Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor
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True or False - understanding the promises to Abraham and his
descendants is one key to understanding the New Testament.
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 1
·
A correct understanding of
Abraham's four seeds is key to harmonizing Scripture.
Abraham is one of the
most significant individuals in Scripture.
He is the only man who
was ever called "the friend of God" (Isa.41:8; Jas.2:23) by any
writer of Scripture. Paul uses his friendship with God to prove the pattern of
"salvation
or justification by
grace through faith"
for all believers of all ages (Rom.4).
All of Scripture from
Genesis 12 to the end of the Book of Revelation is the story of Abraham and his
"seed" as that seed relates to the rest of mankind.
Apart from Adam, no two men in all of
Scripture or History are related to each other as are Abraham and Christ as it concerns their "seed."
Every blessing of God
experienced by the Nation of Israel was because of God's promise to
Abraham. In fact, they were delivered from
…and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard
their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac,
and with Jacob. And God looked upon
the children of
6"For you are a people
holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for
his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the
earth. 7It was not because
you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you
and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8but it is
because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your
fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed
you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Dt.7:6-8
Why did
Christ come into this world? (Lk.1:72-73)
"To
show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore
to our father Abraham."
The apostles
preached the gospel as the fulfillment
of the covenant that God made with Abraham.
Ye are the children of the prophets,
and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto
Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of
the earth be blessed. Unto you first
God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away
every one of you from his iniquities. Acts 3:25-26
Understanding the book of
Galatians requires grasping the significance of Abraham and his relationship to
believers today. All who are "of
faith" are "Abraham's
children" (Gal.3:7), and are
"blessed with faithful Abraham" (3:9). Christ died on the cross so that "the blessing of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles" (3:14).
Abraham
enjoyed God's inheritance of justification by faith in the gospel promise concerning
Christ (Gal.3:6-9, 18), and all who believe the same gospel message today enjoy
the same inheritance of justification because by faith we are Abraham's true seed and
the true "heirs with him according to the promise" (3:29).
·
The whole of the history
of redemption revolves around "Abraham and his seed."
EXERCISE - Read the following passages and mark (underline,
highlight, etc.) God’s promises to Abraham.
(Gen.12:1-7; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-8)
1Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your
father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2And I will make of you a great
nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that [purpose or result] you
will be a blessing. 3I
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.”… 6Abram passed
through the land…At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7Then the LORD appeared to Abram
and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." Gen.12:
14The LORD said to Abram…"Lift up your eyes and look from
the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15for
all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring
as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth,
your offspring also can be counted. 17Arise,
walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to
you." Gen.13:
1…the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear
not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2But Abram said, "O Lord GOD,
what will you give me, for I continue childless…4And behold, the
word of the LORD came to him…“your very own son shall be your heir.” 5And he brought him outside and
said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number
them." Then he said to him, "So
shall your offspring be." 6And he believed the LORD, and he
counted it to him as righteousness.
7And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out
from
12As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And
behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13Then the LORD said to Abram,
"Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that
is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four
hundred years. 14But I
will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they
shall come out with great possessions.
15As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you
shall be buried in a good old age. 16And
they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of
the Amorites is not yet complete." [a detailed
account of the future]
17When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking
fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18On that day the LORD made a
covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land,
from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19the
land of…" Gen.15:
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram
and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2that I may
make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly"…4"Behold,
my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude
of nations. 5No longer
shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have
made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you
into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7And I will establish my
covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their
generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring
after you. 8And I will
give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession, and I will be their God." Gen.17:
What in the above passages is most difficult for you to
understand? The everlasting
nature of the covenant and permanent possession of the land (Gen.13:15; 17:7-8, 13)
Why? Because people die,
they cannot enjoy the benefits of either the covenant or the land forever
in a physical sense. Even if people could
live forever, life as we know it gets old, we grow weary of it and long for
something better [message of Ecclesiastes].
Who was included under the
umbrella of the covenant God made with Abraham (Gen.17:9-14)? Abraham’s entire household (non-genetic relations)
as well as his children.
9And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my
covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and
your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be
circumcised. 11You shall be
circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the
covenant between me and you. 12He
who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations,
whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is
not of your offspring, 13both he who is born in your house and he
who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male who is
not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people;
he has broken my covenant." Gen.17:
Who was the covenant with
(Gen.17:15-21)? Isaac, not
Ishmael
15…"As for Sarai your wife, you
shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her
name. 16I will bless her,
and moreover, I will give you a son by her.
I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples
shall come from her." 17Then
Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child
be born to a man who is a hundred years old?
Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" 18And Abraham said to God, "Oh
that Ishmael might live before you!"
19God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you
a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.
I will establish my
covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard
you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him
greatly. He shall father twelve princes,
and I will make him into a great nation.
21But I
will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at
this time next year." Gen.17:
What is the difference between being included under (covered by) the
covenant and being the one with whom the covenant is made? The blessings and promises belong to the
covenant heir and the benefits spill over to the proximate community.
Give
instances where God guarded Abram and Sarai in order
to keep His promises. In
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 2
The Scriptures make it
clear that there is an important distinction between Abraham's "seed"
(singular) and "seeds" (plural).
Paul argues that the real promise that God made was to Abraham and a
specific singular seed and not plural seeds.
The following text is crucial to a correct understanding of Paul's use
of the OT promise of God to Abraham and his seed:
Now to Abraham and his seed [singular]
were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds [plural]
as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Gal.3:16
Although we may discuss
exactly what promises Paul was talking about, what is certain is that the seed
to whom the true promises were made [object of the
promises] must be singular. What does the "seed of Abraham to whom the promises
were made" have to do with physical birth (Mt.1:1)? He would be in
Abraham’s genetic line.
Mark the apparent contradiction between Heb.6:13-15 and Heb.11:13
& 39?
13For when God made a promise to
Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14saying,
"Surely I will bless you and multiply you." 15And thus Abraham, having
patiently waited, obtained the promise. Heb.6:13-15
13These [including
Abraham] all died in faith, not having
received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them
from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the
earth…39And all these, [including Abraham]
though commended through their faith, did not
receive what was promised.
Heb.11:13 & 39
What conduct
do both sets of passages urge us to if we expect to receive the blessing
promised? Imitation of
Abraham's persevering faith
Summarize the OT events that the Heb.6 passage is referring to
and identify the promised blessing it is referring to. God called Abram from a pagan culture
and promised to bless him with children, land, and a great legacy. His wife was barren and after they both grew
old God promised them a son. Sarah
bore Isaac.
According to the Heb.6 passage, what kind of promised blessings
did Abraham and his descendants receive?
Physical, earthly, temporal
What do the Heb.11 passages refer to and what makes you think
so? The coming of Christ; “having seen them [the things promised] and greeted them from
afar” (v.13) refers to “their faith” (v.39) “…Abraham rejoiced that he would see
My day. He saw it and was
glad [unlike the Jews confronting Jesus].” (Jn.8:56); “Now the promises were
made to Abraham and to his offspring [singular]. It does not say, ‘And to
descendants,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’
who is Christ.” (Gal.3:16); “[the law of Moses
was in effect] until the offspring
should come to whom the promise had been made” (Gal.3:19); “think not that I am
come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to
fulfill.” (Mt.5:17)
Do the Heb.6 & 11 passages refer to two different
promises? Yes & no – 2 different
aspects: (1) the physical which
visibly pledges and testifies to (2) the spiritual
[both
were supernatural events]
Identify Abraham’s offspring in Gal.3:7-4:7.
7Know
then that it is those of faith [regardless of ethnicity] who are the sons of Abraham.
8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles
by faith, preached the
gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations
be blessed." 9So then, those who
are of faith [all the nations being
blessed is explained as meaning all believers from any nation] are
blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10For
all who rely on works of the law [whether Jews or
Gentiles] are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone
who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do
them." 11Now it is evident that no one [neither
Jews nor Gentiles] is justified before God by the law, for "The
righteous [whether Jews or Gentiles] shall
live by faith." 12But the law is not of faith, rather "The
one who does them shall live by them [laws,
commandments]." 13Christ redeemed us [all believers] from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is
hanged on a tree"— 14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of
Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we
[all believers] might receive the promised
Spirit through faith.
15To
give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it
or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16Now the promises [of God] were made to Abraham and to his offspring [singular]. It does not say, "And to
descendants [plural]," referring to many,
but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ. 17This is what I mean: the law
[covenant with the Israelites], which came [through Moses] 430 years afterward, does not annul
a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise [to Abram and His seed] void. 18For if
the inheritance comes by the [covenant of]
law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19Why
then the law [Mosaic covenant]?
It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring [Christ] should come to whom the promise had been
made, and it was put in place [administered]
through angels [Dt.33:2; Acts 7:53; Heb.2:2]
by an intermediary [Moses, Ex.20:19-22]. 20Now
an intermediary implies more than one [at least two
parties are involved – God and
21Is
the law then contrary to the promises of God?
Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give
life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22But
the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin [keeping
laws could not make righteous because sin had already tainted everything],
so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to [all] those who believe
[regardless of ethnicity].
23Now
before faith came [the Gospel of righteousness
through faith in Christ], we were held captive under [the righteousness requirements of] the law,
imprisoned [by inability to keep the law]
until the coming faith would be revealed. 24So then, the law was our
guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25But
now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian [the obligations of a covenant of law],
26for in Christ Jesus you are all [believing
Jews and Gentiles] sons of God, through faith. 27For as many
of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus [a new
corporate identity]. 29And if you
are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring
[singular], heirs [plural]
according to promise.
