WE ARE THE SEED OF ABRAHAM

PROCLAMATION

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ … If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  Galatians 3:26-28 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Galatia.  Paul begins this chapter by expressing his disappointment with the Galatians for departing from the doctrine of justification alone through faith in Christ.  Because of this, he asked them several rhetorical questions. (Galatians 3:1-5)  Then he tells them that those who have faith in Christ are the children of Abraham, the father of the faithful. (Galatians 3:7-9)  He ends the chapter by reminding them that as the seed of Abraham they are heirs to the promise that God made to him. (Galatians 3:14 and 3:29)

 

APPLICATION

There are many benefits to being a child of God.  Only believers can be clothed, or wrapped up in, Christ.  Only believers can be cared for, provided for, protected, and helped by a loving heavenly Father.  As children of God, we are all one, with no differences regarding nationality, ethnicity, gender, wealth, or social status. (Galatians 3:28)  Since all believers belong to Christ, we are all seeds of Abraham and thereby we are all heirs to the promise that God made to him. (Galatians 3:29)

  

JESUS THE SON OF GOD PUT ON HUMANITY

PROCLAMATION

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph … had in mind to divorce her quietly … an angel of The Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘… what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’ ”  Matthew 1:18-21 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  The first Bible Book of The New Testament, Matthew, begins with a presentation of the genealogy of Jesus, The Christ and The Messiah.  The Apostle Matthew starts with Abraham, the father of the faithful, and goes to Joseph, the husband of Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, The Christ.  Each male father figure in the forty-two generations was listed.  There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen additional generation from David to the exile in Babylon, and then fourteen generations from the exile to the birth of Christ. (Matthew 1:17)  However, this omits the twenty generations before Abraham beginning with Adam.  While Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, Mary’s father Heli, the grandfather of Jesus, (Luke 3:23-38) was a direct descendant of David.  After Matthew links Jesus to David and to Abraham, he goes on to describe the immaculate human conception of Christ by The Holy Spirit of God.  He also describes how Joseph, Mary’s husband, had to be convinced to keep Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:18-24)

APPLICATION

As a believer our salvation is based upon the acceptance of the virgin conception, the virgin birth, and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ, as truth.  We also accept that Jesus, The Christ, is the promised seed of Abraham, the promised Messiah.  The virgin Mary’s Son was conceived by The Holy Spirit of God and they called “His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)  God, The Son, put on human flesh and dwelt among us.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)  “And The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)  If we confess with our mouth that Jesus, The Christ, is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, then we will be saved. (Romans 10:9)