THEPROGENITOR

“Thereforeknow that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham”(Gal. 3:7).

Introduction

Image from WebPeopletoday are blessed by hearing and obeying the same Gospel Abraham heard! Or toput that another way, as it was for Abraham, so it is for us.

Asyou know, progenitor means forefather, parent, patriarch, etc. for we see inGalatians 3:7 that “only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” Paulbacks this up in Romans 4:16 where he says that Abraham is the father of allbelievers.

Sothen we need to ask the question: In what way is Abraham our father? None of usto my knowledge can trace a direct physical descendancy. Well, quite simplyAbraham is our spiritual father of a sort. God covenanted with Abraham in theexact same way He covenants with us, his children.

Theoutward signs and seals of the covenant are different of course. But the inwardor spiritual administration of the covenant is the same both for Abraham and us.Indeed, it could be said, like father like son. If you want an idea of whatyour life as a Christian will be like, then look at the life of Abraham. Notthat Abraham was a perfect human being. But that’s part of the likeness, isn’tit? The circumstances of our lives may be vastly different from Abraham’s. Butwhatever the Lord promised to Abraham, He has promised us too.

LikeFather

Inverse 6 we see that Abraham was considered righteous before God. He wasdeclared righteous on account of his believing God. Now straightaway we can getinto trouble here. So, we need to explain.

Upuntil God called Abraham, he was an unbeliever. He didn’t know God. We’re toldin Joshua 24:2 that Abraham came from a family who served other gods. Genesis12:1ff. records, “Now the Lord said to Abraham: ‘Get out of your country, fromyour kindred and from your father’s house, to a land I will show you.”

It’sworthwhile mentioning the one of Abraham’s forefathers was called Eber. Andit’s most probable that the Hebrews got their name from him. There were peopleof God, at the time of Abraham’s calling, scattered among the nations. Apparentlythe Book of Job was from about this time. After the Tower of Babel, the Lordscattered all people “abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:9). Therefore,there would have been people of God in and among the different nations. Forexample, Job was from the land of Uz (Job 1:1). His three friends, so calledwere Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. (Job2:11).

Nowwhatever else you might think of Job’s counsellors, they did at least have someknowledge of the true God. Then there was “Elihu, the son of Barachel theBuzite, of the family of Ram” (Job 32:2). Also, Abraham met with the mysteriousMelchizedek King of Salem (Jerusalem). No one would argue that Melchizedekdidn’t know the Lord – read the Book of Hebrews. The point I make is that theLord has His people in all nations. And if you know anything about the BiblicalDoctrine of Election, you will conclude that there are even today people of Godscattered among the nations. How many? Well, only God knows the exact figure. Andremember, we’re talking about God’s people in other nations who haven’t yetheard the Gospel. Some haven’t yet been born and others are living as Pagans,or secular humanists or whatever live.

TheLord called Abraham out from Ur of the nation of the Chaldeans. He called Himout in order to make a new nation of Abraham comprising of all nations. Alltrue Christians today are part of this new nation. We call this new nation thechurch, which is the kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God (same thing).

TheLord as you know has in place a program for uniting all His people as one. John11:52 says that “He would gather together in one the children of God who werescattered abroad.” This unity is in Christ, and His work of atonement atJerusalem accomplished this unity. And the call to unite as one under the bannerand headship of Christ is the everlasting Gospel Let me illustrate this byquoting Revelation 14:6 -7, “Then I [i.e., the Apostle John] saw another angelflying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to thosewho dwell on the earth – to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people – sayingwith a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of Hisjudgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, sea and springsof water.’”

Image from WebAbrahamwas called out from among a tribe who worshipped the sun, moon and stars. That’swhat the Chaldeans were into. But the Lord called Abraham and revealed bit bybit something of His plan of redemption to him. Abraham quickly discovered hewas dealing with the One who made heaven and earth. He was reminded byMelchisedek who blessed Abraham saying, “Blessed be Abraham of God Most High,Possessor [or Maker] of heaven and earth” (Gen. 14:19). In Genesis 14:22 weread, “But Abraham said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have lifted my hand to theLORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth.’” So, we see clearlythat Abraham feared God. He made an oath before God. He lifted his hand undersolemn oath as would you or I in a court of law. The Lord was in covenant withAbraham and Abraham was in covenant with the Lord.