1I
mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,
though he is the owner of everything, 2but he is under guardians and
managers until the date set by his father. 3In the same way we [all people] also, when we were children [historically before Christ came], were enslaved to
the elementary principles of the world [weak and poor
elements, 4:9 – observing days, months, seasons, years, 4:10]. 4But when
the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman [Gen.3:15], born under the law [requirements of the law covenant], 5to
redeem those who were under [the curse of] the
law, so that we [Jews and Gentiles] might
receive adoption as sons. 6And because you [Jew
and Gentile believers] are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into
our [believing] hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you [believer]
are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Gal.3:7-4:7
What is the subject of the discussion in
Gal.3:7-4:7? Justification by faith - God’s redemption of a people for
Himself
Identify some of the terms in the passage that point to this. God would justify the Gentiles (3:8);
blessed, blessing; promise, promised; adoption as sons, son, heir, heirs;
inheritance
What is the content of the promises? Reception of the Holy Spirit (3:14; 4:6);
inheritance (3:29; 4:7)
What is the nature of the blessing?
Salvation
What progression relating to believers takes place in the Gal.
passage? From being children no
different than slaves to being sons and heirs; from being sons of Abraham to
being Children of God
·
What further conclusion(s) about the Bible’s coverage of
God’s dealing with Abraham can be drawn from the above answers? God uses the historic account to teach
people about relating to Him and the NT reveals how to understand the use and
meaning of Scripture.
Categorize Abraham’s descendants.
Physical (all his children and their descendants, including Christ) and
spiritual (people who believe God like Abraham)
Further differentiate Abraham’s physical descendants. Those who received the promises; those who
were not heirs of the promises; the one to whom the promises refer.
·
Explain in detail what conclusion(s) about the Bible’s
coverage of God’s dealing with Abraham can be drawn from the above sets of
answers. There is a depth of meaning that
goes beyond the obvious historical account and language of physical blessing
that relates to the Gospel and reveals something of God’s overall plans. The promise of a seed to Abraham fulfilled
when Isaac was born, but the real promise of a seed to Abraham was not fulfilled
until Christ came. Therefore the promise
to Abraham must have both an immediate physical and an ultimate
application. However there are not two different things promised, but
rather the physical aspect is the visible pledge and testimony to the spiritual
or true promise [see RPCD chaps.1-3 http://pop.eradman.com]. The spiritual aspect is the real thing
promised and supersedes the physical aspect.
The true
promise that God made and the real inheritance of that promise, are given to
Abraham as the Father of
Christ and
not as the father of the Jews or the Church.
Believers inherit any blessing promised to Abraham because of their spiritual
connection to Abraham. Can physical birth relate us or our children to Abraham
spiritually? No. Was this just as
true in the OT as it is in the NT?
Yes, it was true for a Jew regardless of when
he lived.
How must one
be spiritually related to Abraham in order to receive any spiritual blessing
promised to Abraham - physical birth? Circumcision? Baptism (Rom.9:11, 23-24)?
Complete the chart.
|
Thing Promised |
Physical Fulfillment |
Spiritual Fulfillment |
|
Seed |
Isaac |
Christ, true
seed |
|
Nation |
|
Church, true
nation |
|
Land |
|
Salvation rest, true land |
Rom.9:3… my brothers, my kinsmen
according to the flesh. 4They
are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the
giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5To them belong the patriarchs,
and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ…
EXERCIZE: Design a question that gets at Paul’s purpose for the
above passage, and answer it.
What did Paul accomplish in Rom.9:3-5? He reiterated (from chap.2) the advantages of
the physical Jewish [his own] heritage, both identifying with them and distinguishing
himself from them.
6But it is not as though the word of God has
failed. For not all who are descended
from
Explain what Rom.9:6-9 is getting at. God’s rejection of physical
10And not only so, but also when Rebekah
had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11though
they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that
God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of
him who calls—12she was told, "The older will serve the
younger." 13As it is
written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
14What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!
15For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have
compassion." 16So then
it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to
Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my
power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18So then he has mercy on whomever
he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. Rom.9:
Sum up the argument in Rom.9:6-18. God is sovereign and [since no one
is righteous or deserving of salvation, 3:9-20] shows mercy to [redeems] those whom He
chooses.
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 3
19You will say to me then, "Why does he still
find fault? For who
can resist his will?" 20But
who are you, O man, to answer back to God?
Will what is molded say to its molder,
"Why have you made me like this?"
21Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the
same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22What if God, desiring to show
his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels
of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his
glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24even
us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? Rom.9:
Identify the vessels of wrath and the vessels of mercy
(Rom.9:22-24) and explain why each is such.
Unbelievers and believers by God’s design
25As indeed he says in Hosea,
"Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not
beloved I will call 'beloved.'"
26"And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are
not my people,' there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"
Identify those described as “not My
people” and explain (Rom.9:25-26). Gentiles who
were excluded from the
27And Isaiah cries out concerning
"Though the number of the sons of
29And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts
had not left us offspring, we would have been like
Identify the believing Jews in Rom.9:27-29 and explain the
meaning of v.28-29. The remnant. Judgment upon the unbelieving nation would
have wiped it out completely if God had not procured a remnant.
30What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue
righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but
that
Identify the “stumbling stone” (Rom.9:33) and explain (see10:19
& 21; 11:7-10). Jesus comes to a
nation blinded to the truth and deaf to the words of God by their own unbelief,
so they, with the exception of a few, despise the Messiah who brings salvation.
10:1Brothers, my heart’s desire
and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2For I bear them witness that they
have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For, being ignorant of the
righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit
to God’s righteousness. 4For
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
What is the main problem in Rom.10:1? Jews by physical descent are spiritually
dead.
5For Moses writes about the righteousness that is
based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by
them. 6But the righteousness
based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into
heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7or "'Who will
descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead). 8But what does it
say? "The word is near you, in your
mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because,
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes
and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11For
the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to
shame." 12For there is
no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all,
bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved."
Explain the issue of salvation and qualifications upon it
(Rom.10:5-13)? The issue is always
righteousness before God (v.5) which we cannot achieve, but can only embrace
God’s provision of it by faith (v.6) in the resurrection lordship of Christ
(v.9-10). The riches of salvation (v.12)
are bestowed exclusively upon those who turn to Christ (v.13).
14How then will they call on him in whom they have
not believed? And how are they to
believe in him of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach
unless they are sent? As it is written,
"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" 16But they have not all obeyed the
gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who
has believed what he has heard from us?"
17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word
of Christ.
What phrase is used as a synonym for faith or belief in
Rom.10:16? Obey the gospel
18But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have,
for
"Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of
the world."
What is Rom.10:18 talking about?
How do you know? What message
does “their voice” carry? General revelation –
the creation, specifically the “heavens,” act as a preacher, declaring the
glory of God and thus allowing mankind to perceive something about God that is
invisible, His eternal power and divinity (Rom.1:19-20). The language and sentiment is recognizable as
coming from Ps.19:1-6. [This
emphasizes the importance of general Bible knowledge and translation that
maintains linguistic consistency.]
19But I ask,
did
"I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish
nation I will make you angry."
20Then Isaiah
is so bold as to say,
"I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to
those who did not ask for me."
21But of Israel
he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and
contrary people."
Work out the logic of Rom.10:18-21. The Jews had more than the general
revelation everyone else had. They
had special revelation – the words and instructions of God proclaimed by
a succession of prophets and God’s acts written and supposedly continuously and
repeatedly taught throughout their history.
They cannot claim not to have heard or understood when even the
“spiritually unenlightened” Gentiles got the limited revelation they were
given.
11:1I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a
descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God has not rejected his people
whom he foreknew. Do you not know what
the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against
Explain Paul’s argument in Rom.11:1-6 and how Elijah’s situation
(1 Ki.19:1-18) contributes to it.
Paul is showing that God has graciously kept a remnant of Hebrew people
loyal to Himself and cites himself as an example. It seems like He has rejected
7What
then?
"God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that
would not hear, down to this very day."
9And David
says,
"Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a
retribution for them;
10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their
backs forever."
11So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might
fall? By no means! Rather through their
trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make
Read carefully Rom.11:7-12 and note what you cannot explain. Notice the strong language of sovereignty in
v.7 (elect) and (were hardened) clarified in v.8 (God gave them a spirit
of stupor explained as blindness and deafness).
13Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as
I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in order
somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15For if their rejection means the
reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the
dead? 16If the dough offered
as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if
the root is holy, so are the branches.
Explain the paradox regarding God’s rejection of His people in
Rom.11:1 and v.15a. Reading further in
Chap.11 helps. God has given an open
invitation (9:33b; 10:12-13; etc.) [see
Approaching the Bible with Prejudice http://pop.eradman.com] and saved a
remnant, but the majority were hardened.
17But if some of the branches were broken off, and
you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now
share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant
toward the branches. If you are,
remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports
you. 19Then you will say,
"Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20That is true. They were broken off because of their
unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but
fear. 21For if God did not
spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22Note then the kindness and the
severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to
you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut
off. 23And even they, if they
do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to
graft them in again. 24For if you were cut from what is by nature a
wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree,
how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own
olive tree.
25Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to
understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel,
until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26And in this way
all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
"The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from
Jacob";
27"and this will be my covenant with them when I take away
their sins."
28As regards the gospel, they are enemies of
God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of
their forefathers. 29For the
gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now
have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they too
have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may
now] receive mercy. 32For
God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
Work through Rom.11:17-32 and come prepared to discuss it.
33Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable are
his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has
been his counselor?"
35"Or who has given a gift to him that he might be
repaid?"
36For from him and through
him and to him are all things. To him be
glory forever. Amen.
Rom.11:33-36 is a doxology, which is what exactly? From the Greek doxa meaning glory, a hymn or
expression of praise exalting God and His ways
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 4
In the
following studies we will try to identify the seed "to whom the promises
were made."1 The possibilities are:
(1) all of Abraham's physical
children;
(2) the physical children of Jacob (Nation of Israel);
(3) Christian parents and their physical children;
(4) believers, period, in any age because of their relationship to
Christ;
(5) Christ Himself; or
(6) a combination of the above.
