LA POSTERITE D'ABRAHAM

Par le Pasteur Bob JONES ~ Messianic Fellowship Church of Corpus Christi (Texas)

In Luke 24 we find Jesus, joining those on the way to Emmaus, saying " O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken : Ought not Christ (Messiah) to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory ? " And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.[1] Jesus' revealing to them and helping them to correctly see, and exactly understand, what the " Old Testament scriptures " said and meant[2] caused them to declare to each other " Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures ? "[3] One of the writings that he obviously explained to them was Jeremiah 31:31 " Behold, the days come, when saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah." A new covenant that would require the death of the testator.[4] It is also written in Genesis 21:12 " ...for in Isaac will thy seed be called. "

As Jesus spoke to the eleven Apostle's gathered in Jerusalem " These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. " Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures. And said unto them, " Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Messiah (which is interpreted, the Christ) to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. "[5]

Note that Jesus said these things would be proclaimed in the name of the Messiah. It was left to the Apostle's to connect the dots and realize, to unshakeable belief, that this Messiah promised, from the beginning, to the entire human family by God[6] and recorded countless times in all of the Old Testament scriptures was in fact himself, Jesus of Nazareth, just as he claimed.

As Andrew, who was walking with John the Baptist when he first lay eyes on Jesus, ran to his brother Peter and said in John 1:41 " We have found the Messiah ! " And as Phillip said to Nathaniel in verse 45, " We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. "

Before we go further, it seems appropriate to ask, " What does all of this have to do with Galatians 3 and the seed of Abraham ? "

Simply this, whatever you hear the Apostle's saying, as recorded by the Holy Spirit,[7] is a direct result of their knowing the scriptures, having Jesus explain them in their proper context, and then allowing the Holy Ghost within them to thoroughly examine and determine (discern[8]) the Truth of it all.

So when the Word of God records the Apostle saying in Galatians 3:6, " Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, " we must understand exactly what God said to him that Abraham chose to believe.

In Genesis 12 we find God making His initial promise to Abram concluding in verse 3 this promise, " ...and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. "[9]  The same promise is made more emphatic and definitively clearer in Genesis 22 when Abraham obeys God and takes his only son to the " l and of Moriah ". God says in verse 16a " By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord... " verse 18 " ...and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice ". Now the word for nation in the Old Testament is goy, meaning a foreign nation ; hence a Gentile.[10] The New Testament word for nation is ethnos, which begs the conclusion that there is only one race, the Human Race, but there are different ethnicity's or nationalities. Genesis 3:20 records " And Adam called his wife's name Eve ; because she was the mother of all living ". Further, in Acts 17a we read. " God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth... verse 26 ...and hath made of one blood all nations (ethnicity's/nationalities) of men (mankind) for to dwell on all the face of the earth... "[11]

The child, or seed, that God promised to Abraham, by which all of the inhabitants of the earth could be blessed was a promise that was fully accepted by Abraham even though he did not, (or probably could not), understand the full scope of God's ultimate intentions.

Galatians 3:7 states, " Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham ". Another correct way of saying this is, " So you see, the real descendants of Abraham are the men of faith "[12] or " Know therefore, that they only are the sons of Abraham who are children of Faith "[13] or even, " Can you not see, then, that all those who 'believe God' are the real 'sons of Abraham. "[14] The connection between Faith (The word 'pistis' in Greek, meaning to apprehend, to take hold of, to be convinced / persuaded), and what Abraham accomplished because of it before Almighty God must never be relegated to a position less than a prime element, or key, of the salvation that is available to us (humanity) today.

We know that what Abraham had taken hold of, what he was convinced of, was the realization that what the only Living God promised to do, He was " able " (powerful enough) to accomplish it.[15] Romans 4:3 "Abraham believed (the word 'pisteuo' in Greek which is the verb or action of faith) God.

This now sets the stage for the remarkably clear understanding that the Apostles had regarding identification of the true " seed " of Abraham by which the entire human family could attain the blessings promised through him by God.

