It's still early in the Bible, but a pivotal moment occurs in Genesis 15 that you will want to remember later. God shows up in a dramatic vision to Abram, and reiterates the promise to bless him. Abram will have a son, God says, and his descendants will one day be as numerous as the stars in the sky. The territory of the promised land is also mentioned: from the Nile to the Euphrates. In the midst of all this, we have Abram's expression of faith, and the Lord's extension of a covenant.
Verse 6 is key: "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Paul will take us back to this verse when he writes his epistle to the Romans. Abram did not earn God's favor through any special deeds or works - grace was given because of his faith. Faith - believing God - is what was credited to him as righteousness. Faith continues to be a major part of the Christian experience when we get to the New Testament.
Also noteworthy in Genesis 15 is the covenant that God makes with Abram. We are more familiar with contracts than covenants in our modern world. A covenant is a mutual promise made between two parties. The marriage covenant is probably the most well-known today.
In the ancient world, covenants were serious business. You staked your reputation on keeping what you promised to do in an agreement with another. This seriousness of the covenant is symbolized by the cutting of animals in half in vs. 10, which the vision of the smoking firepot passes between in verse 17. The symbolism is basically saying, "May it be done to me like these animals if I renege on my covenant with you." This is God expressing this sentiment to Abram! This is a covenant that will be kept.
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