Tag Archives: children of promise

DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM

Bible Study, ,

DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM

“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.” Romans 9:6-9.

Who, then, are the true children of Abraham? Although Ishmael was Abraham’s first child, he was the son of Sarah’s slave and not Abraham’s heir. It was Isaac, Abraham’s son by his wife, Sarah, who was reckoned as Abraham’s firstborn and therefore entitled to inherit Abraham’s property but, even more important than that, the promises of God to Abraham and his offspring.

According to the Scriptures, there are three streams of people who claim descent from Abraham. The ancient Israelites and now the Jews, are his physical descendants and are the rightful heirs of the land of Israel. God promised it to Abraham and gave it to the nation born through him by divine intervention. Although it is the source of bitter conflict and bloodshed, and although much of the rest of the world refuses to recognise their rightful ownership, God’s mandate to the Jews has never been withdrawn.

The second group of people who claim legitimate descent from Abraham are the offspring of Ishmael. God promised that He would also make him a great nation (Genesis 21:13, 18) but he and his descendants were not included in His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 21:12). They have no legal right to the land of Israel.

But there is a third group whom God recognises as the true sons of Abraham. During a heated debate with Jesus, the religious leaders vehemently defended their legitimate descent from Abraham. Jesus promised freedom to those who followed Him. The Jews responded:

“We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” John 8:33.

Had they conveniently forgotten that they were descendants of those who had been enslaved by the Egyptians and by the Babylonians and, even as they spoke, they were under Roman oppression? Did not God identify Himself to them as the God who delivered them out of Egyptian bondage?

Jesus’ reply was scrutinising:

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father… As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who told you the truth that I heard from God.   Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father… You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.” John 8:37-38; 40-41; 44a.

A true son is one who resembles his father. Since the Jewish religious leaders were bent on killing Jesus, they were reflecting the nature of their spiritual father, the devil. The true sons of Abraham, then, are those who reflect him in their faith in God’s promises. Without denying natural descent, spiritual descent, from God’s point of view, is far more important than natural birth.

“So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” Romans 4:11b, 12.

But what about the Jews who are natural descendants of Abraham but who reject Jesus as their Messiah? Is God finished with them? Do they no longer have a place in His plans? Although there are those who firmly believe and adamantly declare that the Christian church has replaced the Jews, we need to find out what the Scripture teaches about the future of God’s chosen people.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Children Of Promise

Bible Study, , ,

CHILDREN OF PROMISE

“Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

“For it is written: ‘Be glad, barren woman, you who never bore a child: shout for joy and cry aloud, you who were never in labour; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.’

“Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.” Galatians 4:25-28.

What is that all about? Paul was comparing the two mothers of Abraham’s sons with two covenants: the covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, and the covenant with Abraham, and two cities, Jerusalem which is in Israel and the heavenly Jerusalem which is above.

What was he trying to explain? He was trying to show his Galatian converts, firstly, that Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, produced a son by natural means and that her son was a slave like herself. Hagar corresponds to the physical Jerusalem in Israel which represents the natural descendants of Abraham, the Jews, who are slaves because they try to gain acceptance with God by keeping the covenant of law which was given at Mount Sinai, and could only expose sin, not deal with it.

Secondly, Isaac was born supernaturally through God’s promise. Sarah, the mother of Isaac, represents the Jerusalem which is above, the heavenly city of God which stands for the people of God who are Abraham’s descendants by faith in Christ. They are the spiritual offspring of Abraham because they receive God’s gift of righteousness by faith just as Abraham did. They are the children of promise.

Children of promise are free. They do not have to earn God’s favour or labour for their place in the family. Unlike slaves who do not belong to the family, who live in the fear of punishment if they do not conform and who have no inheritance because their master is not their father, the children of promise are sons and daughters of God. They have the right to live in the family; they have the Father’s nature and access to His resources because they are born of God.

“…To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12, 13.

Paul was desperately earnest in his desire to show these ignorant Gentile believers that observing the law as a means of gaining acceptance with God was a backward step. He came at it from every possible angle and used every possible argument to convince them of the truth that Jesus is the completion of the law for them as well as for the Jew. They were sons of God, not slaves. Their obedience as sons came from another motivation, not fear but love and trust in God as a perfect heavenly Father.

The Jews were ensnared by their religious traditions.  They refused to recognise Jesus as their Messiah and to put their faith in Him instead of in their futile observance of the law. They refused to believe and accept the truth. “Do you really want to be like them?” Paul wanted to know.

We may not literally do what they were doing, but what about other religious taboos that we adopt as requirements for being Jesus’ disciples? These are all externals which have no place in our simple faith-walk with Jesus. Does it matter what we eat, what we wear, on what day we rest, whether we lie, sit or stand when we pray, whether we do or do not use musical instruments in public worship, and so on. None of these things enhance or detract from our union with Jesus unless they are acts of deliberate disobedience.

Jesus said, “Follow me; learn from me,” and what do we learn? Jesus was free from the burden of all these irrelevancies to love and obey the Father and to show the world what the Father is really like. He wants us free as well. Religion does not set us free. Jesus does, as we follow Him.

We are only the true children of Abraham and children of promise when we put our faith in Jesus and not in our self-effort, for acceptance with God.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.