The story of Abraham is written about in several sections of the New Testament. Abraham's life encourages us. Speaking of Abraham, God refers to Abraham's righteousness and what it means for us, in Romans 4:
Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Abraham was called by God in Genesis as an important aspect of the Christ line. In Genesis 3:15, the seed of this lineage was first prophesied about. The word 'seed' is used quite often in the book of Genesis and is a theme throughout Genesis. God watched over the lineage of the promised seed.
Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Abraham is a father figure to all (both Judean and Gentile) who believe. God said in Genesis 3:15 that there would be an enmity; a battle between good and evil. Abraham had to deal with this enmity throughout his life. He was constantly faced with challenges to God's promises. He dealt with famine, perils, pressures, and adversity of all sorts. He made mistakes and tried to accomplish God's promises on his own. The battle of good and evil continues throughout the Bible in the tension between senses faith versus spiritual faith, works versus grace. (See Galatians 4:22-31)
God's promises encouraged him and he stayed the course. Abraham's life is full of lessons. The greatest lessons we can learn are not from judging Abraham as there is a lot that we may not fully understand. However, if we read in the New Testament as to what God wants us to learn from his life, it will encourage us to believe God's promises in this amazing grace administration.
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