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The Covenants of Promise received by Abraham - Father of the Faithful
1. Key Summary:
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The Promises received by Abraham:
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For related web page see God's New Millennium
2. The Gospel - the Power of God unto Salvation
Salvation is dependent upon belief in and obedience to the Gospel message. The gospel is revealed and defined in the Bible and is centred on Jesus Christ. Through the gospel message we learn of Jesus. It is through knowing Jesus that we have assurance of salvation. This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:16 which reads:
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." By this Paul clearly showed that the offer of salvation was extended to all men, everywhere, irrespective of race.
This gospel message has remained the same from the very beginning. It was first preached to Abraham in the form of of promises which formed the basis of a covenant. This is confirmed in Galatians Ch 3:8:
"And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying: In thee shall all nations be blessed." (Galatians 3:8)
The gospel message therefore is summarised by this phrase: In thee shall all nations be blessed. How are we to understand this?
a) "In thee" - speaks of Abraham as Father. At the time the promise was given, Abraham was childless. It was not until many years later when he was about 100 years old and when, naturally speaking, Sarah his wife was well past the age of child bearing, but they did have a son. They named him Isaac which means laughter. He was a child of promise. It was through Isaac that the promises would be fulfilled ultimately.
b) "shall" - indicates that the Gospel message would be worked out over time in the future.
c) "all nations" - The purpose of God embraced from the very beginning not only the natural descendants of Abraham i.e. Israel and the Jews but also the Gentiles (non Jews). Abraham however could only be father "of all nations" if at some future point in time the principle of adoption was established. This is explained in the New Testament (see Eph 1:5) and has been accomplished through Jesus Christ.
d) "be blessed" - The blessing derived from the covenants of promise, which is the very kernel of the Gospel overcomes and is a perfect antidote to the cursings received by Adam for his transgression and sin. The blessing spoken of therefore concerns the forgiveness of sin as well as the inheritance of the kingdom which belongs to the adopted sons and daughters of God. Again all this has been achieved through Jesus Christ.
3. Promise of the Kingdom of God - On Earth
In Genesis Ch 12 and verse 1 we read that the Lord instructed Abram (later to be renamed Abraham which means Father of many nations) to get out of his own country and go into the land of Palestine. In faith and obedience Abram did as God commanded him.
God rewarded Abram's faith and obedience by giving him a promise of a future inheritance. This is recorded in Genesis Ch 13 where we read:
"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward and eastward and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever." (Genesis 13:14-15)
This inheritance was to Abram and his seed. It concerns the Earth and not the heavens. It is to be an everlasting inheritance. This is of great significance. Abram can only receive such an inheritance if he is raised up from the dust of the ground and given immortality. This has not happened as yet but will at Christ's return.
This interpretation is clearly set out in the New Testament - examples include the following passages:
"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven." (Matt 8:11)
"For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed, that he should be HEIR OF THE WORLD, but through the righteousness of faith" (Rom 4:13)
"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:9)
4. The Promised Seed
i) Isaac - the Child of Promise
Abraham knew and believed that the whole purpose of God would centre upon this child of promise. This child came not by the will of the flesh but by the will of God. This is explained in the Epistle to the Romans where we read:
"[Abraham] who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations: according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness." Rom 4:19-22
ii) Natural Israel
From Isaac would also come a multitude, a nation so numerous that they would be like the stars of heaven. As it is written in Genesis 15 we read:
"And he brought him (Abraham) forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:5-6)
This multitude became the natural descendants of Abraham. They became known as the Children of Israel - i.e. they were from the line of descent - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (later renamed by the Lord as Israel which means Prince with God) and then the 12 tribes of Israel.
The 12 tribes of Israel were the people chosen of God, who received the law of Moses and oracles of God and who were delivered out of Egypt. It is the same people who are now referred to as the Jews. These are amongst the direct descendants of Abraham.
However, unlike any other nation, God reveals in the Bible that he has made a covenant with them. They are his witnesses. Their return to the land of promise - i.e. Israel the second time as prophesied (see Isaiah 11:11) is tangible evidence that God exists and that Christ's return to establish the Kingdom of God in fulfillment of the promises received by Abraham is close at hand.
iii) the Man Jesus Christ
The word "seed" in Hebrew is the same as the word "seed" in English in that it can refer to either a multitude (i.e. seed as in many) or to a singular seed (i.e. seed as in only one ).