Abrahamthen demonstrated that he had heard the everlasting gospel. The sameeverlasting gospel the angel was proclaiming whom the Apostle John saw. Abrahamfeared God and as he stood before the king of Sodom he gave the glory to God. Abrahamknew the covenant name of God which is Jehovah or Yaweh. He upheld the name –the name of the Lord even before kings. And he personally knew the Most HighGod (Elyon, if you’re into Hebrew).

Idon’t have to tell you that Jehovah and Jesus are one and the same Person. Abrahamdid what Jehovah/Jesus said the Apostle Paul would do. Jesus said as recordedin Acts 9:15, “he [Paul] is a chosen vessel of mine to bear My name beforeGentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.”

Ifyou were to follow the life of Abraham, warts and all, you’d see that he isclearly a believer. He was trusting in the same Lord in whom Christians todayare trusting. He was hoping on the same promises we’re on which Christianstoday hope. This is the whole substance of Paul’s argument to the Galatians. Asit was for Abraham so it is for us. Like father like son.

Abrahamhad received from God everything the Galatians had received some fourteen yearsbefore he was circumcised. He had been declared righteous by God on account ofhis faith (demonstrated by his obedience). Paul elaborated on this when hewrote to the Romans, “And he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, aseal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised,that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they areuncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also” (Rom. 4:11). Therefore,Abraham didn’t make himself right with God by circumcision or any other outwardsign. His righteousness, or his being RIGHT with God, was an imputed thing. Inother words, it was the righteousness of Christ as revealed in the Gospel thatwas accounted or accredited to Abraham.

BeforeGod called Abraham his bank account had no righteousness whatsoever in it. Abrahamwas a morally bankrupt human being. But through the gospel God revealed to Himthe righteousness he needed to escape the everlasting judgment of God. Thisrighteousness is a free gift from God along with the faith that is needed toembrace it. So then, Paul is quoting Genesis 15:6 when he writes, “Abrahambelieved God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore, allthe Galatians had to do was search the Scriptures to make sure these thingswere so. And they would see the foolishness of their plan to be circumcised inorder to be saved. Therefore, those who have a salvation by works mentality areacting as if they have no faith – as those who are not the true sons of Abraham.

Let’ssummarize a little. Father Abraham then, was a believer. He believed thepromises of the Lord. And we discover that these promises are the heart andsoul of the gospel. Abraham knew that God looked on him as one who wasrighteous. And he acted on that belief. We see that his faith had arms and legsbecause he was doing what the Lord told him. But most importantly, he wasdeclared righteous long before God sealed the covenant by Abraham’scircumcision.

Beforewe move on we need to ask: What were some of the promises Abraham believed? Ifyou were to study, e.g., Romans chapters 3 and 4, and Galatians 3 in connectionwith Genesis, you’d see some of the promises. In accordance with God’s Covenantof Grace, Abraham had been granted the righteousness revealed in the Gospel. Hehad been justified in the sight of God on account of God’s gift of faith. Hehad the forgiveness of sins. He was adopted as a child of God. He had the giftsof the Spirit for sanctification and eternal glory. And he believed in theresurrection of the body too.

Image from Web    “Byfaith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who received thepromises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac yourseed shall be called,’ accounting that God was able to raise him up, even fromthe dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Heb. 11:17-19).

Ina nutshell, Abraham was believing in the eternal life promised in Christ Jesus.But here is the subtlety: Abraham only possessed the substance of these things.O all these things were his. There’s no disputing that. But the point I make isthis: Abraham only had God’s word on it. He only had it on God’s good word thatHe was good for it. In other words, Abraham had faith in the promise of God. Hehad faith that God was good for everything He promised!

Hebrews11:1 gives us this definition of faith, “Now faith is the substance of thingshoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The NIV puts it like this, “Nowfaith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Abrahamhad faith that God could deliver all He promised. Ask yourself: How couldAbraham be saved if he didn’t hear the Gospel? How could he believe if hewasn’t born again? How could he discern spiritual things if he was devoid ofthe Spirit of Christ? How can he be called the father of all believers if itwas somehow different for Abraham? But keep in mind that all Abraham receivedfrom God was promises.

