Introduction. Because “the whole world lies under the power of the evil one,” the children of God have been forced to “come out from among them and be separate.” (1Jn. 5:19, 2Cor. 6:17). Jesus revealed to Paul that the entire purpose for his preaching the gospel was “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:18). While Satan continues to have influence and power over those who remain in the world, those who serve God do not feel at home here. “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20). Truly, we will “spend the rest of our time in the flesh” as “strangers and exiles” in this world of darkness and sin.
The moment we obeyed the gospel, we changed our family, our citizenship, and our allegiance: “But you are an elect race (family), a royal priesthood, a holy nation (citizenship), a people for (God's) own possession (allegiance).” (1Pet. 2:9). “He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” This is the true meaning of being “born of water and the Spirit,” and being “born again” to become a “new creation.” As soon as we received “the adoption as sons,” “we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.” (Jn. 1:12; 3:3-5; 2Cor. 5:17; Gal. 4:5, 28-29). Have we truly understood the honor and privilege that was bestowed upon us when we became children and heirs of Abraham by promise just like Isaac was?
The moment we obeyed the gospel, we changed our family, our citizenship, and our allegiance: “But you are an elect race (family), a royal priesthood, a holy nation (citizenship), a people for (God's) own possession (allegiance).” (1Pet. 2:9). “He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” This is the true meaning of being “born of water and the Spirit,” and being “born again” to become a “new creation.” As soon as we received “the adoption as sons,” “we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.” (Jn. 1:12; 3:3-5; 2Cor. 5:17; Gal. 4:5, 28-29). Have we truly understood the honor and privilege that was bestowed upon us when we became children and heirs of Abraham by promise just like Isaac was?
When God called Abraham out of Ur, he began a sojourn so similar to our own that God purposed to make him the father of the “elect race.” We can easily see how he became the father of all true and faithful servants of God in Israel. What is equally important is that after Jesus died on the cross, God made provisions so that Abraham would also become the father of all the Gentiles who obeyed the gospel.
The true kingdom of God was always a remnant even when it was in Israel. Even in the days of Isaiah, God proclaimed that the physical seed of Abraham was never a part of the promise He made to Abraham regarding this seed. “Isaiah cries concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved.” Even before Paul quoted this verse, he had stated: “For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children” (Rom. 9:6-7; 27). This is why both John and Jesus called the leaders in Israel “offspring of vipers” and led Jesus to tell them: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” (Mt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Jn. 8:44). The truth is simple, yet profound. “If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.” It was never the blood in their veins, but the devotion and faith to God in their hearts that made them true sons of Abraham.
Jesus warned Israel that after “the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” “the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” (Mt. 21:42). As Peter preached the gospel for the first time, he used “the keys of the kingdom” to open the door to the true children of Abraham who were at that time dwelling in the midst of those who had rejected Jesus. He clearly revealed: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36-39). When they cried out “what shall we do”, Peter “said to them, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” He then revealed: “the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” What Peter did not yet know was that those “who are afar off” were the Gentiles. (Acts 10; Eph. 2:11-18).
God made it very clear that “it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.” (Rom. 9:6-8). Since “we, like Isaac are children of promise,” God wanted us to know “that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, (saying,) In you shall all the nations be blessed. So then they that are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.” (Gal. 3:7-9). This amazing promise in the Scriptures ought to fill us with awe and amazement. Everyone in the church has been adopted into God’s spiritual family and has become a child of Abraham, just like Isaac.
Paul tied this directly to the same baptism Peter commanded above. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:26-29)
There can be no doubt that those who are baptized into Christ are the true seed of Abraham. God has added us to His people just as He promised He would do in Isaiah 54 (if you take the time to read this verse now, it will have great meaning to you). All the promises and covenants that God gave to Abraham and his descendants are now our promises and covenants! While we were “separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world, “now in Christ Jesus you that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ.” “So then ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” (Eph. 2:12-13; 19)
“As heirs according to the promise,” we are destined to inherit all that God has promised to His people. Because Abraham is our father, everything written in the Old Testament is the history of our people. Not physical Israel with all its blights and stumbles into sin. They were not His people unless they did the works of Abraham. We are not related to those sinners whose lives were recorded so we would not “fall after the same example of disobedience.”
Our people are those who served God faithfully as true children of Abraham. Their lives are recorded in Hebrews 11! Everyone who was faithful to God was under consideration: “what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets.” These are our “great a cloud of witnesses” that “surround” us. (Heb. 4:11; 11:32; 12:1). We were strangers and exiles from His people, but after God “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,” we are now “strangers and exiles” from those in the darkness and “fellow citizens” with all the saints from the beginning until the end. (Col. 1:13).
