The Kingdom Promised to Christ Through Abraham
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“In Isaac shall thy seed be called.”
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The history of the birth of Isaac is so interesting that perhaps all are acquainted with the facts, but inasmuch as Paul uses the transactions leading up to his birth as part of an allegory to show the relation that Christians sustain to God and the method by which they are made partakers of the promises made to Abraham, it will not be amiss to notice some things, at least, that this incident teaches.
First then, it is written: “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.” Galatians 4:22.
Second it is recorded: “But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.” Galatians 4:23.
Without going at length into the birth of Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, it is only necessary to say that Ishmael was born according to the course of nature. His parents, Abraham and the bond-maid, his mother, were both of proper age, and there was nothing supernatural or uncommon in his birth. Not so with Isaac, for his birth was supernatural. His mother had passed the age of procreation, as also had his father Abraham who was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. Isaac’s birth was the effect of God’s promise to Abraham, and might be called almost as miraculous as the birth of Jesus.
Let not the Jews, therefore, who are disposed to quibble about the birth of Christ, deceive themselves, for their whole race descended from just such a miraculous birth, and if God had not performed a miracle in Abraham and Sarah, there never would have been a Jew on this earth. It is well to remember this.
The real purpose we have in reviewing this is to point to the word of Paul, who said: “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” Galatians 4:28.
In the light of that text alone, we who have accepted Christ by faith, become as Isaac was, children of, and consequently heirs to all the promises made to faithful Abraham, and therefore have as much right to claim Abraham as our father as ever had an Israelite in the flesh, for it is written: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29.
It should, therefore, be remembered that salvation in Christ is not a matter of descent or nationality; not a matter for the Jews alone, or for the Gentiles alone since the Jews rejected Christ, but a matter of promise; and every soul who accepts the promise of God to Abraham, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:18) and accepts it in the promised seed who is Christ, that soul will be saved; not as a Gentile, not as a Jew, but as an Israelite indeed, a child of Abraham, a child of promise.
As Abraham and his wife were absolutely helpless and hopeless in seeking an heir through any human power of procreation, the promised seed rested on the naked word of the most high God, and that word of promise produced Isaac. So there is nothing in this world today, no power in humanity to produce good out of evil, and no man by any manner of means can make himself good or even do good, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20). Therefore, we are just as hopeless and helpless in our efforts as were Abraham and Sarah in their old age to beget an heir.
But there is hope, and that hope is based upon the promise and the oath of the everlasting God, made to Abraham, "Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.” (Hebrews 6:14) and again “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:18).
As far back, then, as the days of Abraham, the promise was not to the natural descendants of Abraham only, but to “ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Therefore, while salvation as the Scriptures say, “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22) it is not for the natural Jews alone, but includes every soul who accepts Christ by faith, and when a person accepts Christ by faith, he ceases to be a Gentile (heathen) and becomes an Israelite, for it is written:
“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
“Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
“That is, They which are the children of the flesh (that is by natural descent), these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Romans 9:6-8.
The fact then that a man is a Jew and descends through the flesh from Abraham is no proof that he belongs to God, or is a child of God, but though a man be born of Gentile parents, if he accepts the promises of God made to Abraham in Christ Jesus our Lord, he becomes an Israelite indeed, and an heir to all the promises that God ever made to Abraham. “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” Galatians 4:28.
There can be no boasting of lineage, or of inherent goodness, either by Jew or Gentile and no human act can take the place of faith in Christ, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8). That very simple proposition led Paul to say:
“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
“Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” Romans 3:27-29.
Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31.
No, the law is not voided, abolished, or set aside by virtue of the promises in Christ Jesus. Its binding claims still grip the sinners, both Jews and Gentiles, and will not release any, except in death; but in Christ we get by faith all that the law demands. It demands righteousness, or death. Christ supplies the righteousness to every soul who accepts His life and those who do not accept the promises and the righteousness, which is by faith in Him, can expect only one thing and that is death- the penalty for law-breaking.