What does
Galatians 3:16 specifically argue? that Abraham's seed is singular and refers to Christ alone
What does
Galatians 3:29 argue? all believers
(plural) are Abraham's seed
------------------
1 The answers to the following questions
are basic to an understanding of Abraham and the promises made to his seed and
form the foundation of our approach to the whole Scripture.
1. Since it is obvious
that all the natural children of Abraham are not "reckoned" as his
seed as it applies to God's Covenant, to whom is Scripture referring to in the
various passages when it speaks of "Abraham's seed?"
a. Does "Abraham's seed" always refer to the same people?
b. How many different meanings can it have?
c. How do we know for sure which particular meaning or people is
meant in a specific passage? When does
Abraham’s seed include the following?
(1) Isaac but not Ishmael
(2) Jacob but not Esau
(3) a Christian Gentile but not a Jew?
2. Considering what
blessings were promised to Abraham's seed in the different passages, how would
Ishmael, Isaac, Esau, Jacob, and a New Covenant Gentile believer fit into the
answer to each of the following questions?
a. Is the "blessing of Abraham" one thing, or is it more
than one?
b. Are there different "blessings" for different
"seeds"?
c. Do all of the different "seeds" of Abraham get some of
the same "blessings"?
d. Are some "blessings" given only to certain seeds?
e. How do we know which particular blessing is meant in a specific
passage?
3. What are the conditions upon which
any specific blessing(s) will be realized by a particular seed?
a. Are some of the
promises to Abraham and his seed made with "conditions" and others
made "unconditionally"? How do
we know "which is which"?
b. Are some blessings
automatically guaranteed by physical birth and other blessings obtained only by
personal faith?
c. How do we know which
particular "condition" applies to which blessing and which seed in a
particular verse?
4. Are all of the
promises made to Abraham "unconditional," (cannot be revoked once
made) or are some of the promises so connected to other things that they are
withdrawn under certain circumstances (revocable because the condition under
which the promises were made changed)?
a. Are the promises that
were made to Abraham and repeated to the Nation of Israel concerning the
(1)
now ended
(2)
spiritually fulfilled in the church
(3)
"postponed" to be fulfilled in a future earthly millennium?
b. Which promises to Abraham's seed in
the OT Scriptures do we spiritualize, and which ones are to be understood in
natural language?
5. How do we apply the
answers to these questions today respecting:
a. The nature of the Church and its relationship to the Nation of
Israel in the past, present, and future?
b. The relationship of the Old Covenant to the New Covenant?
c. The purpose and function of the law at Sinai and in the church
today?
d. The meaning and subjects of baptism and the relationship of
baptism and circumcision?
e. The relationship between church and state?
f.
Millennialism?
-----------------------------------
·
Actually, Abraham seeds fall into four distinct categories.
1. Abraham’s NATURAL Seed.
This seed includes all of his physical progeny or every person who was
in any way physically descended from Abraham. The natural seed includes
Ishmael, as well as Isaac; Esau, as well as Jacob; the Arabs, as well as the
Jews; and Judas, as well as Paul. In this sense, Gentile believers can
never be Abraham's seed. Some of the same
promises were given to both Ishmael and Isaac, Abraham's
sons.
The same is true of Jacob and Esau, Abraham's
grandsons.
Ishmael received the covenant sign of circumcision on the same day as his
father Abraham because he was Abraham's true son.
. . . In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and ISHMAEL his
SON. Gen.17:25-26
In Genesis 17:23, the
Holy Spirit carefully distinguished between Ishmael as a true son and the
slaves and servants in Abraham's household.
There is a marked similarity between the list of things promised to
Ishmael in Gen.17:20 and the list promised to Abraham in Gen.17:6. The fulfillment of the promise that Ishmael
would become a "great nation" was rooted in the fact that Ishmael was
truly "Abraham's seed."
. . . and also of the son of the
bondwoman [Ishmael] will I make a great nation, BECAUSE HE IS THY SEED.
Gen.21:13
Ishmael was blessed, was
made fruitful, became a great nation, begat princes, and wore the sign of
circumcision because he was "the seed of Abraham."2 However, in no sense was he ever under grace.
Esau received far more special blessings than Ishmael but Esau was still
only one of Abraham's natural seeds.
Esau, Abraham's grandson and Jacob's twin brother wore the sign of the
covenant of circumcision as did Ishmael and was as much his true son as was
Jacob. That Esau was not a true "covenant child" as was Jacob
can be seen in the division of their respective promises (Rom.9:13). God gave Esau a land grant just as He did to
Jacob and refused to allow the Israelites to "meddle" with it.
Meddle not with them; for I will not give you their (Esau's descendants)
land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given
Why was this
land was given to Esau (Josh.24:1-4)? because he was Abraham's seed whom God blessed in this way
Both Jacob and Esau were
"blessed in faith" by their believing father Isaac (Heb.11:20).
------------------------
2 Once the promised son, Isaac, had come with whom God made His covenant,
Abraham had no expectations for his latter children as he did for Ishmael. He neither requested nor received special
blessings for them.
Gen.25:1Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3Jokshan fathered
------------------------
2. Abraham’s SPECIAL NATURAL Seed.
All of the natural children of Jacob became the "Nation of
Israel." Jacob, as the father of the Nation was given unique
promises that Esau his twin brother was not given, even though Esau was just as
much the physical "covenant seed of Abraham" as was Jacob. This nation was a "special" or
"chosen" nation before God. Most of the people in that nation
perished because of unbelief, but they were still a special natural seed of
Abraham with special and unique promises from God which no other nation ever
had. However, despite their special national status before God as a
physical nation, they were still only the fleshly natural seed of
Abraham. An unregenerate Israelite had no more claim or right to
spiritual blessing than did Ishmael or Esau.
God's dealings with the nation
of
But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your
maidservant. Listen to what Sarah tells
you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant [Ishmael] into a nation also, because he is your
offspring. Gen.21:12-13
What is your
assessment of the promises to Ishmael as compared with those of Abram
(Gen.17:6, 20)? Ishmael was promised
nearly every blessing that was promised to Abram himself.
Promise for Ishmael
And as for ISHMAEL…I will surely bless him, and will make him fruitful
and will greatly increase his numbers.
He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great
nation. Gen.17:20
Promise for Abraham
And I will make thee [Abram] very
fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you… Gen.17:6
Ishmael "became a
great nation" in fulfillment of the "promise made to Abraham"
because he was a true "seed of Abraham."
And also of the son of the bondwoman [Ishmael]
will I make a GREAT NATION, because he is THY SEED. Gen 21:13
God did not
"establish his covenant" with Ishmael or include Esau in it even
though like Ishmael, he was "signed and sealed" with the same
covenant sign of circumcision as was his twin brother Jacob. God loved
one "covenant child" (Jacob) in a way that He did not love the twin
brother (Esau, Rom.9:13) even though both had the same believing parents and
were "signed and sealed" with the same covenant sign.
The Israelites were given
revelation and covenant promises (Rom.9:4-6) that no other nation was ever
granted with the gospel of the promised Messiah at its heart. However, these things were privileges
that promised spiritual blessings to genuine
faith but never to fleshly birth. Most of the Israelites that came out of
-------------------------
3 Paul's argument in Romans 2:17-3:3 shows that you could be a Jew, have
the Law, and even wear the covenant sign of circumcision; but those things
would not put you into a special spiritual status or category before God. You could still be as lost as an ignorant
Gentile. Paul's detractors will ask the
logical question, "What advantage then has a Jew?" (Rom.3:1). Paul's answer (Rom.3:2) has nothing to do
with status or special spiritual category but only with privilege and opportunity.
What ADVANTAGE then hath the Jew? or what profit is there in being
circumcision? Much every way: chiefly,
because unto them were committed the oracles of God. Rom.3:1-2.
The Jew’s "much
advantage" was primarily because he had both the law covenant (to convict
him of sin) and the gospel promise (to bring him to salvation) preached to
him. The Gentiles were privy to neither
(Eph.2:11-13).
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 5
3. Abraham’s Spiritual Seed.
Every true believer in every age since the time of Abraham is Abraham's
spiritual seed. This seed is the true "election of grace." In this sense, Gentile believers are part of
Abraham's seed and Jewish unbelievers are not.
It is this seed alone through Christ that inherits the true "promises
made to Abraham and his seed."
Explain
Rom.2:25-26. The real [spiritual] circumcision that makes
a difference with God has to do with obedience to God, aka
keeping the law.
What is Paul
doing in Rom.2:25-29? He is explaining the
distinctiveness and essence of God’s people that the Jews were meant to
represent – Jews inwardly, called “true Jews” in this study.
Come
prepared to discuss your answers in light of Rom.3:9-24. We all, Jews and Gentiles, stand condemned before
God. Our sole hope for acceptance with
God is the gift of Christ’s righteousness.
To whom were
the words of Gal.3:29 spoken? To
Gentiles unrelated to Abraham physically
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye ABRAHAM'S SEED, and heirs according to the promise. Gal.3:29
Abraham's Spiritual Seed is:
(1)
the "election of grace" - Romans 11:5; 9:23-26.
(2)
the "saved" of all ages
- Galatians 3:24-29.
(3)
"the Bride of Christ" - Revelation 21:1-3; 9-14."
What does Rev.21:3 express? God’s [spiritual] goal from all eternity
And I heard a great voice out of
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,
and be their God. Rev.21:3
This
was the heart of God's promise in His dealings with Abraham and the Nation of
Israel as well as His dealing with the Church.
The shout from heaven in the above verse is claiming the final
fulfillment of God's eternal purpose of redeeming [spiritually]
His one eternal elect people.
One-to-one"
comparisons equating
---------------------------
4 Types, representations, images,
shadows, forshadowings, parallels, patterns, figures,
and symbols depict, picture, outline, prefigure or render some semblance or
clue to the reality (antitype). They are
not themselves the reality [See Chap.2 RPCD http://pop.eradman.com/] and there are more representations than those
specifically identified as such in the N.T.
