Are you Abraham's Offspring?

Galatians 3:29

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”   This requires us to go back to Genesis 12:1-3, and look, first at The Land Promise: "A land that I will show you."

 Next, The National Promise: "A great nation.” Then, third, The Spiritual Promise: "All the families of the earth shall be blessed."  It is that third promise that is the seed of Christ.  Do you see yourself as an offspring of Abraham, an heir according to the promise?

There is much written about encounters that Jesus had with the Jews on the subject of Abraham, and it is in Abraham that they have identity as the people of God.  So when Jesus told them “If you were Abraham’s children you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.  This is not what Abraham did.  You are doing what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality.  We have one Father – even God.”  (John 8:39-41)  Remember they are not Gentile dogs, no they are Abraham’s children, and that is their distinctiveness and Jesus challenged that identity.  If you keep reading you will see that Jesus tells them they are of their father the devil and that Abraham saw his day and rejoiced.

If you see yourself as a child of Abraham, you are in good company, but does that make it true?  When the crowds came to John the Baptist and he was talking to the Jews whose identity was in being the sons of Abraham, this is what he said; “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.  And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham.” (Luke 3:7-8)

What would John say to us today, where is your identity, is it in your job, your church, your family, or is it resting in the hands of the Father, is it resting on the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ, and on Him only? “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:29)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice