And with that begins the history of the people of Israel. God justifies Abram because of his faith, and justification is an act of God full of promise. Abraham was the first man chosen by God for a role in the plan of redemption. It is not merely the heinous crimes of men that inflame the righteous wrath of God, but also the seemingly innocent self-deification behind these crimes that robs God of his glory. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel; and not all are children of Abraham just because they are his descendants; 'but through Isaac shall your descendants be named.' The way God expresses this exhilarating truth to Abraham in Genesis 17:7 is by promising to be his God: "I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you . To whom can it be said: Your sins are forgiven; God is for you; with all his power, goodness, and mercy he will pursue you all your life, and you will rise from the dead; your name will be great; your assembly as the stars of the heavens; you will possess the gates of your enemies, and the land of Israel and all the earth will be your inheritance; and you will fill the new world with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord? . The point of that quote of Exodus 3:15 ("I am the God of Abraham . They were stated absolutely in Genesis 12:1–3 and 15:4, 5. There is a good deal of confusion over this matter of whether the Abrahamic covenant is conditional or not. You are. I raise these questions only that God's mysterious freedom might strike us. What pleases him is the fulfillment of his purpose to fill the earth with the knowledge of his glory. In addition, he is seen as the exemplar of the servant who is faithful to God in all things, and who follows all commands. God made two covenants with Abraham (Genesis ch.15 and Genesis ch.17), and one with Abraham's Israelite descendants in the time of Moses after the Exodus. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. . A unilateral covenant is an agreement made between two parties, in which only one of the parties has responsibility to act. . The Sadducees in Jesus' day did not believe in the resurrection of anyone. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. What lessons about God do Christians learn from the Call of Abraham? Christian Truth. This seems to say that the seed of Abraham will not be restricted to the Jewish nation. Genesis 12:2, 3, "I will bless you . (Matthew 3:9), and Jesus said to the Jews who rejected him, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did" (John 8:39). Romans 4:1–8). Genesis 13:14, "Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever." I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3). . "God reckoned his faith to him for righteousness" means that God is not against him, but for him for the rest of his life and to all eternity. The sacrifice and atoning death of the Messiah would make available forgiveness and salvation for the entire world. is that when the eternal, all-powerful creator is God to you, death cannot destroy your relation to him. This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are reckoned as descendants.". But in Genesis 22:16–18 we read that the fulfillment of the promises is conditional upon Abraham's obedience. . ") God is going to act for Abraham. And the fall was complete when the desire of man to rule his own life and promote his own glory became so strong that he scorned the wisdom and power and love of God by rejecting God's provision of abundant life. Works are deeds done in self-reliance to earn God's favor by showing oneself meritorious. At the same time, the Lord promised in a dramatic covenant-ceremony that the promise would certainly be fulfilled (Genesis 15). First, in Genesis 12:1–3 and 15:4-5 the promises are made without any conditions being mentioned. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Therefore, there is a terrible enmity between man in his natural condition and God. He has just obeyed God in offering Isaac to him on the altar. are yours, for you are Christ's and Christ (the seed of Abraham) is God's" (1 Corinthians 3:21–23). Remember he is not following someone else's script. Highlight Abraham's Acts of Faith in God. The rest are not the seed of Abraham because, even though they trace their physical descent to him, they do not share his faith and obedience. We all come into the world with a nature that is prone to sin. Jesus is superior to every kind of rule, authority, and dominion that you will find in any culture, any nation, among any people, anywhere in the world. Copyright 2011-2020 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. First, what promises did God make to Abraham? But the obedience which Abraham had (though not perfect) was the inevitable outcome of his faith in God's gracious promise. But if, as Ezekiel 36:27 says, God puts his Spirit in man and causes him to walk in his statutes (and thus fulfill the conditions of the covenant), then a promise can be both conditional and certain of fulfillment. So shall your descendants be" (cf. . Another crucial text in this regard is Genesis 18:19 where God says, "I have chosen Abraham, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. . When we turn to the New Testament, things that were only hinted at in the Old Testament become very clear. This means that the covenant of Abraham is just like the new covenant under which we live. He obeyed God and offered his only son Isaac on the altar not to earn God's favor, but because he was so confident in God's promise to give him posterity through Isaac (Genesis 21:12; Hebrews 11:17–19) in spite of everything. A unilateral covenant is an agreement made between two parties, in which only one of the parties has responsibility to act. He is author of. They appear to be absolute and certain of fulfillment.
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