June 22
“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham,” Galatians 3:6-9.
The apostle Paul was moved by the Spirit of God to call the attention of the Galatians to the faith of Abraham. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Paul is quoting Genesis 15:6. This should have made an impression upon his readers, because the Jews proudly made the claim that they were descendants of Abraham.
When Jesus told the Jews, “‘If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” John 8:31-33. They were proud descendants of Abraham. Of course, their claim of never having been in bondage to anyone was not true. At the time that they spoke those words to Jesus, they were in bondage to the Romans! They also seemingly forgot their past history: At various times, their forefathers had been under the power of the Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the Syrians.
Their pride being touched upon, they should have taken note of the truth about Abraham. Paul says that Abraham accepted the righteousness before God that came to him through faith in the Gospel. The Gospel was preached to Abraham in the words, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” Paul is quoting God’s promise to Abraham recorded in the Book of Genesis: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed,” Genesis 12:3. Many who read these words fail to see the Gospel contained in them. It was God’s promise to Abraham that one of his descendants would be the promised Messiah and Savior of the world, who would gain and provide the blessings of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation for all people.
Paul adds that the message of the Gospel was not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles – the non-Jews. Jews and Gentiles alike are justified before God by faith in the Gospel. The way of salvation is the same for all people. We are children of Abraham by faith in one and the same Savior.
Today, there are people – including some clergymen – who erroneously say that the Jews, the Muslims, and Christians are all the children of Abraham, and that we all believe in the same God. They claim that we all have the same faith that Abraham had. Not true! The Jews are descendants of Abraham according to the flesh; they are descendants of Isaac. The Muslims are descendants of Abraham according to the flesh; they are descendants of Ishmael, the son of Hagar, with whom Abraham had a sexual relationship at the suggestion of Sarah.
However, Christians are the children of Abraham according to the faith. Christians believe that Jesus as a man was Abraham’s descendant, but that He also is the Son of God, the only Savior for sinners. The Jews and the Muslims reject Jesus as the Son of God and the only Savior. They do not believe and trust in the Savior Jesus, who suffered, died, and rose again to conquer sin, death, and the devil.
Christians are blessed in the same way that Abraham was blessed. We are blessed by faith in God’s gracious promise of the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation gained for all people through the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation unto us has come, By God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer. Amen.