TheLord said to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless and makeyour name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earthshall be blessed” (Gen. 12;2-3). Paul says, “So then those who are of faith areblessed with believing Abraham” (Gal. 3:9). We know that this faith comes fromGod and not ourselves. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, andthat not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone shouldboast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

Godgranted Abraham the free gift of faith. The object of his faith was the Christto come as revealed in the Gospel. Therefore, Abraham was blessed with all theblessings that are included in the Gospel. For he was seeking first andforemost the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And these are found only inJesus Christ.

LikeSon

EverythingAbraham had we have, and everything we have Abraham had. And keep in mind we’retalking about the promises of God. As it was for Abraham, so it is for us. Butvery little of this will make sense to you unless you realize that.

Christianstoday are under the same Covenant as Abraham. This is the whole basis of Paul’sargument for justification by faith with the Galatians. He is telling theGalatians that they are under the same covenant as Abraham. And that theconditions of that covenant are faith in Christ and His righteousness.

Image from WebWesee how right Christ was with God at the cross, and particularly Hisresurrection. It’s not faith in Christ and His righteousness plus some of yourown, e.g., circumcision. We have no righteousness of our own. Adam killedwhatever righteousness we had. He was our representative under the pre-FallCovenant of Works. So, we are all in need of a new covenant with God, theGospel reveals that new covenant – the Covenant of Grace, i.e., the Gospel covenant.Therefore, Paul is saying that those Jews who think they are right with Godbecause they are physically descended from Abraham are wrong.

Theythink they are right with God because of circumcision. Well, they’re wrong. Andof course this is where the Galatians were becoming confused. And I don’t haveto tell you about the confusion in Christendom today. So, Paul explains it allto the Galatians the way everything in Scripture ought to be understood andexplained, which is in terms of God’s Everlasting Covenant.

CharlesHodge provides us with a handy definition of covenant where he says, “Acovenant is a promise suspended upon a condition.” The condition of thecovenant God made with Abraham is the same today. The condition is faith inGod’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Therefore, onlythose who fulfill this condition are considered children of Abraham. That’swhat Paul means when he says, “Therefore know that only those who are of faithare sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7). We call this the Doctrine of Justification –justification by faith alone. This is the way God planned it. This is the heartof the good news – the gospel. This is the way of salvation that the Lordrevealed to father Abraham.

“And theScripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preachedthe gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all thenations shall be blessed.’” (Gal. 3:8). There it is! God is going to justifythe nations by faith – the same way He justified father Abraham. This was God’splan of redemption from the beginning. And God revealed that plan to Abraham. Wecall this plan as it is revealed to fallen man The Covenant of Grace.

Abrahamwhen he heard the Gospel was receiving revelation of this Covenant of Grace. Therevelation of the Covenant of Grace is the Good News or the Gospel. Therefore,Abraham believed in the Gospel and it was accounted to him for righteousness.“For in it [ie, the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith tofaith” (Rom. 1:17). Father Abraham needed this righteousness. Like father likeson!

Sothen, where does: “In you all the nations shall be blessed” fit in? Well, thisis the promise the Lord made to Abraham that all the nations will be blessed – inChrist. The Gospel is to be scattered abroad over the whole face of the earth, tillev).ery tribe, tongue and nation has heard of Christ and His righteousness. Why?So that all the nations shall be blessed along with believing Abraham.

“Gointo all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Whenthe Lord covenanted with Abraham He promised Abraham, “As for Me, behold, Mycovenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations” (Gen.17:4). Ifonly those who are of faith are Abraham’s children, then what about hisphysical descendants? Didn’t they have the promises of God too? Of course theyhad the promises of God. But the question is: Did they meet the one and onlycondition of the covenant, i.e., Faith? Remember, Abraham was justified byfaith not works. And faith is a gift from God. It is a covenant blessing.

Thereare both blessings and curses attached to the covenant. John 3:36 shouldsuffice to illustrate this, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; andhe who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideson him.” Therefore, in order for a person to fulfill the condition required bythe covenant he must do what Abraham did. “Abraham believed God, and it wasaccounted to him for righteousness.”

So,what are we to say about all those unbelieving physical descendants of Abraham?The Lord also promised that there would be a place for them to live. It waslooking pretty good during the days of King David. It was looking even betterduring the reign of Solomon his son. But all of that was short lived. It wasjust a picture of something else.

