My Bible Study Genesis Chapter 12

God’s Calling of Abram – and How He Calls Us

We can learn a great deal about God’s call as we consider Abraham’s call. Abraham is a central figure in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the book of Genesis, his life spans twelve chapters. He is called a friend of God three times in the Bible (2 Chron 20:7; Isa 41:8; James 2:23), and he is referred to four times in the New Testament (Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and James). He is called the father of all those who believe (Gal 3:7), and he is considered the founder of three religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Now, I have numerous versions of the Bible in my study. My first 20 years in ministry, I bought a different version of the Bible and read it through at least once every year. That does not even count the 6 bookshelves full of reference material. My grandson once asked me, he said, “Papa, have you actually read all of those books?”  I laughed…and said, “At least once. Most I’ve read several times.”  And many I use as reference material for my teachings, Amen! 

Abraham’s call was very special. God called him out of a rebellious world to be a conduit for salvation. He is a pivotal character in redemptive history. Actually, God is using the lineage of Shem, through Abraham, to bring Jesus into this world. As we study Abraham, we will learn a great deal about living a life of faith. But, specifically in this passage, we learn about God’s calling and how it can apply to us today as well.