The Seed of Abraham

Jesus is the Seed of Abraham, the heir of the covenant promises, and receipt of the inheritance is based on how we respond to him.

The Gospel of Matthew declares Jesus to be the “son of Abraham.” The lowly Nazarene is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “Seed” of the Patriarch. Christ brings the covenant promises to fulfillment since he is the covenant heir, and our participation in the inheritance is based on the “faith of Jesus,” and consequently, our faith in him.

God promised to bless Abraham and his “seed.” Through the Patriarch, Yahweh would bless “all the nations of the Earth.” His descendants would become as “innumerable as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore.” However, the stated terms of the covenant raise questions.

[Stars of Heaven by Sam Goodgame on Unsplash]

Who is the Seed of Abraham? Is membership in the Covenant determined by physical descent from the Patriarch? How will the covenant result in “blessings” to the nations if it is limited to the biological descendants of Abraham? - (Genesis 17:4-8).

In the first place, Jesus is the “Seed of Abraham,” and consequently, all those who belong to him become the “seed” and “heirs” of the Patriarch:

• “Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He says not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ” - (Galatians 3:16).

• “And if you are of Christ, then you are the seed of Abraham, heirs according to promise” - (Galatians 3:29).

• “That the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” - (Ephesians 3:6).

Biological descent from Abraham is no guarantee that a man or woman is his heir. John the Baptist, for example, warned the religious leaders of Israel not to appeal to their physical descent from Abraham for confirmation of their covenant status:

• “Broods of vipers! Who suggested for you to be fleeing from the coming wrath? Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance; and think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. I say to you, God is able out of these stones to raise up children to Abraham” – (Matthew 3:9).

Repentance and submission to the Messiah are mandatory for anyone to enter the Kingdom of God, not a person’s biological connection to Abraham. The reference to “stones” by John is metaphorical and points to the plan of God to bring Gentiles into the One Covenant Community - (Matthew 8:8-12, Genesis 12:3, 13:14-16).

In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel announced that God was about to fulfill His covenant promises. The son born of Mary would fulfill the promise “to Abraham and his seed.” God remained faithful to His “holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,” by producing the Messiah who would deliver Israel from her oppressors - (Isaiah 9:6, Luke 1:31-73).

Jesus limited his ministry to the children of Israel, but he did not exclude Gentiles entirely from his efforts. His interactions with non-Jews anticipated the future opening of the Gospel to the nations. While many Jews rejected Christ, he responded positively to Gentiles who approached him with faith - (Matthew 15:22-28, Acts 10:44-48).

In the Gospel of John, Jesus declared to one group of Jews, “What things I have seen with the Father I speak; you also, then, what things you have heard from your father are doing.” They responded by pointing to their descent from Abraham. To this, Jesus countered:

• “If you are children of Abraham, then you would do the works of Abraham, but you seek to kill me, a man who has spoken the truth to you <…> this Abraham did not do” - (John 8:38-44).

Christ’s Jewish opponents did “the works of their father,” the Devil!  Biological descent was no guarantee of participation in the inheritance. Faith and actions mattered, not biology.

In his Letter to the Romans, Paul points to the faith of Abraham. Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin, and therefore all men are acquitted before God on the same basis, namely, faith.

The Apostle demonstrated from the Hebrew Scriptures that Abraham was justified when his “faith was reckoned for righteousness,” even though he remained uncircumcised. Circumcision was the “sign” of the covenant given after the fact. Therefore, it could not be the basis for entrance into the Covenant Community or justification before God - (Romans 4:9-16).

The promise to Abraham is received through faith; otherwise, faith and the promises are rendered void. Because the promise is from faith, it is “firm to all the seed, not to that from the Law only, but to that also which is such by the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” All men of the same faith as Abraham are included in his “seed,” and along with him, become “heirs of the world” – (Romans 4:13).

GOD’S “PEOPLE,” SINGULAR

Gentiles and Jews become the “children” of Abraham through Jesus Christ. Physical descent does not qualify anyone for membership in the Covenant Community. Ishmael was Abraham’s biological son but did not receive the promise.

Likewise, Jacob was accepted, but Esau was rejected. God always intended to shower “the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy which he prepared beforehand for glory, whom he also called, even us, not only from among Jews but also from among the Gentiles” - (Romans 9:23-36, Hosea 1:9-10, 2:23).

Paul does not refer to two peoples of God, but only one, and it includes believing Jews and Gentiles. Inclusion is accomplished in the same way for either group:

• “If you will confess that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved <…> For there is no distinction of Jew or Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all <…> for whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” - (Romans 10:9-13, 11:16-20, Isaiah 28:16).

Paul is explicit in his Letter to the Galatians. Some Jewish believers were claiming that Gentiles must be circumcised, and otherwise “live like Jews,” but Paul describes this teaching as a “different Gospel, which is not Good News at all.”

The Apostle uses the promises to Abraham to argue for Gentile inclusion in the Covenant. Gentile believers enter the community through faith without submitting to circumcision, and Paul presents Abraham as the model of this faith:

• “He believed God and it was reckoned to him for righteousness,” therefore, “they who are of faith are the sons of Abraham” - (Galatians 1:6-7, 3:6).

The Hebrew Bible foresaw that “God would declare the Gentiles righteous.” Therefore, it announced beforehand the good news. Those who are from faith “are blessed with believing Abraham,” whom Scripture declares was justified because he believed the promise of God. Jesus Christ has redeemed us so that the “blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in him.”

Jesus is the “Seed of Abraham,” and in his church, all ethnic, cultural, economic, and social boundaries are eliminated as they are contrary to the covenant promises made originally to Abraham. The basis for inclusion in the Covenant Community and receipt of the inheritance is the “faith of Jesus” and our response to his faithfulness with trust in what God accomplished through Christ for us.

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SEE ALSO:

• One New Man - (By his Death and Resurrection, Jesus formed one covenant community - One New Man - based on faith in him – Ephesians 2:11-22)

• Salvation for the Nations - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth provides salvation and life for men and women of every nation and people)

• No Other Name! - (Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the promise to bless all nations in Abraham. Christ is the Patriarch’s Heir, and the only source of Salvation)

• La Postérité d'Abraham - (Jésus est la postérité d'Abraham, l'héritier des promesses de l'alliance, et la réception de l'héritage est basée sur la façon dont nous lui répondons)