So,what are we to make of the covenant promises God made to Abraham? What aboutthe descendants as numerous as grains of sand? And what about the piece of landin which they were to live? If you listen to some Christians, they’ll tell thatAbraham has hardly any descendants. They keep talking about a remnant all thetime. But it’s hard to see where they’re coming from when you look at God’spromises to Abraham. Was God talking about spiritual descendants or physicaldescendants are both? Well, what did the Lord say to Abraham? “Take now yourson, your only son Isaac, whom you love...” (Gen. 22:2). Isaac wasn’t Abraham’sonly son, was he? Abraham had another son called Ishmael, didn’t he? Interms of the covenant God did not recognize Ishmael as a son of Abraham. Andanyway, Paul is telling us that only those who are faith are sons ofAbraham. Therefore, we have to conclude that there are going to be as manybelievers as there are grains of sand.

Image from WebAndwhat about the land the Lord promised Abraham and all his trillions ofdescendants? Well, Paul tells us in Romans 4:12 that God promised Abraham world.And doesn’t Jesus say in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shallinherit the earth”? This blessing is to fall upon all families of the earth –all nations.

Nowthen, as we tie things together, we know that Abraham is to be the father ofmany nations. And we know that “In [Abraham] all the nations shall be blessed.”And we know that this blessing comes with all the promises attached to theCovenant of Grace. We know that the blessing comes upon those who believe inthe gospel. Or as Paul puts it, “So then those who are of faith are blessedwith believing Abraham” (Gal. 3:9). With all of this in mind, it would seem tome, there’s still the possibility, perhaps probability, of whole nationsturning to God en masse! Yet as we look around the four corners of theglobe (to use a mixed metaphor!), we would think the Lord said instead toAbraham “In you all the nations shall be cursed.” For if the blessing comes bybelieving the gospel, then which nations are believing? And we know that thewrath of God abides on those who don’t believe.

I’msure you’ll agree with me on this: The nations need to hear the gospel if theyare to believe and be blessed with believing Abraham. So then, how many peopledo you know who have a covenantal understanding of the gospel? Therefore, areyou sure the nations are actually rejecting the gospel? Can you honestly saythat it’s not some distorted gospel they are rejecting? – a non-gospel? Anon-gospel such as that proclaimed by those Paul was countering among theGalatians?

Isthe Gospel of Christ really being proclaimed among the nations today? Thegospel today has been covered in the dust of theological liberalism. It’s beencoated and encrusted with the chocolate and sugar of the Church Growth movement.It’s been smudged beyond recognition by the grubby hands of Arminianism! Theworld needs to hear the pure unadulterated Gospel of the Covenant.

CovenantTheologyis Reformed Theology which is the theology of the Bible. And. Like it ornot, Calvinism is the expression of this Theology. As the Calvinist Preacher CHSpurgeon once said, “Reformed theology is nothing other than BiblicalChristianity.” And as BB Warfield once said, “It may be contended that thefuture, as the past, of Christianity itself is bound up with the fortune ofCalvinism.”

Thinkof all the nations that were blessed along with father Abraham from the time ofthe Reformation onwards. Scotland, Wales, Holland, Switzerland, PuritanEngland, Puritan North America etc. The British Empire spread the covenantalGospel abroad over the whole face of the earth almost. And God blessed withspiritual and material wealth all those places the true gospel went. The Westtoday is still cruising on that blessing. But I don’t have to tell you that theWest has been grinding to a halt. Why? Bad economic policies? Bad tax systems?Corrupt governments? Secularism? Communism? Socialism? Humanism? All of thesethings, and all the rest, are just symptoms of the one major problem, the trueGospel is not being proclaimed.

Conclusion

Howshall all the nations be blessed if no one proclaims the true gospel? The samegospel father Abraham heard all those years ago, the same gospel the Galatiansheard, the same gospel the ministers of the Reformed Faith swear to proclaim anddefend. Whatever the Lord has promised to Abraham He has promised to us. He haspromised us all the nations in Christ.

Abrahambelieved God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. That’s what Paulwent to great lengths to explain to the foolish Galatians. Scripture says,“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov.14:34). Righteousness cannot be generated by sinful men. But the righteousnessthat the nations need if they are to be blessed with Abraham is revealed onlyin the pure unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the gospel revealedto Abraham – believed by Abraham – obeyed by Abraham.

Howdoes all of this sit with you? Like father like son?

Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids,Michigan, (1871-73), Reprinted 1981, Vol. 3), 549.