark becoming “an heir of the righteousness that is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7). Likewise Paul could write about the gospel producing the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5;16:25-26).
Fourth, baptism is a faith response and constitutes part of what it means to trust in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27; Acts 18:8; 2:40-41). In fact, Colossians 2:11-13 infers God performs a spiritual surgery at baptism, as we are buried with Christ and raised with Christ "through your faith in the power of God," thus setting us free from sin (Colossians 2:12-13).
If we ignore these principles we might mistakenly use Paul’s quotations of Genesis 15:6 as proof texts to limit the saving faith response to Christ as just believing. However, to do so would cause Paul to contradict himself.
Why did Paul quote Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:6? Each of the relevant contexts reveals that Paul was defending the principle of trust against the principle of self-reliance through the works of the Law. Paul was not defining what constitutes a saving faith in Jesus.
Whereas Abraham only had to believe in order to trust God, the gospel calls us to both believe the message about the Messiah and be baptized if we are going to trust in Christ crucified and risen.
When Paul quoted Genesis 15:6 he was not prescribing how to trust in Christ. Instead Paul defended the faith principle, a principle that still holds true today.
1/ This is also true for the corresponding Hebrew word ʾaman (אמן).
2/ “Balancing Faith And Works.” Supplemental Course ES 42. (World Bible School), 64
3/ Richard Hays, “Galatians” in The New Interpreter’s Bible Volume 11 (Nashville:Abingdon Press, 2000), 240.
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