Video Notes:

• “Count” – Reckon – Used both in vs3, vs 8, vs 9, and vs 10. This is an accounting term which in this case means credited or placed into ones account which did not inherently belong to the person.
• So, even though he and Sarah’s body left them with no hope of a child, they have hope because they trust God will fulfill His promise.
• Vs 17 – “God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” – God can make Abraham’s dead (old) body and Sarah’s dead (barren) womb alive again and God can call into existence Abraham being the father of many nations though no heir currently exists.
• Did Abraham sin during the 25 years he waited for Isaac? Yes. Immediately, he laughed in doubt. In fact, though Abraham believed God’s promise when it was made and trusted that God could do it even with his 75 yr old body and Sarah’s 65 yr old barren body, after 10 years of waiting, and under the temptation from Sarah, he sinned with Hagar who bore Ishmael. Yet even in this doubt and 
• Abraham did doubt (laughed) and did try to do it his own way at one point, but he never wavered into unbelief. So, God grew him (it’s passive) in his faith as He gave glory to God (opposite of Romans 1).
• So, Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness. This again is passive. God promised. God strengthened and God credited faith as righteousness. Abraham believed and it was put into his account as righteousness.