What does it mean to be a friend of God?

In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham out of a pagan land with a staggering set of promises. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt opens the life of the man the Bible calls “the friend of God.”

Abraham came from Ur, a place steeped in idol worship, yet God chose him — not for his merit, but by God’s own grace. God told him to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house for a land he had never seen, and Abraham obeyed. God promised to make him a great nation and to bless all the families of the earth through him — a promise fulfilled in Christ. Dr. Holt notes that the true children of Abraham are not defined by bloodline but by faith.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why did God choose Abraham? Not because of his goodness — he came from a family of idol-worshipers. God chose him by His own sovereign grace.

2. What did God promise Abraham? To make him a great nation, to bless him, and to bless all the families of the earth through him. That last promise points to Christ.

3. Who are the true children of Abraham? Those who share his faith, not merely his bloodline. All who trust God as Abraham did are counted his children.

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” — Genesis 12:3 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the Genesis Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.