First, the following scriptures must be addressed :

Romans 9:7 : " Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children : but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. "

Romans 11:1 : " I say then, hath God cast away his people ? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. "

2Cor 11:22 : " Are they Hebrews ? So am I. Are they Israelites ? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham ? So am I. "

Hebrews 2:16 : " For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. "

The scriptures are very careful to establish the fact that the seed of Abraham is the flesh and blood descendents of Abraham. The Greek word is " sperma ". [16] Additionally regarding the " seed of David " we read :

John 7:42--" Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was ? "

Romans 1:3 : " Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. "

2 Tim 2:8 : " Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel. "

And many other scriptures including John 8:33,37 ; Acts 3:25 ; Romans 4:13, 16, 18 ; Romans 9:7 (twice), 8, 29 ; 11:1 ; 2 Corinthians 11:22 ; Hebrews 11:18 ; Revelations 12:17 and of particular importance here, Galatians 3:16, 19 and 29. In each case the word " seed " is the Greek " sperma. "

IMPORTANT NOTICE : We must never accept the antichrist doctrine that Jesus was not fully God and fully man. The notion that he somehow had a type of non-human divine body, not made of human flesh, is thoroughly rejected by the Apostles. The Word of God records in 1 John 4:2,3 " Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ (Messiah) is come in the " flesh "[17] is of God : And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Messiah (Christ) is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist." 

Hebrews 2:14 : " Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise "took part of the same ;" that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. " Jesus took part of the same flesh and blood.

Take specific care in considering and understanding that when the Word of God declares, " He saith not, And to seeds, as of many ; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ (Messiah) " there is a special stress on the word " seed, " referring to an individual,  (the Messiah or Christ) in fulfillment of the promises to Abraham which is a unique use of the singular.[18]

While the plural form " seeds, " neither in Hebrew nor in Greek, would have been natural any more than in English (this plural form, seeds, is not used in Scripture of human offspring but of crops 1 Samuel 8:15), yet if the Divine intention of God had been to refer to Abraham's natural descendents, another word could have been chosen in the plural, such as children.[19]

The use of the word " seed " was selected as one that could be used in the singular, with the purpose of showing that the " seed " was Messiah, and in fact, could only be Messiah (Christ).

It is extremely necessary to remember that descendents were also given to Abraham by other than natural means, so that through him Messiah might come. The whole point of the Apostle's teaching (doctrine) here is that since the Messiah is the fulfillment (the accomplishment, the completion, the realization)[20] of the promises of God, and secured (made certain) by Christ alone, then only those who are " in Christ " can receive them.

The doctrine (teachings) of the Apostle's declares in Romans 9:8, " ...it is not the children of the flesh that are the children of God[21] ...not the children born in the course of nature[22] ...not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God's children,[23] ...not the natural children (of Abraham) who are God's children,[24] but ...the children of the promise are reckoned (counted) for the seed. They only are counted (or regarded) as his (Abraham's) true descendents, reckoned as his "true" offspring "

The most important thing to recognize, and to accept with unshakable faith, is the fact that this direct reference to the children of the promise being acknowledged as the seed of Abraham declares that (1) Isaac's birth did not occur according to the ordinary course of nature but by divine promise, and (2), it is a reality that all true believers are children of God by this same process.

Isaac's birth was a result of a promise made by God and not attributable to any physical abilities, or lack thereof, of Abraham. His birth, no, his very existence represents being born from above. In this same manner, commands the Messiah (Christ), Jesus of Nazareth " Marvel not I say unto thee, ye must be born again ! "[25] Jesus said "Don't wonder (marvel not), that I am saying to you, 'you must be born anew. You must be born from above ! "[26] Only God can make this new birth possible. You cannot reenter your mothers' womb and be birthed again. God can perform what he has promised.

All true believers are born of water and of spirit. Born again just as God promised. Born from above ! God promised and he performs it again and again and again to all who truly believe (have faith) on him as the scriptures hath said. Know ye therefore that they, which are of faith, the same, are the children of Abraham.[27] Remember Genesis 21:12, " ...in Isaac shall your seed (posterity)[28] be called. "

Hence Galatians 3:29. " And if you belong to Christ (Messiah), then you are indeed Abraham's children; the promised inheritance is yours. "[29] " And since you belong to Christ (Messiah), it follows that you are Abraham's offspring and, under the promise, sharers in the inheritance. "[30]

Just like God's fulfilled promise to Abraham, first realized in Isaac, his true descendants are the one's who, like Isaac, are born from above. 

The original doctrine of the Apostle's.

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