They serve to condition our thinking and instill certain concepts
so we will recognize the truth when it is revealed. Thus the Old Testament is the historical
foreshadowing of the future reality. It
builds a conceptual framework that provides the categories for
comprehending the ways of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
---------------------------
The designation of the
Nation of Israel as "redeemed
people of God" can only be used in a physical sense and never in any
spiritual sense because that is all it is referring to. NT doctrine and experience cannot be built on
the typology of OT Scriptures. Could the following words to the Israelites apply anyone
that had been spiritually redeemed?
NO.
Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in
Gracious Purpose [see Tablets of Stone; The Old Covenant http://pop.eradman.com]
The Law covenant at Sinai had a most gracious purpose but it was not
a gracious covenant. The legal covenant at Sinai was not given to
regenerated and justified believers to "aid them in
sanctification." Most of those
people were not regenerate. The law
covenant was laid on the conscience of a generation of blind rebellious sinners
to convict them of their unbelief and to kill their hope in their own
righteousness! That covenant only ministered grace as it effected the
knowledge of sin and spiritual death in an Israelite's heart and led him to
faith in the gospel covenant given to Abraham.
What was the
stated purpose of the law covenant at Sinai? To be a "ministration of death" God
designed the covenant written on "tablets of stone" (the Ten
Commandments) to minister death (2 Cor.3:6-9; Rom.7:9-10) to the people
described in Dt.29:4 and Heb.3:18-4:2 to kill their conceit and pride. Don't confuse a gracious purpose (the giving of the legal covenant
to convict lost sinners) with the nature of the law covenant that does the
essential convicting work. Likewise, do
not try to use the instrument that God specifically designed to administer
death as the chief instrument in a believer's conscience today to produce holy
living.
God was "Israel's
God" in a national sense, but that was purely a conditional
relationship.5 The
legal covenant at Sinai administered or furthered God’s purpose of salvation by
grace, but that in no way negates the fact that Sinai was a covenant of
works. In reality, that covenant could
not perform the "killing work" that was the essential preparation for
grace if it could not legally administer death - and it could not administer
death if it did not have the status and authority of a true legal
covenant. The Nation of Israel was not
the "Body of Christ," even though the Body of Christ is indeed the true
"Israel of God."
Now therefore, IF ye will
obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, THEN ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for
all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an
holy nation... Ex.19:5-6
The blessings in
Ex.19:4-5 are contingent on
---------------------
5 Actually God’s words always carry
the understood condition of obedience
with the implied attitude of
belief. Abram left his home, circumcised
his household, and sacrificed Isaac expecting God to fulfill His promises. [see Gen.17:1, 9]
---------------------
Words and Their Use
Every word like
"elect," "chosen," "loved," "redeemed,"
"son," etc. that describes Israel's relationship to God as a nation
has a totally different connotation when the identical words are used of the
Church's relationship to God. You cannot mix spiritual and natural or
treat the type as if it were the reality.
The words "God will
be their God" can never be applied in a redemptive sense to any nation or
individual that is cast off by God, and
4. Abraham’s Unique Seed, Christ the Messiah.
Any spiritual blessing that any of the other three seeds ever enjoyed or
ever will enjoy is only because of their union with the true Seed, Christ, to
"whom the promises were made."
Christ is the unique
seed.
Fill in the
chart from memory.
|
The Four Different Seeds of
Abraham |
|||
|
1. Natural seed |
2. Special Natural seed |
3. Spiritual seed |
4. Unique seed |
|
All physical children: Isaac & Ishmael; |
All the physical seed of Jacob and his twelve sons - The
nation of |
All believers of all ages – David & Paul; |
Christ the Messiah |
SUMMARIZING
One: Distinguish
between the physical Nation of Israel as a "special" natural seed chosen
from among all of the other natural seeds of Abraham and the true believers
within that physical nation by filling in the chart.
|
Kind of
Seed |
Natural
only |
Special
Natural |
Natural and
Spiritual |
Spiritual
only |
|
Those
included |
All of Abraham’s physical
seed |
Unbelieving
Israelites |
Believing
Israelites |
Believing
Gentiles |
|
Represented
by |
Isaac and Ishmael |
Ahab |
David |
Timothy |
Two: Distinguish and maintain the distinction between
the physical blessings promised to and enjoyed by the whole Nation of Israel,
and the spiritual blessings promised to every individual in the nation but only
enjoyed by those who had Abraham's faith.
Abraham's
faith is always the most important thing. If you lack all else, but have
Abraham's faith, you will be saved whether you are a Jew or Gentile, or whether
or not you were born in a Christian home. If you have everything else,
but lack Abraham's faith, you will be lost regardless of who your parents are
or what "signs and seals" were placed upon you.
"Justification
by faith" preceded circumcision, the law, and the covenant nation -
therefore neither salvation itself nor the gospel message that proclaimed that
salvation are in any way integrally connected to any of the things just
mentioned. The gospel of grace both precedes and continues after Abraham
and circumcision and was preached and believed before, during, and after the
covenant of law given to Moses. There is only one gospel message and it
is "salvation by grace through faith." The success of
that gospel is determined by the sovereign electing grace of God irrespective
of our works or our family tree.
Three: We must not give New Testament
spiritual meaning to the physical
blessings (which were only a type of the
spiritual) that were experienced by every person born into the Nation of
Israel, even when the same words are used in both cases.
Four: What was God's purpose in
putting the children of Jacob (as a special and unique nation) under a legal
covenant of works at
Five: Was the covenantal foundation upon which
the Nation of Israel's existence and hope of blessing built the same covenantal
foundation upon which the Church is built? No.
But now He has obtained a more
excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which
was established on better promises.
Heb.8:6
COMPARISONS
First The ministry of Christ as
our High Priest is far better than the Aaronic ministry it replaces.
Second Christ's ministry is better because the covenant that He
established and under which He ministers (the New Covenant) is much better than
the Old Covenant (made at Sinai) under which Aaron ministered.
Third This New Covenant is so much better than the old covenant
that it replaced because the New Covenant is based on better promises than
the Old Covenant. The old covenant said, "If you obey, then
you will be blessed" (Ex.19:5-6), but the New Covenant says, "I have
obeyed for you, believe and live" (Heb.10:14-22).
The
above three comparisons are clearly set forth in the text in Heb.8:6 and
amplified in the context of Hebrews chapters eight through ten. The author’s
whole point is to show that a New Covenant believer's position is so much
greater than the position of an old covenant believer simply because Christ
brought in a New Covenant based on better promises. Aaron's
ministry was designed to remind men of sin because of the nature of the
legal covenant under which he ministered (Heb.10:3-4). Our High Priest's ministry reminds us
that "sin against us will be remembered no more" (Heb.10:18). We will never need another Day of Atonement
(Heb.10:2) because the Old Covenant that condemned has been fulfilled and done
away in Christ. This is our sure hope because of the gracious covenant
that He established with His blood of sacrifice.
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 6
Six: Neither the actual heart spirituality of an
individual Israelite, nor the heart spirituality of the nation as a group had
anything to do with
The physical Nation of
Israel was indeed a special nation, but none the less they were not a spiritual
nation. There were spiritual individuals, but the nation by and large was
unregenerate. Paul drives this home
emphatically in Romans nine.
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are
not all
Regardless of what promises
were made to the nation made up of Jacob's twelve sons, not all
Romans 8 declares the
certainty of ultimate salvation for every person chosen and called by God into
a saving relationship. It is as if Paul is saying, "Nothing in
heaven or earth can destroy or harm a soul who is in a saving covenantal
relationship with God!" The obvious
objection to all that Paul declared in Romans 8 is "the casting off"
of the Nation of Israel. Did not God break His covenant with His chosen
people when He cast them off and turned to the Gentiles?
Romans 9-11 deals with
this question in the light of God's eternal purposes as seen in the OT
Scriptures and in history. God never has nor ever will fail to keep every
covenant He has made. "However," Paul declares, "God has
never promised any spiritual blessing to anyone on the basis of fleshly
birth." This is the heart of the
whole issue!
Every promise of God that
brings a spiritual blessing to any individual requires that individual to
personally believe the promise.
"Not all
Paul does not demonstrate
and prove the doctrine of election by comparing a "covenant child"
(seed of Abraham) and a "non-covenant" child (Gentile), but he
compares two "covenant" children. Paul uses Abraham's twin
grandsons in his illustration to demonstrate that inheriting God's true
promises has nothing to do with being a so called "covenant child,"
nor with being "signed and sealed" with covenant signs.
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by
our father Isaac, (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of
works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto
her, The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob [the younger
"covenant child"] have I loved, but Esau [the older "covenant child"] have I
hated. Rom.9:10-13
God's grace is totally
unconditional, and nothing, including all of the privileges listed in Romans
9:4-5, guarantees any individual a spiritual blessing.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get
thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house,
unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall
all families of the earth be blessed.
Gen.12:1-3
Is the land promised in Genesis 12:1-3? No, Abraham is merely told to "go to a land that I will
show you." After he came
into the
And Abram passed through the land
unto the place of Sichem unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, "unto thy seed will I give
this land…" Gen.12:6-7
After
Abram and
So what did God promise Abraham in Gen.12:6-7?
1. the physical land
2. the natural children are the seed that is to inherit that
land
3. and the inheritance of the land is to be
"forever."
The
NT Scriptures make the physical land to be a type of spiritual rest and the
Israelite to be a type of a true believer.
That conclusion cannot be reached from anything in the OT Scriptures
alone. The following description of a
real physical land is the uniform message of the OT Scriptures:
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 this land which thou seest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make
thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the
earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land
in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will Give it unto
thee." Gen.13:14-17
In
Genesis 15:6-7 God reaffirms both the promise of the innumerable seed and the
land. For
what purpose was Abraham called out of
And he said unto him, "I am the
Lord that brought thee out of
Part
of the reason the land is given as a permanent inheritance is that it is one of
the things that would maintain the special people or human heritage out of
which the Messiah will come.
