(Israel and The Church)
(Who is the Seed of Abraham)
(Part #1)
(Galatians 3:6-7)

Text:
"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham."


Opening Thoughts:

We pick up again this week, with the theme started a good while back "Israel and the Church".  Again I bring up the text in this study not to attack a physical Jew, but rather to prove that the church is the Israel of God.  To prove that the physical nation of Israel are not the children of Abraham or for that matter of God.  Rather those who have faith, they are counted as children.  God has always had His special people and they were never identified by the human eye.  So to this weeks study:  Who is the seed of Abraham?  This is part one in what I believe will be a two part study. 

Before going to our text we might wonder why ask such a question, and equally what scriptural good could the answer provide?  One thing the nation of Israel prided themselves on was that they were children of Abraham. 

Luke 3:7 "Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." 

John 8:39 "They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham."

Israel believed they were the children of Abraham solely based on the fact that they had physically descended from him.  The nation as a whole descended from Abraham, this is true, but the nation as a whole were not children of Abraham.  Christ attacks their understanding of being children and instead declares the mark of one who is a child of Abraham is that he will do the works of Abraham, he will follow God, he will have faith in Christ. 

To our Text:

Paul has been charging the Galatians with abandoning their first love, with having begun in the spirit and seeking to be finished through the works of the law.  The apostle in chapter 3 first builds the case that the special grace and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were received not through the preaching of the law, but through the doctrine of faith.  It is this point that is his easy transition to prove justification by faith alone; by producing the instance of Abraham, what the Scripture says of him, and the promise made unto him.  It is here we pick up with the thought in Paul's mind, even Abraham was justified by faith.

Verse 6 ~ Paul boils his argument down to a simple conclusion about Abraham. 
Abraham believed God.  Abraham had faith in the Jehovah of the Bible and that was accounted to him as righteousness.  Thus the righteousness Abraham had received and was imputed was through faith in God.  Thus in this one point Paul puts down the whole argument of those who demanded you must be circumcised to be saved.  But that is not our point for today so let us proceed.

Verse 7 ~ Based on what Paul has said he concludes; Know this!  Know this one fact!  Place in your mind this one reality; Those who have faith in Jesus are the children of Abraham. (WOW!!!)  Friend Paul would say the same today! 
Know this one thing!  Not physical lineage, but rather a spiritual relationship proves forever your lineage.
Now let's look at the Greek word translated children:
(huios) It means a son, or offspring.  It is said of Adam that he is the (huios) of God.  So like Christ, Paul would conclude that faith, not physical lineage marks those who are the children of Abraham.  If nothing I say today is remembered, remember this, or as Paul said "know this".
 
 

Closing Thoughts

I know that many have been taught that there is a plan for the church and a plan for Israel. 
This is wrought with error.
1)  There is only one plan!  There is only one name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved!
2)  Not all Israel (physical nation)  is Israel (spiritual nation).  We learned that in our studies already.
3)  The seed of Abraham is not found by a lineage check, but rather, by a faith check, for those who have faith in Jesus Christ are the children of Abraham, Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female.

Dear brother or sister in Christ, know this one thing, those who have faith in Jesus are the children of Abraham, thus God is their father, thus they are spiritual Israel, true Israel, the church.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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