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Monday: The Abrahamic Covenant — 3 Comments

  1. It is most interesting that the same Divine Covenant is repeated in relationship to instances in the Bible. The question for me is when restated, is God actualy renewing His Convenant with us. And if so, has He renewed the conditions of the Convenant. Of course, I think so but confirmation from studing this issuse would prove pleasant.

    Roy

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  2. God's promises are sure.
    And Christ "is able also to save them to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:25)

    Yes, God does all the saving, we can earn nothing to merit it. Yet, there are conditions. Why was only Abraham chosen and offered the glorious covenant of salvation?

    And why did so many of Abraham's descendants lose out on the covenant promises?
    Why was Jacob chosen and not Esau?

    What were the conditions?
    It was NOT their flawless character, for they were not flawless.

    I think Isaiah spells out the condition--

    Isaiah 1:18-20 Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
    If ye be willing and obedient,...
    But if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured...

    Are we willing to trust and obey?

    Esau had despised the blessings of the covenant. The things of this world were more important to him, so he was excluded.

    Jacob's desires were for the spiritual -- even though he sinned with all his connivings and lying, God saw his heart and its desires for spiritual things. And by God's grace the sinful elements of his character were consumed in God's furnace, the true gold was refined, until faith was brought to full maturity.

    The condition is faith -- it is to take hold of faith (for even faith is a gift) and start walking with Christ, placing our full dependence upon Him.

    Had Abraham remained in Ur, and not stepped out in faith I don't believe we would be reading about him in the Bible, nor about the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants.

    Hebrews 11:8-10 tells us it was by faith Abraham obeyed and followed God's call. His focus was on heavenly things rather than earthly things.

    And who are the descendants of Abraham who will inherit the promises?

    In John 8:33-42 Jesus makes some plain statements that being a physical descendant is not the criteria.

    Galatians makes many more plain statements:

    Gal. 3:7 You know therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
    Gal. 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
    Gal. 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

    Ephesians 2:12 At one time you (Gentiles) were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
    2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who were outside are made near by the blood of Christ.
    2:14 For he is our peace, who has made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition

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  3. As my wife and I were reviewing this lesson she made an - to me - unexpected statement. Ida has been a SDA all of her life and attended church school in the 1940-ies. Her former mother-in-law was an active Bible worker, but Ida did not become a (retired) pastor's wife until 6 years ago. She said she was amazed to hear so much about grace and justification by faith in recent years and in these lessons because previously she only heard the Advent message presented as righteousness by keeping the law.

    This tells me how important these lessons are.

    Johann

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