Lead:

True belief — saving faith — isn’t just knowing who Jesus is, it’s trusting Him.

Intro:

Hey before we get rolling, shout out to listener Karyn for some great feedback on the rhythm of the show. Obviously we’ve made a couple changes for 2020, and there’s still some more dialing-in to do.

I mention this because today kicks off with one of the most pivotal chapters in understanding the whole story of the whole Bible — the covenant God makes with Abraham. And since we’ll be limited in how much time to talk about that today, I’m going to dedicate one of this weekend’s segments to the idea of “salvation history,” and kick off today with a paragraph from DA Carson (link to source book in the show notes, forthehope.org and find show #997

THIS PASSAGE, Genesis 12, marks a turning point in God’s unfolding plan of redemption. From now on, the focus of God’s dealings is not scattered individuals, but a race, a nation. This is the turning point that makes the Old Testament documents so profoundly Jewish. And ultimately, out of this race come law, priests, wisdom, patterns of relationships between God and his covenant people, oracles, prophecies, laments, psalms—a rich array of institutions and texts that point forward, in ways that become increasingly clear, to a new covenant foretold by Israel’s prophets.(1) ~D.A. Carson

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Old covenant:

Passage: Genesis 12-15
Translation: NCV (New Century Version)
Verses: 83
Words: ~1966

Wisdom:

Passage: Psalm 148
Translation: NCV (New Century Version)
Verses: 14
Words: ~230

New covenant:

Passage: Mark 5
Translation: NCV (New Century Version)
Verses: 43
Words: ~910

Commentary:

Remember, just like the demons Legion, true “belief” isn’t just a function of knowing the Jesus is God, it’s trusting.

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

(1) D.A. Carson, For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word (Vol. 1, Trade Paperback) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1998), 11, Kindle.

#997: Genesis 12-15 | Psalm 148 | Mark 5