As we read passages in the Scriptures that apply to Abraham and his children, we need to pay special attention to them for they are now ours just as much as they were those who lived before us. As God told Israel He would now have us understand: “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” (Isa 51:1-2).
Conclusion. If we look to the rock from which we were hewn, we find that in the eyes of God, Abraham was made of gold, silver and precious stones. If we follow him, we too will come from the same quarry and have the same quality. Only when we “walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had” can Abraham be our true father. If we will look to him, follow him and walk in his steps, we will have the same quality to God that he did. God has so planned the gospel that we have to walk in the same steps he did. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country.” (Heb. 11:8-10). Since God now calls us through the gospel and when we obey the gospel, we come out from among them and live as strangers and exiles in the midst of those citizens of this world. We are walking in the steps of his faith. So it will continue until the end.
The true kingdom of God was always a remnant even when it was in Israel. Even in the days of Isaiah, God proclaimed that the physical seed of Abraham was never a part of the promise He made to Abraham regarding this seed. “Isaiah cries concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved.” Even before Paul quoted this verse, he had stated: “For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children” (Rom. 9:6-7; 27). This is why both John and Jesus called the leaders in Israel “offspring of vipers” and led Jesus to tell them: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” (Mt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Jn. 8:44). The truth is simple, yet profound. “If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.” It was never the blood in their veins, but the devotion and faith to God in their hearts that made them true sons of Abraham.
Jesus warned Israel that after “the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” “the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” (Mt. 21:42). As Peter preached the gospel for the first time, he used “the keys of the kingdom” to open the door to the true children of Abraham who were at that time dwelling in the midst of those who had rejected Jesus. He clearly revealed: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36-39). When they cried out “what shall we do”, Peter “said to them, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” He then revealed: “the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” What Peter did not yet know was that those “who are afar off” were the Gentiles. (Acts 10; Eph. 2:11-18).
God made it very clear that “it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.” (Rom. 9:6-8). Since “we, like Isaac are children of promise,” God wanted us to know “that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, (saying,) In you shall all the nations be blessed. So then they that are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.” (Gal. 3:7-9). This amazing promise in the Scriptures ought to fill us with awe and amazement. Everyone in the church has been adopted into God’s spiritual family and has become a child of Abraham, just like Isaac.
Paul tied this directly to the same baptism Peter commanded above. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:26-29)
There can be no doubt that those who are baptized into Christ are the true seed of Abraham. God has added us to His people just as He promised He would do in Isaiah 54 (if you take the time to read this verse now, it will have great meaning to you). All the promises and covenants that God gave to Abraham and his descendants are now our promises and covenants! While we were “separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world, “now in Christ Jesus you that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ.” “So then ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” (Eph. 2:12-13; 19)
“As heirs according to the promise,” we are destined to inherit all that God has promised to His people. Because Abraham is our father, everything written in the Old Testament is the history of our people. Not physical Israel with all its blights and stumbles into sin. They were not His people unless they did the works of Abraham. We are not related to those sinners whose lives were recorded so we would not “fall after the same example of disobedience.”
Our people are those who served God faithfully as true children of Abraham. Their lives are recorded in Hebrews 11! Everyone who was faithful to God was under consideration: “what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets.” These are our “great a cloud of witnesses” that “surround” us. (Heb. 4:11; 11:32; 12:1). We were strangers and exiles from His people, but after God “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,” we are now “strangers and exiles” from those in the darkness and “fellow citizens” with all the saints from the beginning until the end. (Col. 1:13).
As we read passages in the Scriptures that apply to Abraham and his children, we need to pay special attention to them for they are now ours just as much as they were those who lived before us. As God told Israel He would now have us understand: “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” (Isa 51:1-2).
Conclusion. If we look to the rock from which we were hewn, we find that in the eyes of God, Abraham was made of gold, silver and precious stones. If we follow him, we too will come from the same quarry and have the same quality. Only when we “walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had” can Abraham be our true father. If we will look to him, follow him and walk in his steps, we will have the same quality to God that he did. God has so planned the gospel that we have to walk in the same steps he did. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country.” (Heb. 11:8-10). Since God now calls us through the gospel and when we obey the gospel, we come out from among them and live as strangers and exiles in the midst of those citizens of this world. We are walking in the steps of his faith. So it will continue until the end.
- ”But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: 10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'” (Isa. 41:8-10)