The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
Summary: Understanding God’s ways is the key to understanding Scripture. Both depend on our study of God’s Word. In today’s passage, Paul explains the meaning of the missing “s.”
So far, Paul has kept his arguments fairly simple. Beginning with this passage, Paul takes his logic to a new level. In this verse, Paul lays the foundation for his concept of how the law and faith are related. He begins with this passage:
“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.”
Let’s see if we can figure this out.
God gives Abraham a promise, and in giving this promise, he mentions Abraham’s “seed.” The word “seed” is not used in all translations, so this becomes even more complicated. If we turn to the King James Version of the Bible, we find this passage in Genesis 13:15 —
“For all the land which thou sees, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”
The boundaries of the Promised Land are described in detail in the Book of Joshua, chapters eighteen through twenty-one. Chapter twenty-one concludes by saying:
“So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.” (Joshua 21: 43)
and
“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:45)
Reading this passage, it is easy to get the impression that God’s work was done. His covenant with Abraham seems to be fulfilled when the Israelites come into their inheritance. The only problem with this view is the missing “s” at the end of the word “seed.”
Paul’s point is that the “seed” is Jesus.
Jesus is a descendant of Abraham on his mother’s side (See Matthew 1:1-16). His Father, of course, is God the Father (John 6:27, 1 John 5:1). His inheritance, on the surface, appears to be the land of Canaan (Genesis 17:8).
At this point, a reasonable person might ask, “When did Jesus come into his inheritance?” When silence follows the question, they might ask a follow-up question: “Has Jesus come into his inheritance yet?”
Weirdly, it is okay if we don’t know the answer to this question. Perhaps Paul will explain the answer later. What is important now is that we understand that Jesus was/is getting an inheritance through God’s promise to Abraham.
Application: Sometimes, we must look past the obvious to understand the reality.
Food for Thought: Are there other promises God made to Abraham that might be part of Paul’s thinking?
Bonus Question: When does Jesus come into his inheritance?
I can think of four things that God promised to Abraham (Gen 12:1) that may be a part of Paul’s thinking:
God promised to bless Abraham.
God promised to bring out of Abraham a great nation.
God promised to make Abraham a blessing to many.
God promised to bless those that bless him, and curse those that curse him.
Christ lived a life of blessing. It is hard for the world to see that because the world associates blessing with material wealth or status. Christ lived a life in submission to God, and God blessed Him. His name is above all names.
The body of Christ is greater than the genealogical descendants of Abraham, it is all believers and followers of Christ.
Christ is a blessing to everyone who accepts Him as Lord. Through Him we are able to be reconciled to God.
Those that honor Christ are honored by Him, set free from sin, given life, and those that deny Christ remain a slave to sin, and suffer the curse of sin, and death.
Thank you, Chris!
I like the connections you have made. There is a difference between trying to make the Bible fit our thinking, and trying to make our thinking fit the Bible. You are stretching in the right direction. 🙂
As for the inheritance, if we are talking about when He will rule over all nations via David’s throne as promised (eg 2 Samuel 7: 16; Psalm 2: 7 – 8; Isaiah 9: 1 – 7), that will happen during the millennial reign of Christ after His glorious return (Revelation 19 – 20: 6). His inheritance is the nations. And even now His inheritance is people that He loves and died for from every nation who are in heaven (eg Revelation 7: 9). His inheritance is people and reigning as King over all. Of course, He is a selfless King who loves and serves His people and shares His rule.
His nail scared hands will remind us of His enduring love for an eternity (Revelation 2: 26 – 27; Revelation 5: 6 – 14).
Thank you, Rich!!
I love how you address the inheritance question. Well said!
Are there other promises God made to Abraham that might be part of Paul’s thinking?
God called Abraham out of the world as it existed at that time, into a life living in His presence, today he is known as the father of our faith, who spoke to Sarah and blessed Hagar.
Genesis 12:1-20, Genesis 13:1-18,Genesis 15:1-21, Genesis 17:1-27, Genesis 18:18, Genesis 21:12, Genesis 22:1-24, Genesis 24:7.
When does Jesus come into His inheritance?
Isaiah 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand.
God’s words are reality, His continued presence, guidance and protection are seen throughout the Bible as He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. I believe Jesus, the Son of our Triune God, came into His inheritance before creation, ( the moment the fact became a thought to God ) and is the King of the heart in every believer. He watches over and protects His faithful throughout the Bible.
John 1:-1-5, In the beginning [before all time] was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 2 He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].
Isaiah 43:2 When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Daniel 3:19-27 – Who is the Fourth Man in the Fiery Furnace?
Daniel 6:21-22, Daniel answered, may the king live forever! 22, My God sent His angel, and He shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight.
Genesis 16:7-15, The angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar.
I believe Jesus walked in the garden with Adam and Eve, appeared to Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, was the 4th man in the fiery furnace in the time of Daniel, and closed the mouths of the lions when he was thrown in the pit. And today is with believers every moment of everyday. Our task is to choose to walk with Him each moment of each day.
Ron,
Thank you for the research on God’s promises to Abraham. I’ve provided a link for all the passages you referenced.
I really like your closing thought: “Our task is to choose…”
We have to choose to believe, choose to read God’s Word, and choose to abide by the Spirit. All of these are ongoing choices we make every day all day.