The Gospel Project Adult Class
October 13, A.D. 2024
Unit 2, Session 1, “Abram Obeyed God’s Call” (Genesis 12)
(Children’s Session for today is entitled The Great Family)
An overarching verse for this unit is Romans 4:13
When God promised Abraham and his descendants that the world would belong to him, he did so, not because Abraham obeyed the Law, but because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God (Good News Translation).
Context: from The Leader Guide
Genesis 12 opens a new era of God’s revelation. For eleven chapters, God revealed the beginning of the world at a macro level. In chapter 12 God begins to reveal the beginning of His covenant at a micro level, from many generations down to one man, Abram is the beginning of the story in so many ways. Our understanding of the grace of God revealed ultimately in Jesus Christ is strengthened by our understanding of the story of Abram way back in Genesis.
Background: Genesis 11:27-32
“Now Sarai was barren; she had no child,” anticipates the central problem of the Abraham story, which will come to the foreground after God’s promise that Abram will be father of “a great nation” in 12:2.
Read and discuss 12:1-9.
From The SBL Study Bible: The call of Abram reverses the accumulation of curses and punishments of the primeval narrative. In Abram all the families of the earth shall be blessed. . . . The promises to Abram include blessing, a great name, numerous descendants who will become a great nation, and land. God (or his angel) reiterates these promises as he later grants them to Isaac and Jacob. In 12:4 his righteousness and faithfulness are shown by his simple response: so Abram went, as the LORD had told him.
Read and discuss 12:10-20.
Application: Tying it into the Children’s title for this lesson, The Great Family, what can we tell our 7-year-old about why Abram is important?
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