How did Abraham become the friend of God and receive God's righteousness?
Abraham became the friend of God and the recipient of all of God’s righteousness because of his faith, plus nothing. His standing did not rest on additional works or human effort; it rested entirely on faith. This illustrates that members of the Body of Christ are likewise called out by faith, plus nothing.
Les explains that Abraham became the friend of God and became the recipient of all of God’s righteousness because of his faith, plus nothing. He uses this as a parallel to the Body of Christ, whose members become members by faith, plus nothing. Les stresses an equality: we all came in the same way. He then contrasts this with people from Adam, Abel, Seth, and Noah, and all the way up to Abraham, who came into a right relationship with God by faith plus sacrifice, and could not approach God without it.