Abraham’s Promise – Part 1
Today, we are going to take a closer look at what the Bible says about Abraham’s Promise. God called Abram from the land of Ur of the Chaldees. Genesis 12:1-3
The Lord promised Abram that he would be a father of not just one nation, but the Lord promised Abram that he would be a father of many nations. Because of this, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham which means father of many nations. Genesis 17:1-2, 4-5
The Bible tells us that God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham and with his seed after him. Genesis 17:7
The seal of this covenant that God made with Abraham was circumcision. Genesis 17:13-14
Notice that circumcision MUST be done in order to be a part of this covenant.
This covenant required an action, the act of circumcision. Physical circumcision was required to be covenant-connected to God until the promise seed came. Galatians 3:16
When Jesus came with the Gospel message, physical circumcision was done away with. (Galatians 6:15)
In the New Covenant, the action that was required to be covenant-connected was the circumcision of the heart which came through water baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:11-13, Romans 6:3-5
It is when we are baptized in the Name of Jesus that the enmity against God is removed. The Bible refers to this as the circumcision of the heart. Romans 8:7, Acts 2:37-39 This is not a preference, but rather a command, a necessity; it is how we obey the Gospel message.
God actually made a promise to Abraham with this covenant. Hebrews 6:13-14 God told Abraham that his seed would be more in number than the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore. Genesis 15:5, 22:17
Remember, the Bible tells us that God knows the number of stars and knows their names. Psalms 147:4
In Revelation 7:9, the Scripture tells us that those who received the Promise of Abraham was a number that no man could number. This is another Biblical proof that there is no end of time or eternity.
All through the Scriptures, the promise that God gave to Abraham was all about inheriting eternal life; eternal life that came through hearing the words of eternal life.
In the Book of Acts, they were waiting for the promise to come. Acts 1:4-5, 2:33,39
In Acts 13:22-23, we read about the seed of David, who was the seed of Abraham, according to God’s promise raised up unto Israel a Saviour Jesus Christ.
Paul stood before King Agrippa and testified about the promise that God made to the Fathers of Israel. Paul tells the church in Rome that the promise was not to come through the Law, but through the righteousness of the faith and obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ who was the seed of Abraham. Romans 4:13-14
When God first made this promise to Abraham, the Law had not come yet. The Law came 430 years after the covenant of promise that God made with Abraham. Galatians 3:14,17-18,29
It was through the Gospel of Jesus Christ that the Spirit of Promise came. Ephesians 1:13
The Gentiles themselves became partakers of the promise in Christ through the Gospel. Ephesians 3:6 Paul declares in 2 Timothy 1:1 that he received the promise of life which was in Christ Jesus.
Under the New Covenant, all which are called will receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Hebrews 9:15 This is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life. 1 John 2:25
Conclusion
Abraham’s promise from God was the hope of eternal life that came through His seed, Jesus Christ. Titus 1:2, Galatians 3:16,26-29, Romans 6:23, 1 John 5:11
This promise of eternal life comes through obedience to the Gospel Jesus Christ. Acts 2:37-39
Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep know my voice and I know them, and they follow me.”
The voice of God is the Word of God. Psalms 103:20 Because many people do not read or study the Bible, they are not familiar with God’s Will or purpose for their life.
You cannot believe what you do not know. What you hear, see, or who you follow will affect your decision in life.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Abraham’s Promise where we will continue to study some other aspects of this promise.