Friend of God: The Inspiration of Abraham in an Age of Doubt

by John C. Lennox

Publisher:

SPCK Publishing

, 2024

'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God.' (James 2.23)

Abraham is the only character in the Bible to be described as 'the friend of God'. This comprehensive study by John Lennox explores why.

Abraham is unquestionably one of the most outstanding and influential figures in world history. He had no political or military achievements, and he left no literary remains, yet today billions of people - more than half of the world's population - claim him as their spiritual father.

Throughout the Bible, Abraham is seen as a pivotal figure in God's plan of salvation. In this richly detailed account of his life and times, John Lennox helps us to see through mists of the past to the real flesh-and-blood man, with all his strengths and weaknesses, to better appreciate all that Abraham stands for as a model of faith today.

Contents

PART ONE: Genesis 10.1-11.32
1 The City that Reached for the Sky
2 From Shem to Abram

PART TWO: Genesis 12.1-15.21
3 The Call of Abraham
4 From Haran to Canaan
5 From Canaan to Egypt
6 Abram and Lot
7 Abram and Melchizedek
8 Justification by Faith
9 God's Covenant with Abram
10 The New Covenant

PART THREE: Genesis 16.1-19.38
11 A Surrogate Son and the Tragedy of Lot
12 The Covenant of Circumcision
13 The Judgement of Sodom

PART FOUR: Genesis 20.1-22.19
14 Sarah and Hagar
15 God Tests Abraham
16 Applying the Moriah Experience

PART FIVE: Genesis 22.20- 25.11
17 Lessons from the Life of Sarah
18 A Bride for the Promised Seed
19 The Last Days of Abraham - and Beyond

APPENDIX A: A Brief History of Israel
APPENDIX B: How Do We Know that God Speaks?

Praise for Friend of God

'I read everything John Lennox writes.'

'I was not prepared for how much I would enjoy Professor John Lennox's Friend of God, probably the greatest book ever written on the life of Abraham. A book with massive scholarship but with personal anecdotes, this will encourage the ordinary Christian. What continued to amaze me, strange as this may seem, is that Dr Lennox really does believe the Bible! Friend of God is both an apologetic achievement but one which will increase the reader's own faith - and make him or her desire to be a friend of God like Abraham.'

'John C. Lennox is not only one of the best minds and voices promoting and defending the Christian worldview, he is also an excellent Bible teacher. Whether he's preaching on the Logos of John's Gospel, or writing about the lives of Daniel, Joseph, and now, Abraham, his spiritual insight and application for believers of all ages and backgrounds is incalculable. In a day when the deep study of Scripture is often neglected, I'm thankful that Dr Lennox has given us this new volume on Abraham, the Father of all who have faith, and the friend of God.'

'John Lennox - both an accomplished mathematician and a serious Christian - has blessed the world with many works showing why science and faith make good companions. Now he has blessed us with another, this time an exposition of the Abraham story in Genesis, which displays many virtues. He wants you to be sure that the stories are true, but also that they have a bearing on us today. In this well-written and thoughtful book, he keeps his eyes on the ancient settings of these tales, but also on the New Testament, traditional Jewish reflections, and modern application. In all of this he reminds me of another Oxford Cambridge academic, who likewise came from Northern Ireland, C.S. Lewis: an "amateur" in Biblical Studies, who has something to say, not only to us "professionals," but especially to the general public. I am pleased to commend this book to you.'

'Friend of God is an insightful, profound and deeply relevant exploration of the person of Abraham. We learn what it means to be human and to have a relationship to God. Author, John Lennox, also carries these essential truths into the heart of our contemporary distress: like connecting the ancient story of the Tower of Babel to contemporary author Yuval Harari, who insists we are on the brink of creating a new kind of species who will become human gods who will live forever. I finished reading with tears of gratitude to God for how he pursues us in order to offer his indescribable gift.'

'Reformed faith has three components - evidence, meaning and action. To take each in turn, I had no idea there was so much evidence for Abraham. I think I just thought it was so long ago, one just had the precious chapters of Genesis, which were uncorroborated, but you will be staggered by the evidence for this patriarch. Again when it came to the meaning of Abraham's life, though I was familiar with the narrative and most of the 60 New Testament references, I discovered my understanding was so shallow as my eyes were opened to text after text. Lastly, of course, once the evidence and meaning have been grasped, then the difference it makes to one's living faith is quite thrilling. I shall never read Hebrews 11 verses 8 to 10 with the same mindset. We need to thank Professor Lennox for waking a sleeping giant of Scripture for us.'

Product Details

• Title: Friend of God: The Inspiration of Abraham in an Age of Doubt
• Author: John C. Lennox
• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Print Publication Date: 2024
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780281089130, 9780281089116, 0281089116, 0281089132
• Resource ID: LLS:9780281089130
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-05-02T17:40:40Z

About John C. Lennox

John Lennox is a mathematician, author, apologist, and philosopher of science. He is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College. He is the author of numerous books on the relationship between science and religion. He is also well known for his debates on the same subject.