In
verses 8-17 we have the record of the actual covenant that God made with Abram,
and verse 18 again states the essence of that covenant to be the physical
land. The text gives the specific boundaries of the land:
In the same day the Lord made a covenant
with Abram, saying, "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the
No
mention is made of "the blessing to all nations" in this entire
chapter.
Genesis
17 records God's reaffirmation of the promises and covenant made with Abram in
Gen 15:18. Abram's name is changed to Abraham and the innumerable seed
promise is reaffirmed in verses l-5. Verse six lists three distinct
blessings that God promised to Abraham:
And I will make thee exceeding
fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of
thee. Gen.17:6
The
promises given to Abraham, in the early part of this chapter, are almost
identical to the promises given to Ishmael in the later part:
And as for Ishmael, I have
heard thee; Behold, I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and will
multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he begat, and I will make him a
great nation. Gen.17:20
Genesis
25:12-18 records the fulfillment of the promise given to Ishmael in the above
text:
Now these are the generations of
Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto
Abraham . . . These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by
their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their
nations. Gen.25:12, 16
And I will establish my covenant
between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I
will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a
stranger, all the
These
words are the heart of the reaffirmation of the Abrahamic
covenant and promises. Note the absence of the promise concerning
"blessing all nations." Also
the phrase "establish my covenant" in Gen.17:7 is given to seeds, plural. It speaks
of "their" generations. The NT Scriptures tell us that the
"thy seed" in verse 7 refers to Isaac as the spiritual seed of
Abraham. This is clear from the following comparison of Romans 9:7 and
Genesis 17:18-21:
And Abraham said unto God, O that
Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, "Sarah thy wife shall bear
thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name
Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,
and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee:
Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him
exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great
nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall
bear..." Gen.17:18-21
Neither, because they are the seed
of Abraham, are they all children; but, in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. Rom.9:7
Romans
9:7 is actually quoting Genesis 21:12 where God repeats the same thing
concerning Ishmael and Isaac. The phrase "establishing my
covenant" is that which discriminates among the various physical
seeds. This distinction concerns the seed line that will be the bearer
of the promised Messiah. After Jacob, this designating of a particular
son is discontinued. Once
By
the addition of the word "everlasting" in Genesis 17:7, God
established His covenant with Abraham and his seed as an
"everlasting" covenant and promises to be "a God unto thee and
thy seed after thee:"
And I will establish my covenant
between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after. Gen.17:7
In
verse 8, God promised Abraham and his seed all of the
And I will give unto thee, and to
thy seed after thee, the LAND
wherein thou art a stranger, all the
Exegetically
it is impossible to separate the "land promise," the "everlasting
covenant," and the promise to "be your God" in these two verses
of Scripture. The "seeds" in
verse 7 and in verse 8 must be the same people. God promised to give the
From
Genesis 17 throughout the rest of the OT Scriptures, the land will be the
central feature of the covenant that God made with Abraham and his seed.
How
Long Is "Everlasting"?
How
are we to understand the "everlasting" things that not only did not
last forever, but obviously were not intended or expected to last
forever? The word "everlasting" is used of many things promised
under the Old Covenant, and the New Testament Scriptures clearly prove that
most of those "everlasting" things have not only ended, but it was
clearly prophesied that they would end when Christ came.
1. The Aaronic priesthood was to be an
"everlasting priesthood," but it definitely ended. The following text may give us a clue when it
adds the phrase "throughout their generation" as a possible
explanation of how long the "everlasting" priesthood is to really
last:
. . . for their anointing shall surely be an
everlasting priesthood throughout their generation. Ex.40:15
And he shall have it, and his seed
after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. Num.25:13
The Aaronic priesthood ended with the death of Christ and the
forming of the Body of Christ at Pentecost.
2. The Passover was to be a
"feast forever."
And this day [Passover] shall be
unto you for a memorial . . . ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for
ever. Ex.12:14
3. All of the tabernacle rites, ceremonies, and services were to
last "forever" (Ex.27:21).
4. The Sabbath was a "sign forever."
Wherefore the children of
5. "Circumcision" was an everlasting sign given as the sign of
the "everlasting" land promise (Gen.17:8).
He that is born in thy house . . .
must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an
everlasting covenant. Gen.17:13
Which of the above things actually did last forever? None. Why? God never intended
that they should.
What conclusion about the use of this language is one driven to
by the facts? "Everlasting"
cannot mean "never to end" or “continue as is forever” in
these OT passages.
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 7
Aaron’s
priesthood was done away in Christ; the Passover feast was done away when the
true Passover Lamb was offered; the tabernacle services were only types of the
true everlasting ministry of Christ; the seventh day Sabbath given to Israel as
the sign of the Mosaic covenant was a beautiful picture of our eternal rest in
Christ, our true Sabbath (Heb.4:1-11); and circumcision in the flesh was a type
of regeneration or circumcision of the heart. None of these things were
meant to be permanent yet the OT specifically states that all of these things
were to endure forever or "everlastingly." What rule of logical interpretation do we
violate when we view the "everlasting" land promise the same as the
other "everlasting" things mentioned above?
The
word "everlasting" is to be understood in one of two ways depending
on the context.
One: It may mean that something is given as a physical
and temporary "type" of something else that is spiritual and
eternal. The thing promised becomes truly "everlasting" as it
finds its fulfillment in its anti-type.
Two: The word "everlasting" may also mean that
something will last as long as the covenant lasts under which it was
instituted. A change in covenants changes everything under that covenant
(Heb.7:11-12). When the New Covenant
replaced the Old Covenant, it also replaced everything that the old covenant
had brought into being.
The
Passover dated the beginning of
The
rending of the veil from top to bottom took place the very second that the true
Passover Lamb "gave up the ghost" (Mt.27:50-51). The true High
Priest has not only gone behind the veil, He has totally removed it. That
event was the beginning of Christ administering the New Covenant and the ending
of the Old Covenant along with everything that it established.
The
heart of the Abrahamic Covenant as expressed in the
language of the OT Scriptures is the promise that "
. . . in the same day the Lord made a covenant
with Abram, saying, "unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river
Despite
Joshua 21:43-45; 23:14-15a and similar texts that state "all this has
already been fulfilled," in David's day long after Joshua was written, the
fulfillment of the "covenant of Abraham" was still understood as
future, and the heart of the promise was still in terms of the same land being
given as an "everlasting" inheritance to the Nation of Israel.
O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye
children of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the Lord our God; his judgments
are in all the earth. Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word
which he commanded to a thousand generations; even of the covenant he made with
Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a
law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, "Unto thee will I
give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance." 1 Chron.16:13-18
The
promise of the physical land is just as much a part of the "everlasting
covenant" that God made with Abraham as the promise "I will be their
God and they shall be my people."
Psalm
105 is a recitation of God's past blessings and future (from that point)
promises for the Nation of Israel. When David repeats the same words as
those quoted above, he adds, "He hath remembered his covenant forever, the
word which he commanded to a thousand generations," and then proceeds to
talk about the land.
O descendants of Abraham . . . he is
the Lord our God . . . he remembers His covenant forever, the word he
commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the
oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it
to Jacob as a decree, to
Compare
the above verses with texts like Luke 1:67-79 to see that the NT Scriptures
uses the same terms in a spiritual way.
The physical "land" is the heart of the promise in Psalm 105,
but salvation (spiritual rest) becomes the heart of the fulfillment of the same
promise in Luke 1 and other NT passages.
There is no hint of the physical
67And his [John the Baptist’s] father
Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and
redeemed his people
69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his
servant David,
70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71that
we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us; 72to show the mercy promised
to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant, 73the oath that he swore to our
father Abraham,
to grant us 74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, 75in holiness and righteousness before
him all our days.
76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for
you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of
their sins,
78because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall
visit us from on high
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Lk.1:
In
Jeremiah's day, "I will be their God" and possessing "the
land" are both equal parts of an "everlasting" covenant that God
promises to make with
Behold, I will gather them out of
all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in
great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause
them to dwell safely; and they shall be my people, and I will their God;
and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever for
the good of them, and of their children after them; and I will make an
everlasting covenant with them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in
their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice
over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly
with My whole heart and with My whole soul.
Jer.32:37-41
·
Where you look for the answers to the questions raised will
determine your answers.
First, is there a repetition or mention of the land promise in
the NT? No.
Second, the NT "spiritualizes" the land promise in passages where you would expect to
find it reiterated. This is illustrated in every sermon in Acts,
Hebrews, and in passages like Luke 1:67-79. The writers of the NT
Scriptures always point a Jew back to the Cross and Pentecost as the
fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham (Acts 3:24-26). They never
once point him forward with a future "land promise."
Third, what is evident about the "promised land" in
Heb.11:8-10? The land was only a
pledge of something greater.
By faith Abraham, when he was called
to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 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 city6 which hath
foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Heb.11:8-10
Abraham
obviously realized, while his feet were actually standing "in the promised
land" itself, that the land was not the full or real promise, but only a
pledge of something greater. Abraham's ultimate hope was
"heavenly" (v.16) and not "earthly" (v.13). He was still looking for a heavenly city even
while dwelling in the physical "land of promise." And we only know what Abraham understood by
what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us in the NT. [see
RPCD Apdx.J http://pop.eradman.com]
What
OT believer would trade what they now possess in the presence of God for every
inch of
---------------------
6 The word city is used to mean dwelling place; a place of rest and
belonging. [see
Jn.14:2]
---------------------
What
we are really saying is this:
(1) Every promise that was made to "Abraham and
his seed" is either now fulfilled spiritually in Christ; or will be
fulfilled in the new heavens and new earth; or else it ended when the Old
Covenant was done away; or there will be, in some cases, a "double"
fulfillment.
(2) Every single thing given to a believer "in
Christ" is far better than anything in the natural world, including all of
the "
Fourth, the NT Scriptures see all of the things that are
implied in the promise concerning "a land of your own" to be the New
Covenant believer's possession in a spiritual sense. The heart of the land promise involved
"rest from your enemies" and full provision of every need. The heart of the gospel message in the NT is "rest"
and full provision, but it is spiritualized.
