MESSIAH TO BE OF ABRAHAM’S SEED

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:3 (BSB) (God speaking to Abraham)

So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many,  but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

Galatians 3:6-8, 16 (BSB)

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Matthew 1:1 (BSB)

God told Abraham that through him all nations (not just the Jews) would be blessed. He further clarified that this promise would come through Sarah’s child and not that of her handmaid (Genesis 17:15-19). When God told Abraham Sarah would bear a son, “Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, ‘Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?’” (Genesis 17:17). It is important to note that Jesus descended from Isaac, not Ishmael, because God specifically chose Isaac to be the “son of promise.” The “seed” or “descendant” of Abraham through whom all nations would be blessed was Jesus according to Galatians 3:16. An important aspect of the Gospel is that Christ did not come to redeem only the Jews but to die for the Gentiles as well because God had promised Abraham that ALL nations would be blessed. According to Galatians 3:29, those who trust in Jesus are Abraham’s descendants, not through his blood line but through sharing the same faith Abraham demonstrated.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:29 (BSB)

Jesus was a descendant of Abraham through both Mary’s lineage and that of his adopted father, Joseph. We, too, are counted as descendants of Abraham if we have faith in Jesus. It was not Abraham’s goodness or even his obedience that made him righteous. It was his faith in God, the fact that he believed the promise God gave to him even though it seemed impossible. Note that Abraham ROFL (rolled on the floor laughing) when God told him 90-yr-old Sarah would bear a son (Abraham laughed even before Sarah did). However, ultimately, he believed God.

Father, help us to have faith like Abraham who was willing to sacrifice Isaac because he believed God would keep His promise by raising Isaac from death (Hebrews 11:17-19).