Believing in the Word Who Comes

Genesis 15, John 1, and Romans 5

I’ve started a new Bible reading plan this year. The 1517 plan walks through the entire Bible in a year, pairing readings from both the Old and New Testaments each day. Today’s reading included Genesis 15 and Romans 5, and what a treasure trove it turned out to be for me. What initially felt like two very different passages quickly revealed themselves to be deeply connected.

Genesis 15 opens with a phrase we often pass over too quickly:

“After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision…”

Scripture does not simply say that God spoke. It says that the word of the LORD came. The Word is active. It approaches Abram, enters his fear, and speaks peace.

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

Abram has wealth, victory, and God’s protection, yet his deepest concern remains unaddressed. He has no heir. His future appears uncertain. Abram speaks honestly before the LORD, and then the text says something remarkable again:

“And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying…”

The repetition is intentional. The Word comes once with reassurance, and again with promise. The LORD clarifies that Abram’s heir will come from his own body, then brings him outside and invites him to look toward the heavens. The stars become a living sermon, pointing Abram beyond what he can see to what only God can accomplish.

Only after this repeated encounter do we read:

“And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6)

Believing in the LORD

Abram’s faith is not described as mere agreement with a statement. He does not simply believe that God’s words are true; he believes in the LORD Himself. The language bears this out. The biblical idea of belief here is not intellectual assent but personal trust—reliance upon the One who has come to him and spoken.

Abram’s righteousness is credited because he entrusts himself to the LORD as He reveals Himself through His Word. His faith is relational before it is doctrinal. It is rooted in encounter.

The Word Revealed—and the Word Made Flesh

John’s Gospel opens by unveiling what Genesis hints at:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

The Word that came to Abram in a vision is the same eternal Word who later came in human flesh. Abram encountered the Word truly, though not yet in the flesh. When Abram believed in the LORD, he believed in God as He made Himself known through His Word.

The object of faith has never changed, only the clarity of the revelation.

From Abram to Romans 5—and to Us

Paul draws directly from this moment when he writes:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1)

Justification results in peace because faith is personal. Abram trusted the LORD who came to him as the Word. We trust the Lord Jesus Christ—the Word made flesh.

Abram stood beneath the stars and believed in the Word who spoke.
We stand beneath the cross and the empty tomb believing in the Word who lived, died, and rose again.

Faith That Still Justifies

Faith has always been the same: trusting the Word who comes.

Abram believed in the LORD, and righteousness was credited to him.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his righteousness is imparted to us.

The promise spoken in Genesis finds its fulfillment in the incarnation proclaimed in John and explained in Romans. The Word who came still comes, and those who believe in Him are counted righteous.

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