The Gospel Preached to Abraham

Gal.3:8

Justification for believers of all nations during the Gospel Age is the blessing promised in the Abrahamic Covenant, as interpreted for us by the great Apostle. Many have thought this Covenant was a promise of restitution through the seed, but the Apostle shows a much deeper meaning. A careful study of his argument proves that he had no thought of restitution or a Millennial Age blessing. To combat the false brethren who were troubling the Galatian Churches by teaching that circumcision was essential to salvation, St. Paul reveals that the first time the Gospel was preached the Gentiles were promised the blessing, namely, Justification by Faith. All who can exercise the same faith receive the same blessing. "So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (Gal.3:9)

As interpreted by St. Paul, the Abrahamic Covenant contains two great promises. Firstly, to Abraham himself, the promise of a seed from all nations, "So shall thy seed be." (Gen.15:5). Secondly, to the seed a blessing was assured. "Now to Abraham were the promises spoken and to (concerning) his seed." (Gal.3:16 RV).

This blessing St. Paul shows to be justification and all the wonderful privileges God has associated with it for all who believe whether Jews or Gentiles. Thus seen, the Covenant is not a promise of a blessing through a seed, butto a seed. When a claim to an inheritance is established the heir becomes the possessor of the estate. In Galatians 3, the apostle is establishing the claim for the Gentiles and shows that if we Gentiles are Christ’s, united with him by baptism into his death, then we are Abraham’s Seed, and can claim the inheritance now.

Thus we have "Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.5:1), and this is beautifully emphasized by the same Apostle in Rom.15:13: "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit." In chapter 4, the Apostle buttresses his argument by showing that Abraham’s experiences with Hagar and Sarah were an allegory. The two wives, he explains, represented the two Covenants. Hagar and her child represent the Law Covenant and the Jewish people. Sarah and her child represent the promise and the Church. Sarah’s work was to produce the seed of promise. So now the work of the Abrahamic Covenant is to produce the seed, not seeds, and when the Church is completed the Abrahamic Covenant will be finished. (Micah 5:3)

The question will, of course, arise: what hope then has the world in the Abrahamic Covenant?

The answer is: that neither the unbelieving Jew nor the faithless Gentile has any hope of participating in it. God’s provision for the Jew is in the New Covenant, which will be a Law Covenant (Jer.31:31‑34; Ezek.18), and the world will have the opportunity of learning the ways, terms, and conditions of that Covenant in the Millennial Age.

Thus it is the Jew first (Rom.11:27; 2:10), their neighbours next (Jer.12:14‑17), and all the nations afar off. (Micah 4:3) The parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt.25:31‑46) reveals that many will refuse the Lord’s reasonable terms in that day, and this agrees with Isaiah 26:10.

It has been suggested that Gal.3 is an application of the Abrahamic Covenant because of St. Paul’s statement in Rom.4:13, that Abraham is "Heir of the world." If that were true it would, of course, mean that St. Paul had one application for one Church, and a different one for others. But in Galatians 1:11‑13 he shows this grand interpretation came from Jesus himself, to Him as Minister to the Gentiles.

A careful study of Rom.4:11‑17 (See Roth. & R.V.) shows the Apostle’s argument here to be, as we should expect, identical with his teaching in Gal.3. The "World" of which Abraham became heir, is the same "World" the Apostle says has been reconciled, because the Jew was cast off. (Rom.11:12‑15) Since only one nation received the Law, righteousness would have been confined to that one nation, "and the promise made of none effect," (Rom.4:14) because the promise was, "In thee shall all the nations be blessed." Now in Rom.4:16, we read: "Therefore it" (Justification) "is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed (singular, as in Gal.3:16);...as it is written, I have made thee a Father of many nations." (Gen.17:4‑5)

All who believe Abraham’s seed are the Sons of God, and the Sons alone are Abraham’s seed, and receive the blessing, justification, because they are of Faith. (Gal.3:26; 4:6).

St. Paul had this one Gospel, of which he was not ashamed. (Rom.1:16) Glad tidings for all who believe and obey the truth, and the fact that already the awakening has been observed among the Jews proves the Christ to be nearing completion. (Rom. 11:25‑27). We, the Church, stand, walk, and overcome by Faith. (Rom.11:20; 2 Cor.5:7; 1 John 5:4)

EWK