Who was Abraham?
In short, he was a nobody. He was the kid of a guy (Terah) who (according to Jewish legends) made idols (teraphim - literally “household gods”) in what would become Babylon. Terah took raw materials, and shaped them into figurines. The family was pagan.
Then one day God talks to Abram, as he was known then. God told Abram to get out of Ur. Abram listened and responded. So he packed up his family and headed toward the Promised Land.
One of the important points here is that God spoke to Abram before the man even knew God existed. It’s quite likely Abram knew the idols his father made were powerless, so when God talked it was probably quite a shock. And remember, God could have picked anyone from anywhere in the entire world.
Abram didn’t know God, yet God spoke to him. God does that now and again in the Bible, and usually it’s not because they’re righteous. Moses, for instance, was a murderer before God said a word to him.
When God entered into that first contractual agreement, He changed Abram’s name to Abraham. God promised, in short, nothing less than the salvation of the human race would come from Abraham - a guy who used to work in his father’s idol shop.
Next time you get down on yourself for being a useless sinner, remember God used Abram and Moses.
Next time you get full of yourself for being such a saint, remember God chose to reveal Himself to you.
Nothing you can do will earn you the right to be called a Child of God. Only the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus could accomplish that.
All that from a pagan.
Now imagine what He could do with you, if you let Him.