In a number of instances, the promises refer to a multitude. In other instances, the promises refer to one seed in particular and that is Jesus Christ.
The greatest promises received by Abraham are recorded in Genesis Ch 22. In these promises there is clear reference to this one singular seed as highlighted by the word "his":
"and thy seed shall possess the gate of HIS enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen 22:17 +18)
He who possesses the gate of the city controls who enters and who departs hence this expression of "possessing the gate of his enemies" speaks of rulership. It also speaks of conquering the enemy - this possession is won by overcoming the enemy. The great enemy facing mankind is sin and its consequence - death. Jesus Christ has overcome these enemies and will be future ruler of the Earth that both he and Abraham will inherit.
This is confirmed in the New Testament in Galatians Ch 3 where we read:
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Galatians Ch 3:16
Through the sacrifice which Christ made for sin, the promises to Abraham were confirmed - see Rom 15:7-9 and Gal 3: 17.
iv) The Multitudinous Seed - the Redeemed of God who consist of Spiritual Israel
The promises to Abraham also speak of the multitudinous seed that will share in the inheritance of the Kingdom of God and in the blessing of the forgiveness of sins. This multitudinous seed will be the faithful, who like Abraham have believed the Word of God and His promises of future salvation. They make up the body of Christ, having been baptised into his saving Name and as such are the adopted seed of Abraham.
The promises to Abraham speak of this multitude in these terms:
".. that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I shall multiply they seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore" Genesis 22:17
This describes the redeemed of God. This particular promise has been secured by two immutable things - 1) the promise of God and 2) an oath given by God. This underlines the importance of these words and gives those of faith absolute assurance that God will accomplish that which He has promised to do. This is explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews:
"For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained (or received) the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" Hebrews 6: 13 - 19.
This is the New Testament commentary on Genesis Ch 22 which records the greatest of the promises received by Abraham after he had offered up Isaac in obedience to God.
The purpose of God and the assurance of future salvation rests upon the promise and oath given by God to Abraham and his seed. These promises have now been confirmed and made possible by the sacrifice made by Christ who through the cross has overcome the enemies of man - sin and death. There is now no impediment for God to fulfill these promises and make our faith a living reality.
5. The Implications for Believers today
Salvation is conditional upon being part of the seed of Abraham. As we have said, being part of this seed is open to all men and women everywhere (through Jesus and adoption) and is not conditional on natural descendancy. It is only by being part of the "seed" of Abraham that we have access to those covenants of promise, the adoption as sons and daughters of God and the prospect of the future inheritance of the Kingdom of God which will soon be established upon the Earth.
This is explained in detail in Galatians Ch 3: (being part of that seed is in fact a spiritual state, or condition)
"For ye are all the children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians Ch 3 : 27-29.
In other words we can only become the children of God if we are baptised into Christ. This involves understanding the Gospel message, believing it and then being baptised through full immersion in water. By being baptised we become the adopted seed of Abraham and enter into the covenants of promise which apply to Abraham and his seed. As children of God we have access to the inheritance provided by the Father - namely a place in his Kingdom when it is established through Christ's return.
6. Have the Promises been Fulfilled?
Well some of the promises have been fulfilled, particularly those concerning the natural seed of Abraham - the nation of Israel. But those relating to salvation remain outstanding. This is confirmed by the New Testament:
"And these all (speaking of those of faith) having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Hebrews 11:39-40.
In other words, the day in which these "great and precious promises" are to be realised has been delayed for the express purpose that those, even of our own day, might have the opportunity to share in the salvation of God. The blessing spoken of is focused towards attaining unto the resurrection of the faithful which will happen when Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God upon the Earth.
It is this time that the faithful are waiting for. It is the very centre of their prayers which they petition the Father for:
"Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. THY KINGDOM COME, thy will be done IN EARTH as it is in heaven." (Extract from the Lord's prayer See Mttw 6:9-10)
This is our prayer, which is fully consistent with and informed by those Great and Precious Promises given to Abraham and His Seed.