What was Abraham's spiritual condition before God called him?
Before God called him, Abraham was living in abject idolatry and had no knowledge of the One True God. He merited nothing and was not justified by works or law. Yet God saw in him the potential to believe what God would say.
Les teaches that Abraham is the epitome of a man of faith, justified by doing nothing and meriting nothing. Before God called him, Abraham was raised and living in abject idolatry and had no knowledge of the One True God. Yet God saw in that man the potential to believe what He said. So God reached down, spoke to him, and appeared to him in a physical form, communicating with him more than once. Paul, by inspiration, goes back to Abraham as the perfect example of being justified—made totally righteous by faith, and faith alone, plus nothing.