Part 10: Abrahamic Covenant: Forerunner of the Gospel
Having explored creation, the fall, regeneration, and God’s design for marriage, we now come to a pivotal moment in Genesis, and indeed in redemptive history: the call of Abraham and the establishment of the Abrahamic Covenant. This covenant forms the very foundation for God’s plan of salvation, not just for a chosen people, but for the entire world.
Our foundational texts are Genesis 12:1-4 and Galatians 3:8:
Genesis 12:1–4 (NASB 2020): “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” So Abram went away as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”
Galatians 3:8 (NASB 2020): “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.””
Background: The Family of Abraham
The majority of the book of Genesis, from chapter 12 to the very end, meticulously details the unfolding story of Abraham and his descendants:
- Abraham
- Isaac
- Jacob/Israel
- The twelve sons of Israel
This focus highlights the centrality of Abraham in God’s redemptive narrative.
The Abrahamic Covenant
God established His covenant with Abraham, the details of which are primarily found in Genesis 15 and 17. Genesis 12:1-3 records the initial call of Abram and the magnificent promises God made to him. Later, in Genesis 22, God confirms these promises with a solemn oath.
Significance of the Abrahamic Covenant:
The Abrahamic Covenant is supremely significant because it marks the point where God explicitly establishes His plan of salvation for the whole world. It is, in essence, the forerunner of the gospel of Christ.
The Gospel as a Promise:
God’s promise to Abraham was two-fold:
Genesis 12:2–3 (NASB 2020): “And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.””
- A promise of personal blessing to Abraham (verse 2): Great nation, great name, personal blessing, and Abraham himself becoming a blessing.
- A promise of blessing to the nations (verse 3): “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” This universal scope is powerfully reiterated:Genesis 18:17–18 (NASB 2020): “The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?”
As Galatians 3:8 clarifies, the Abrahamic Covenant contains the gospel in the form of a promise! Abraham’s life and the covenant laid the very foundation for how God would ultimately bless all the nations.
The Promise and the Blessing
The Abrahamic Covenant hinged on two pivotal promises: an heir/seed and a land.
Genesis 15:1–21 (NASB 2020): After assuring Abram of a “very great reward,” Abram expresses his concern about being childless. God responds, “one who will come from your own body shall be your heir,” promising descendants as numerous as the stars. Then, God pledges to give him “this land to possess it,” outlining its vast boundaries.
- God promised him an heir and descendants as numerous as the stars. Without a natural heir, Abraham could not truly be “blessed” in the way God intended.
- God promised him a specific land – Canaan. This land would be the place for his descendants to thrive and enjoy God’s blessings.
All of God’s blessings to Abraham, and subsequently to the world, are contained within these two foundational elements: the Seed and the Land. Without the promised heir and a place for his lineage to flourish, the blessings would be incomplete.
God’s Blessing for the Nations is in the Promised Seed.
The universal blessing hinges on one particular “Seed”:
Genesis 22:16–18 (NASB 2020): “and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.””
This “Seed” is none other than the Promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would save the world from sin. Paul masterfully expounds on this in Galatians:
Galatians 3:8–14 (NASB 2020): “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer… Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law… in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Key takeaways from Galatians 3:
- The “gospel” was preached to Abraham.
- Just as Abraham received the blessing by faith, so too are believers today justified by faith.
- Christ was the promised Deliverer/Savior, who redeemed us from the curse of the Law.
- Christ brings with Him the “blessing of Abraham” – which is the promised Holy Spirit!
The Holy Spirit is directly linked to this promise:
- Jesus instructed His disciples to wait for “the Promise” (Acts 1:4).
- Peter declared on the Day of Pentecost that Christ, exalted to God’s right hand, “has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear” (Acts 2:33).
Therefore, all the blessings of God for us today are contained in these two: Christ and the Holy Spirit!
Ephesians 1:3 (NASB 2020): “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (This points to the grand plan of God.)
Ephesians 1:13–14 (NASB 2020): “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (This points to the fulfillment of God’s plan for us.)
Through faith in Christ, we become “Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29). This means we are heirs not of a physical land, but of the spiritual “land of promise” – the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Quotes from WMB (William Marrion Branham) further clarify this understanding of the “promised land” for New Testament believers:
- “Now, what is the land promised to the New Testament believer? The promise is the Holy Spirit. “For it shall come to pass in the last days,” Joel 2:28, “that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh…” – 60-0515E – Adoption #1
- “And the possession, that, the promise that was given to the Church is not a natural land, but a spiritual land, for we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation… And we are led by the Spirit. Sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God; not by man, but by the Spirit.” – 60-0518 – Adoption #2
- “Moses, being a type of Christ, led the children up to the promised land, then Moses did not take the children in the promised land. Joshua took the people in and divided up the land. Jesus paid the price, led them up to the Holy Spirit. God sent the Holy Spirit down and He positionally put the church in order, each man, filling him with the Presence of His Being.” – 60-0522E – Adoption #4
- “The promise is the baptism of the Spirit, which is promised all through the Old Testament and New too (see?), the promise: “Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you…” Peter said that on the day of Pentecost. That is the Promise. The promised land is to live in this land of Holy Spirit. That’s God’s promise for the church, is to live in the power of the Spirit. It’s another world; it’s another land. You have to come out of the conditions that you been in, to come out to live in this promised land, to receive the promise. Remember the promise, “You shall receive power from on high, after this, the Holy Ghost is come upon you…”?” – 61-1015M – Questions And Answers
These quotes emphasize that the spiritual reality of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and power is the New Testament equivalent of the promised land for Israel.
Conclusion
When Jesus challenged those who claimed Abraham as their father, He declared:
John 8:39 (NASB 2020): “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.”
Abraham was a living testament to the gospel in his lifetime:
- He turned away from the world (Ur of the Chaldeans) and obeyed God’s call.
- He believed God, and it was imputed to him as righteousness by faith (Genesis 15:6).
- He stayed in the land of promise, living by faith, even though he was a sojourner.
- He offered the ultimate sacrifice – his only begotten son, Isaac – demonstrating profound trust in God’s promises.
Today, the Church is God’s living gospel! We are the recipients of the promise and the blessing of God to Abraham. We carry the Seed of Abraham – Jesus Christ – within us, and we are living in our spiritual “Canaan” – a life empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit. Just as Abraham believed and received, so too do we, through faith in Christ, inherit the glorious promises and experience the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant.