It is not difficult to read the fulfillment of the promised rest into
passages like Mt.11:28-31, Heb.4, and Luke 1:68-79. It is not the Real Estate (physical land)
that was important but an eternal real "Estate" (the blessing that
was typified by the land).
Fill in the chart.
|
Thing Promised |
OT Type |
NT Fulfillment |
|
Everlasting Priesthood |
Aaron |
Christ |
|
Everlasting Sanctuary |
Tabernacle |
The Body of Christ |
|
Everlasting Sabbath |
Seventh Day |
Salvation Rest (Heb.4) |
|
Everlasting Circumcision |
Physical Circumcision |
Regeneration |
|
|
Earthly |
New Jerusalem (Rev.21) |
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 8
Abraham's True Seed
The apostle now approaches
the subject which he had in view, the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of
the Gentiles. That God had determined to cast off his ancient covenant
people, as such, and to extend the call of the gospel indiscriminately to all
men, is the point which the apostle is about to establish. He does this by showing, that God is
perfectly free thus to act (Rom.9:6-24), and that he had declared in the
prophets that such was his intention, vs.25-33.
from A Commentary on Romans by Charles Hodge, 1989
Wherefore the law was OUR schoolmaster [slave
in charge of escorting the child to the teacher] to bring US to Christ,
that WE might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, WE are
no longer under a schoolmaster. [Could David have
said those words prior to Pentecost?] For YE are all
SONS [in the sense of "mature children"]
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of YOU as have been
baptized 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. [Could a Jew, living under the very covenant that mandated
those distinctions, utter these words?] And if YE be Christ's, then are YE Abraham's
seed [Could a Jew, before
The personal Advent of
the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost not only produced a "unity in
Christ" of all believers (both Jews and Gentiles); it also established a
total equality "outside of Christ" of all unbelievers (both Jews and
Gentiles). A Gentile believer under the New Covenant, along with his
believing Jewish brother in Christ, is raised to a higher status and privilege
(sonship) than Moses or Aaron ever enjoyed; and
likewise, the Jewish unbeliever is now lowered to a position of total equality
with the "Gentile dogs outside the covenant."
There were great differences
between Jews and Gentiles before the Day of Pentecost in respect to special
privileges, but now "there is no difference" at all.
The doctrine of the Church in relationship to the two
testaments
1. Are all believers today, without any exception, "in
Christ?" Yes, beyond question
(1 Cor.12:12-13; Gal.3:26-29; whole Book of Ephesians)
2. Is being "in Christ" and being part of "the body
of Christ" the same thing? Yes, they are interchangeable
statements?
3. How does one get into the body of Christ? We
are "baptized into the body of Christ" by the Holy Spirit.
4. Were believers living prior to Pentecost also, at that time,
"baptized into the body of Christ" and given the Holy Spirit as the
"Spirit of Adoption"? No,
because such an experience was impossible prior to the personal advent of the
Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The Old Covenant believers
were just as truly saved as we are today, and they were saved in exactly the
same manner, namely, by grace through faith in the gospel promise. However,
they were "heirs in non-age" waiting for the time of full-fledged
"sonship" to come (Gal.3:24 - 4:7), and the
essence of that sonship is the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit and deliverance from the law as a pedagogue.
5. Why was it impossible for an Old Covenant believer to be
"baptized into Christ" and to be given the "Spirit of
Adoption" (Gal.3:26-4:7)? The Apostle's whole argument would be
nonsense if that had been possible. In that passage Paul is not
discussing how or when unbelievers get converted and become children of God or
part of the family of God. An Old Covenant believer was just as much a
part of the family of God as a believer today, and he became a child of God in
exactly the same way, namely, by faith in the gospel promise. In Gal.3
& 4 Paul is showing the difference between a child in minority under a
Pedagogue (a tutor - a Jewish believer under the law covenant) and a mature son
(a believer under the New Covenant) brought into full family rights and
governed from within by a new Pedagogue, the Holy Spirit Himself.
The reverse order
in which a Jew and Gentile come into sonship and heirship is an important part of Paul's argument in
Gal.4:1-7. A believing Jew living under
the legal covenant was a true child of God and therefore an heir-in-waiting of
the full benefits of the status of sonship. The law covenant in his conscience was the
Pedagogue that controlled him in his minor state. When the Holy Spirit came to
indwell each believer, the minor child was raised to full mature sonship and the old Pedagogue was dismissed and the Holy
Spirit became the new Pedagogue.
On the other hand, the
Gentile was an heir of nothing but wrath.
We were not "immature heirs-in-waiting," but rather
"strangers to the covenant and promises etc.," without covenants,
promises, or hope. The Gentiles were
never under the period of the tutorship of the law. We came into full sonship
the moment we trusted in Christ. Unlike the Old Covenant believer, we did not
have a waiting under a Pedagogue for Christ to come before we could receive
"the gift of the Spirit." At
conversion we were immediately given the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of adoption
to testify to our full sonship and all of its
privileges and we were given the full inheritance. However, unlike the Jewish believer who was
an heir waiting to come into sonship, we became heirs
because we had become sons. The heir/sonship order is reversed.
The Old Covenant believer was an heir who became a son on the day of
Pentecost, and under the New Covenant the Gentile believer becomes an heir
because he was first made a son.
The distinctions between
Jew and Gentile, male and female, and bond and free in Gal.3:27-28 were all
established and enforced by the law covenant made at Sinai. A Jew, prior
to Pentecost, could not have married a Gentile without deliberately sinning
against God. All of these distinctions existed and were carefully
enforced by God's orders simply because God Himself had made a difference
between Israel and every other nation, and He wanted that distinction
maintained "until the seed came to whom the promises were made"
(Gal.3:19). The means that God used to establish the difference was the
Covenant of Law, and it’s attending rules and ceremonies given at Sinai.
It is because every
believer has now been "baptized into Christ" that these distinctions
cannot exist in the Church. Because the cross has forever broken down the
middle wall of partition (the Old Covenant) (Col.2:14-15), the baptizing and
uniting work of the Holy Spirit could take place. This is the clear
argument in Ephesians 2 and 3 as well as Galatians 3 through 5.
The personal faith of a
genuine believer prior to the coming of Christ did not allow him to ignore the
Jew/Gentile distinctions. A pious Jewish woman could not ignore the
restrictions set out in the law that put clear distinctions between her and
males. Justification by faith did not allow even the most Godly Jew the
"Christian liberty" to eat pork chops with his Gentile neighbor or
with anyone else!
Where we find any of the
distinctions mentioned in Galatians 3:27-28 in force, we cannot have the
"one in Christ" experience; and where we have the "one in
Christ" experience, we cannot have any of those distinctions in force.
The Old Covenant believer
was forced, in some cases upon pain of death, to rigidly maintain certain
customs and standards in his relationship with Gentiles that are now absolutely
forbidden for a Christian. How could this be possible if he was
"baptized into the body of Christ" and "one in Christ" with
the Gentile? Is not this one of the
major problems dealt with by the Apostle Paul because the Jewish believers
(including Peter) had such difficulty accepting the Gentile as "equal in
Christ."? Personal faith in a
coming Messiah did not nullify the Jew/Gentile category as it concerned a true
believer living under the Old Covenant. It took the Cross and the
personal Advent of the Holy Spirit to create the "New Man"
(Eph.2:14-18), and the establishment of the New Covenant to destroy all the
distinctions established by the Old Law Covenant.
6. What really happened that changed the whole situation? The fulfillment of the
"promise made to Abraham and His seed" set aside the Law Covenant
(Gal.3:19) that functioned as a pedagogue in the conscience of immature heirs
of the promise (Gal.4:1-3). The Law
Covenant that established the distinctions was fulfilled and nullified, and a
New Covenant (which fulfilled the promise to Abraham and his seed) was brought
in to take its place. It was the Law Covenant that established Israel as
a distinct and separate nation, and that separation had to be maintained under
threat, even down to clothing, food, agriculture, etc., as long as that Old Law
Covenant stood in force. Everything stood or fell together.
The inauguration of the
New Covenant made possible the creation of the body of Christ, the New Man of
Ephesians 2. The new experience of the Holy Spirit indwelling every member of
God's true temple is the essence of New Covenant sonship
and this made possible the new approach to God (Heb.10; 2 Cor.3). The old
Pedagogue (Law Covenant) has been dismissed now that the child has become an
adult, and the new Pedagogue (the indwelling Spirit) treats us as full-fledged
"sons." This is the message of
Ephesians and Galatians. This is the "liberty we have in Christ
Jesus" that Paul expounds and defends:
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by
the blood of Christ. For He himself is our peace, who has made both one, and
has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His
flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so
as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that
he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who
were afar off [Gentiles] and to those who were
near [Jewish believer under the law].
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Eph.2:13-18
This is true
"liberty of conscience," and it is a liberty that must be protected
against legalism. It is impossible for men who do not see this liberty as
a distinct New Covenant blessing to protect it.
The moment you read this liberty of conscience back into the experience
of an Old Covenant believer, you have already lost the reality of the liberty
itself. John Stott has some excellent
comments on Galatians 5:1 where the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "Stand fast
therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free..."
"Christ set us
free, to be free men." Our former state is portrayed as a slave,
Jesus Christ as a liberator, conversion as an act of emancipation and the
Christian life as a life of freedom. This freedom, as the whole Epistle
and this context make plain, is not primarily a freedom from sin, but rather
from the law. What Christ has done in liberating us, according to Paul's
emphasis here, is not so much to set our will free from the bondage of sin as
to set our conscience free from the guilt of sin. The Christian freedom
he describes is freedom of conscience, freedom from the tyranny of the law, the
dreadful struggle to keep the law, with a view to winning the favor of
God. It is the freedom of acceptance with God and of access to God
through Christ. From: The Message of Galatians, by John R Stott, p.132.