This applies to the Jews and Gentiles. The same condemnation rests upon both, and the same salvation is offered to both. Both must become new creatures in Christ Jesus if they will be saved, and a new creature is one who has acknowledged the claims of the law, and has been slain thereby and raised up in Him.
It is when we have repented of sins and have acknowledged our guilt before God, and counted ourselves dead, that the Divine life comes into our beings, and raises us up together with Christ that we can truly say:
“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” Galatians 4:28.
A child of promise is a child of Abraham to whom the promises were made, and a true Israelite, for it is said of such, both Jews and Gentiles, in Him:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained (margin- prepared) that we should walk in them.
“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
“For he is our peace, who hath made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” Ephesians 2:10-14.
Therefore, all who are accepted in Jesus, the Christ, whether Jews or Gentiles are of the true Israel of God, not according to the flesh, to be sure, but according to the promise. “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:18). That makes it everlastingly true that:
“For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly (in the flesh); neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:28-29.
In the face of the fact that God has made believing Gentiles partakers of the promises to Israel and has by His divine power made them Israelites indeed, and Jews in fact, how dare any man make a distinction between Jews and Gentiles who have accepted Christ? And since God has selected His own believing people, in Christ, as Israelites, and excluded all others, both Jews and Gentiles, how dare any man still claim that the fleshly Jews are real Israelites or Jews according to the gospel of Christ?
And finally, since all the promises to Israel are to the people of God who have accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior, both Jews and Gentiles, and since God has made them one in Christ, how dare any man still claim that the fleshly Jews will be again favored above believing Gentiles, and finally restored as a separate nation? Every Jew and Gentile who accepts Christ can truly say:
“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise.” Galatians 4:28.
He can say that, because God promised Abraham, "And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called." Genesis 21:12.
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The Promises to Abraham Belong to Us.
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In the preceding article, we called attention to God’s promises to Abraham, that he would be the heir of the world, and that in him all families of the earth would be blessed. Although very little light is given in the life of Abraham as recorded by Moses in Genesis as to how Abraham understood these promises, if we follow his wanderings from place to place, and note the calm and undisturbed satisfaction of his life, even in the midst of troubles and difficulties, we shall learn much. One thing is quite certain, and that is, that with all the promises of God he never, by any means, sought to acquire land by purchase or otherwise, and although he was rich in cattle, gold, and silver, he had no place that he could call his own, and when his beloved wife, Sarah, died in Hebron he had no place or possession in which he could bury her:
“And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
“I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” Genesis 23:3-4.
Although the land was his by promise from God Himself, Abraham insisted upon paying the price, four hundred shekels of silver, for a burial place which he purchased from Ephron the Hittite. All of this shows that Abraham understood that he was not to have the possession during his lifetime on earth and his faith looked forward to the seed (Christ) who was to redeem the land.
Paul makes this as plain as day in the following Scriptures:
“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 city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
“Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
“Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
“For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
“And truly, if they had been mindful of that county from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:9-16.
Stephen, when standing before the council of the Jews, referred to these promises which God had made to Abraham, in these words:
“And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
“And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
“Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
“And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.” Acts 7:2-5.
All of these things prove that the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham is still future and that Abraham so understood these promises. All of these promises to Abraham can be fully appropriated by Christians today for, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29.
The first dominion, given by God to Adam and wrested from him by Satan, was promised to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." (Galatians 3:16), and through Jesus Christ it becomes the hope of those who are His children. Paul says:
“For all the promises of God in him (Christ) are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” II Corinthians 1:20.
Therefore we have but to accept the promises by faith, appropriate them, and they are ours; then some sweet day when the King of Glory shall return to gather His people home, we shall be among those who will see this old earth redeemed from the curse and from sin, restored to its original beauty, and we shall hear the voice of our King, saying:
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34.
Elmer E. Franke