As we wrap up this short series on what deeper Bible study might look like, I hope you take away that understanding our faith and theology isn’t as complex as we often like to picture. Does it take effort to dig beneath the surface of Scripture to obtain a more thorough understanding of God’s plan? Sure it does. But if we are to grow as disciples and become better tools for God in fulfilling the Great Commission, the extra effort is certainly worth it.
So how does an imperative from God to the Children of Israel apply to Christians today? Does the promises (covenant) God made to Abraham have any bearing on who we are today as Believers?
The simple answer is of course it does. But let’s look closer at how those dots from the Old Testament to today connect.
The promises God made to Abraham (see Week 1) included the provision that from his seed all nations would be blessed. We know from the lineage of Jesus posted both in the Gospels of Matthew (to Joseph) and Luke (to Mary) that Jesus is a direct descendent of David. The connection from Abraham to David is also recorded, but not as neatly packaged as David to Jesus:
Clearly, Jesus Christ is the instrument of blessing from Abraham’s seed for all nations. But does it stop there? Let’s look at a couple of passage on the matter:
Galatians 3:26-29- 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slavenor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Galatians 3:7-9- 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justifythe Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
You can also look at Matthew 3:9, Romans 9:5-8, Romans 3:27-31 and 2 Peter 1:4 as additional reference. These verses show that Christians are in fact the continuing seed of Abraham based on our faith in Jesus Christ. But what does the promise to Abraham mean to us?
There could be a number of answers to this question, but I want to focus on two major blessings we, as Christians, receive from the promise God made to Abraham over 4,000 years ago:
Justification through faith from sins (Acts 3:25-26). I like how Keith described the important concept of justification as our faith in God by His grace makes it just-as-if our sins never existed. There is a ton of information containing supporting Scripture on this issue just a Google search away.
Eternal Life (or inheritance) in the land of promise (Romans 4:13 and John 17:3). It was a tremendous blessing to me to finally make the connection between Psalms 46:10 and one of my personal favorite passages John 17:3-
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Intimacy with God is the central focus of both of these passage. From the know or Hebrew yada of Psalm 46:10 to the know or Greek ginosko of John 17:3, God’s word is clear that to follow Him requires a great deal more than just having knowledge of the fact that He is the one true God.
God’s promise to Abraham extends to us through a plan of salvation set in motion by a loving Father for His children in the Book of Genesis and culminating with the sacrifice of Jesus and a promise to return for His followers. He will never break His promises. He will never forsake us. I hope that thought brings each of you great comfort as you go through whatever this week throws at you. Take just a second as often as you need and think-
Be still, and know that I am God.
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