Passages like those just
discussed from Ephesians and Galatians could never have been written prior to
the cross and the personal advent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The
"in Christ" experience of being "baptized into His body"
cannot take place until the "middle wall" erected by the Law Covenant
has been removed. The true inheritance cannot be realized until the
"true seed to whom the promises are made" has come and fulfilled the
Old Covenant, earned the blessing it promised, died under its curse, and then
established the New Covenant, the new "man," the new access, the new
status, yea, the whole "new creation" (2 Cor.5:17). This is
exactly what we celebrate when we sit at the Lord's Table and remember the
"New Covenant" sealed in His blood (1 Cor.11:25).
Just as Galatians 3:24 -
4:7 could never have been written to the Nation of Israel, and just as the
verses in Ephesians could never have been written before Pentecost, so passages
like Romans 9:6 could not be spoken today in reference to the New Covenant
people of God, the Body of Christ. The following words were true of the
Nation of Israel, but the same words could never be true of the Body of Christ:
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all
Paul could say, "Not
all
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 9
The "Great
Nation"
Who is the great nation that was promised to Abraham, and who are
the kings and priests who come from him? Has this promise been fulfilled or
is it still waiting a future fulfillment?
In a
natural sense the "great nation" part of the promise to Abraham was
fulfilled in Ishmael (Gen.17:20). It was also fulfilled in a special
natural sense in the Nation of Israel. However, the NT Scriptures make it
clear that this promise was not really fulfilled until Christ came. The Church is the
true nation promised to Abraham, and all her children are kings and priests.
The
Body of Christ is a new thing on the earth (Eph.2:11-21). The believer
living prior to Christ's coming was just as saved and secure as we are, and he
was saved in the same way that we are today. Old Covenant believers had a
hope in a "coming Messiah," but that hope was not realized until
The
Church is the "nation born in a day," the true "House of
David," the "Temple of the Living God" with each of her members
as "living stones" in that growing temple. God Himself not only
dwells in her midst, He literally indwells every stone. Her children,
without exception, shall dwell safely in the
In
the argument in Hebrews 8, we see a specific "new" covenant replacing
a specific and different "old" covenant. Verses 6-7 and 13 of
show that God has made this new covenant with the "house of
(1) The true covenant promise
to Abram concerns salvation and not a physical land; and
(2) everyone in this new
covenant is a regenerate believer, not believers and their children.
"For this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts;
and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they
shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the Lord; for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest . .
." Heb.8:10-11.
There
is no unbeliever in the New Covenant nation because every member of this
redeemed nation is a king and a priest. The New Covenant community is
that spiritual "holy nation" that was "born in a day" when
the ascended King sent His Personal Vicar to indwell every redeemed and adopted
seed of Abraham.
Here’s
how the two covenants relate to each other as well as to
ONE: Under the Old Covenant, circumcision defined
a physical nation. Under the New
Covenant, regeneration defines a spiritual nation irrespective of
nationality or parentage.
TWO: Under the Old Covenant, perfect obedience was the
only ground of receiving the blessing promised. Under the New Covenant,
both the blessing and the necessary obedience are guaranteed by Christ our
Surety:
(A) Christ's life of obedience "under the
law" earned every blessing the law covenant promised, and His death under
the curse of that same law covenant removed every curse it threatened.
(B) The giving of the Holy Spirit to every believer as
an indwelling Pedagogue guarantees obedience from the heart. From this
obedience there comes more and more external conformity to Christ and His
law. The legalist attempts to produce
internal change with external standards and threats and produces an immediate
outward result. However, such a method
does not change the inner man and therefore it will not last. Paul
describes this very thing in Col.2:21-23.
|
Time frame
of existence |
|
Christ’s Church |
|
Began |
Ex.24:8 |
Pentecost, 1 Cor.12:12-13 |
|
Ended |
Mt.27:51 |
Never end, Eph.2:21-23 |
|
Conclusion |
All Finished, Heb.8 |
All new, Heb.9 & 10 |
Is the promise that Abraham would be the father of a "great
nation" in Gen 12:3 to be fulfilled in the future in a physical sense in
the land of Palestine in the physical Nation of Israel; or, is it spiritually
fulfilled right now in the Church viewed as the true spiritual Israel of
God? The comparison of Ex.19:4-5 and 1 Pt.2:5-11
in the chart below shows the Church is right now all of the things that
|
THE GREAT NATION PROMISED
TO ABRAHAM |
||
|
Point of Comparison |
The Nation of |
The Body of Christ |
|
Promise to Abraham |
Same promise given to the |
Fulfilled in the Church |
|
“I will make of thee a |
“IF you will obey...and
keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me...a kingdom of
priests, and a holy nation...”
Ex.19:5-6. |
“Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a Great Nation.” a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood...ye are a chosen generation, a royal [kingly] priesthood, a holy
nation, a peculiar people...1 Pt.2:9 |
|
Both chosen “nations” |
Isa.51:4 |
1 Peter 2:9 |
|
Kind of nation |
Physical |
Spiritual |
|
Basis of citizenship |
Natural birth |
Spiritual birth |
|
Spiritual state
of citizens |
Saved and lost Rom.9:6 |
Saved only – Heb.8:10-11 |
|
Proof of citizenship |
Circumcision in the flesh
by human hands |
Circumcision of the heart
|
|
Both are the
“seed of Abraham” by birth. |
Born “after the flesh” -
“ |
Born “after the spirit” -
|
|
Relationship to God |
Loved, chosen, redeemed, adopted,
as a physical nation among nations. |
Loved, chosen, redeemed, |
|
Both “redeemed” |
Physically - from slavery
in |
Spiritually - from
slavery to sin |
|
Both “called by God” |
Out of |
Out of the world |
|
Covenant foundation |
Decalogue - “Do” and
live, |
Blood of Christ
“Finished” - |
|
Condition of blessing |
Works - Obedience |
Grace - Faith |
|
Government or rule |
Whole Mosaic Economy |
Whole law of Christ |
|
Goal - Become
the true “holy nation” of God
Ex.19:45 |
Never realized - |
Realized by EVERY citizen
|
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies, Instructor
Session 10
Heb.1:1Long ago, at many times and
in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
When did this begin?
The time of Moses.
2but in these
last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things,
What is the comparison and contrast in Heb.1:1-2a? God has been speaking to the Hebrews in
history. There is a finality to God’s
message in Jesus.
through whom also he
created the world. 3He is the
radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds
the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having
become much superior to angels as
the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Notice that this discussion is not in terms of Abraham’s descendant and
heir, but of the true nature of God’s son who is not God’s descendant
and doesn’t inherit merely by right of birth, but by merit. Mark this merit in the above and below
passages. v.3-4, 9a
5For to which of the angels did God ever say,
"You are my Son, today I have begotten you"?
What is this referring to and how do you know? The resurrection of Jesus in Ps.2:7 as
interpreted in Acts 13:32-33.
Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to
me a son"?
Compare 2 Sam.7 with 1 Chron.17 below.
11…Moreover,
the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12When your days are fulfilled and
you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall
come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house for my
name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will
discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
What’s this about? He will be a man
under God.
5but my
steadfast love will not depart from him,(L)
as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16And your house and your
kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established
forever.'" 2 Sam.7:
10…Moreover, I
declare to you that the LORD will build you a house. When your days are fulfilled to walk with
your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons,
and I will establish his kingdom. 12He shall build a house for me
and I will establish his throne forever.
13I will
be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him as
I took it from him who was before you, 14but I will confirm him
in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be
established forever.'" 1 Chron.17:
Note the language of permanence.
6And again, when he brings the firstborn into the
world, he says, "Let all God’s angels worship him."
7Of the angels he says, "He makes his angels
winds, and his ministers a flame of fire."
8But of the Son he says
"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is
the scepter of your kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and
hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil
of gladness beyond your companions."
10And, "You, Lord, laid
the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of
your hands;
11they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a
garment, 12like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they
will be changed. But you are the same,
and your years will have no end."
13And to which of the angels
has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a
footstool for your feet"?
14Are they not all
ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit
salvation?
Why this contrast with angels?
Because of the curious lowliness (2:7, 14, 17) and exaltation of the
son.
2:1Therefore we must pay much
closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2For since the message declared by
angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received
a just retribution, 3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great
salvation? It was declared at first by
the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4while God
also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the
Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
5Now it was not to angels that God subjected the
world to come, of which we are speaking.
6It has been testified somewhere, "What is man that you
are mindful of him or the son of man that you care for him?
7You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have
crowned him with glory and honor,
8putting everything in subjection under his feet."
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing
outside his control. At present, we do
not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9But we see him who for
a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus crowned with glory
and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he
might taste death for everyone.
10For it was fitting that he for whom and by whom all
things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their
salvation perfect through suffering. 11For he who sanctifies and
those who are sanctified all have one source.
That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12saying,
"I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation
I will sing your praise."
13And again, "I will put my trust in him. And again, "Behold, I and the children
God has given me."
14Since therefore the children share in flesh and
blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he
might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and
deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong
slavery. 16For surely it is
not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like
his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the
people. 18For because he
himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being
tempted.
Note that though creation is repeatedly
mentioned, the emphasis is upon redemption.
3:1Therefore, holy brothers,
you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high
priest of our confession, 2who was faithful to him who appointed
him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3For Jesus has been counted worthy
of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more
honor than the house itself. 4(For
every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5Now Moses was faithful in all
God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later
[ie. to point to Christ], 6but
Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son.
And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our
boasting in our hope.
7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if
you hear his voice, 8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9where your fathers put me
to the test and saw my works for forty years.
10Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always
go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.' 11As
I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'"
What was the context for this?
The crossing of the wilderness under Moses.
12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an
evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every
day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be
hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For
we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm
to the end. 15As it is said,
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the
rebellion."
16For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was
it not all those who left
What does the word rest
refer to in these passages,
What does 4:1a mean and imply?
Salvation is still being offered, which implies that there is coming a
time when it will no longer be available.
4:1Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands,
let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2For good news came to us just as
to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not
united by faith with those who listened.
3For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
"As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest,'" [see Ps.95] although his works were finished from
the foundation of the world. 4For
he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on
the seventh day from all his works." [Gen.2:2]
How does this fit?
The rest of God has existed from the beginning.
5And again in this passage he said,
"They shall not enter my rest."
6Since therefore it remains
for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to
enter because of disobedience, 7again he appoints a certain day,
"Today," saying through David so long afterward, in the words already
quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
8For if Joshua had given
them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9So then, there remains a Sabbath
rest [keeping] for the people of God, 10for
whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from
his.
11Let us therefore strive to
enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12For the word of God is living
and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and
of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions
of the heart. 13And no
creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of
him to whom we must give account.
How does one strive to
enter the rest of God? By taking heed to the
teachings of God’s word which exposes the truth of our very motives and
attitudes - so our only hope is to cast ourselves upon the mercy of God.
14Since then we have a great
high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect
has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of
grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 11
·
For our final sessions, go through the remainder of Hebrews
and continue asking questions and answering them as we have been doing.
5:1For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act
on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for
sins. 2He can deal gently with
the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3Because of this he is obligated
to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the
people. 4And no one takes
this honor for himself, but only when called by God just as Aaron was.
5So also Christ did not
exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to
him,
"You are my Son, today I have begotten you";
6as he says also in another
place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."
7In the days of his flesh,
Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him
who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his
reverence. 8Although he was a
son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9And being made perfect, he became
the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10being
designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
11About this we have much to
say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12For though by this time you
ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles
of the oracles of God. You need milk,
not solid food, 13for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the
word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their
powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from
evil.
6:1Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go
on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and
of faith toward God, 2and of instruction about washings, the laying
on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And this we will do if God
permits. 4For it is
impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have
tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5and
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6and
then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are
crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to
contempt. 7For land that has
drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for
whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8But if it bears thorns and
thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be
burned.
9Though we speak in this
way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that
belong to salvation. 10For God
is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for
his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11And we desire each one of you to
show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end 12so
that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and
patience inherit the promises.
13For when God made a promise
to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14saying,
"Surely I will bless you and multiply you." 15And thus Abraham, having
patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16For people swear by
something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final
for confirmation. 17So when
God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the
unchangeable character of his purpose he guaranteed it with an oath, 18so
that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we
who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the
hope set before us. 19We have
this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the
inner place behind the curtain, 20where Jesus has gone as a
forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek.
7:1For this Melchizedek, king
of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter
of the kings and blessed him, 2and to him Abraham apportioned a
tenth part of everything. He is first,
by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of
4See how great this man was to whom Abraham the
patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5And
those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in
the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though
these also are descended from Abraham. 6But
this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham
and blessed him who had the promises. 7It
is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8In the one case tithes are
received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified
that he lives. 9One might
even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10for
he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
11Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the
law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after
the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12For when there is a change in
the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13For the one of whom these things
are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the
altar. 14For it is evident
that our Lord was descended from
15This becomes even more evident when another priest
arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16who has become a priest,
not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the
power of an indestructible life. 17For
it is witnessed of him, "You are a priest forever, after the order of
Melchizedek."
18For on the one hand, a former commandment is set
aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19(for the law made
nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through
which we draw near to God.
20And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were
made such without an oath, 21but this one was made a priest with an
oath by the one who said to him:
"The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest
forever.'"
22This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better
covenant.
23The former priests were many in number, because
they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24but he
holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25Consequently, he is able to save
to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives
to make intercession for them.
26For it was indeed fitting that we should have such
a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted
above the heavens. 27He has
no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own
sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he
offered up himself. 28For the
law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath,
which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect
forever.
8:1Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a
high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in heaven, 2a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the
Lord set up, not man. 3For every
high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary
for this priest also to have something to offer. 4Now if he were on earth, he would
not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to
the law. 5They serve a copy
and shadow of the heavenly things. For
when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying,
"See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you
on the mountain." 6But
as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than
the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better
promises. 7For if that first
covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a
second.
8For he finds fault with them when he says:
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a
new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah 9not like the covenant that I made with
their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them,
declares the Lord.
10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts, and I will
be their God, and they shall be my people.
11And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his
brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
12For I will be merciful toward their iniquities and I will remember
their sins no more."
13In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first
one obsolete. And what is becoming
obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
9:1Now even the first covenant
had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2For a tent was prepared, the
first section, in which were the lampstand and the
table and the bread of the Presence. It
is called the
6These preparations having thus been made, the
priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7but
into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not
without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional
sins of the people. 8By this
the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened
as long as the first section is still standing 9(which is symbolic
for the present age). According to this
arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the
conscience of the worshiper, 10but deal only with food and drink and
various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of
reformation.
11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the
good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not
made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12he entered once
for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but
by means of his own blood,
thus securing an eternal redemption.
13For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of
defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of
the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience
from dead works to serve the living God.
15Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so
that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a
death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under
the first covenant. 16For
where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be
established. 17For a will
takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who
made it is alive. 18Therefore
not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19For when every commandment of
the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of
calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both
the book itself and all the people, 20saying, "This is the
blood of the covenant that God commanded for you." 21And in the same way he sprinkled
with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22Indeed, under the law almost
everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness of sins.
23Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be
purified with these rites but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than
these. 24For Christ has
entered, not into holy
places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into
heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself
repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not
his own, 26for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the
foundation of the world. But as it is,
he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself. 27And
just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28so
Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second
time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
10:1For since the law has but a shadow of the
good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can
never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make
perfect those who draw near. 2Otherwise,
would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once
been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3But in these sacrifices there is
a reminder of sins every year. 4For
it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he
said,
"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you
prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in
the scroll of the book.'"
8When he said above, "You have neither desired
nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin
offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 9then he
added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to
establish the second. 10And
by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all.
11And every priest stands daily at his service,
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for
all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting
from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has
perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for
after saying,
16"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those
days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,"
17then he adds, "I will remember their sins and
their lawless deeds no more."
18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no
longer any offering for sin.
19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to
enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living
way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and
since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw
near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession
of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to stir
up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you
see the Day drawing near.
26For if we go on sinning deliberately after
receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins, 27but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire
that will consume the adversaries. 28Anyone
who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or
three witnesses. 29How much
worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the
Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was
sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said,
"Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will
judge his people." 31It
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32But recall the former days when, after you were
enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33sometimes
being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners
with those so treated. 34For
you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering
of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession
and an abiding one. 35Therefore
do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36For you have need of endurance,
so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37For,
"Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;
38but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him."
39But we are not of those who shrink back and are
destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Children of Abraham/Children of God – 1st of 3 Studies,
Instructor Session 12
11:1Now faith is the assurance
of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the people of old
received their commendation. 3By
faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that
what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
4By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable
sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God
commending him by accepting his gifts.
And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5By faith Enoch was taken up so
that he should not see death, and he was not found because God had taken
him. Now before he was taken he was
commended as having pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible
to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who seek him. 7By
faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent
fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an
heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an
inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he went to live in the
land of promise as in a foreign land living in tents with Isaac and Jacob,
heirs with him of the same promise. 10For
he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and
builder is God. 11By faith
Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since
she considered him faithful who had promised.
12Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born
descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable
grains of sand by the seashore.
13These all died in faith,
not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them
from afar and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the
earth. 14For people who speak
thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15If they had been thinking of
that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to
return. 16But as it is, they
desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
17By faith Abraham, when he
was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the
act of offering up his only son, 18of whom it was said,
"Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." 19 He
considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which,
figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20By faith Isaac
invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.
21By faith Jacob when dying,
blessed each of the sons of Joseph bowing in worship over the head of his
staff. 22By faith Joseph, at
the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave
directions concerning his bones.
23By faith Moses, when he was
born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the
child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24By faith Moses, when he was
grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25
choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the
fleeting pleasures of sin. 26He
considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of
29By faith the people crossed
the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the
same, were drowned. 30By
faith the walls of
32And what more shall I say?
For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak,
Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the
prophets—33who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice,
obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the
power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness,
became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35Women received back their dead
by resurrection. Some were tortured,
refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better
life. 36Others suffered
mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawn
in two, they were killed with the sword.
They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—38of
whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in
dens and caves of the earth.
39And all these, though
commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40since
God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be
made perfect.
12:1Therefore, since we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of
the throne of God.
3Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility
against himself so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4In your struggle against sin you
have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And have you forgotten the
exhortation that addresses you as sons?
"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary
when reproved by him.
6For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son
whom he receives."
7It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does
not discipline? 8If you are
left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are
illegitimate children and not sons. 9Besides
this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected
them. Shall we not much more be subject
to the Father of spirits and live? 10For
they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he
disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11For the moment all discipline
seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen
your weak knees, 13and make straight paths for your feet, so that
what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14Strive for peace with everyone
and for the holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one fails to
obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and
causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16that no one is
sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single
meal. 17For you know that
afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he
found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
18For you have not come to what may be touched, a
blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19and the sound of
a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages
be spoken to them. 20For they
could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the
mountain, it shall be stoned." 21Indeed,
so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with
fear." 22But you have
come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23and to the assembly
of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and
to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24and to Jesus, the
mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better
word than the blood of Abel.
25See that you do not refuse him who is
speaking. For if they did not escape
when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we
reject him who warns from heaven. 26At
that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once
more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27This phrase, "Yet once
more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things
that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may
remain. 28Therefore let us be
grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer
to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29for our God is
a consuming fire.
13:...8Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it
is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not
benefited those devoted to them. 10We
have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11For the bodies of those animals
whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice
for sin are burned outside the camp. 12So
Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through
his own blood. 13Therefore
let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14For here we have no lasting
city, but we seek the city that is to come.
15Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16Do not neglect to do good and to
share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.