SECOND QUARTER 2021
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #6
MAY 8, 2021
“ABRAHAM’S SEED”

 

“If we stick with scripture, we will not have a moments difficulty in ascertaining who the seed is” (EJ Waggoner, Everlasting Covenant, p 42).  If we don’t stick to scripture, we will wander around through a wilderness of misunderstanding and likely miss the point.

The apostle Paul understood these passages about Abraham well.  He came to his understanding through the revelational teaching method of the Holy Spirit Who inspired these passages. 

“For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:12

So, what does the inspired commentary of Paul tell us about the covenant promised seed of Abraham?

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’” and “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," Who is Christ.” Galatians 3:8,16. (emphasis supplied)

Paul saw clearly, as should we, that the main point of the covenant given to Abraham by God, was the promise of the gospel and that the “seed” that was promised is Jesus Christ.

Yes, it is true that from Abraham came Isaac and Jacob and the twelve sons of Jacob and all their descendants.  These were Abraham’s descendants that lived in the land of Canaan.  But the covenant promise was not these nor the literal land of Canaan.  How do we know this?

We know this because scripture tells us that none of Abraham’s literal descendants received the promise. 

“And all these (speaking of Abraham’s descendants), having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise” Hebrews 11:39. 

Yes, they were a special chosen people and yes, many of them lived by faith in the coming promised One and many did not.  Many kept their eyes fixed on themselves and their presumed status of being Abraham’s descendants and took their eyes off of the covenanted One.  Here is a great example of this problem in scripture. 

"They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone…..I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father. They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father.”  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man Who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.” John 8:33, 37-41

Jesus was telling these literal descendants of Abraham that they we not Abraham’s children.  They were not the children of promise and this was evidenced by their lives.  They literally were trying to kill the Seed of promise, Jesus. 

The “seed” was Christ in Whom Abraham believed and had faith in.  The decedents that make up the “dust of the earth” promise to Abraham are those who, like Abraham, have faith in the Seed.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise”. Galatians 3:26-29

These “heirs according to the promise” have made up the remnant in every generation.   It is these heirs, in the last generation, that will make up the remnant today.  The chosen people of God today, like those of yesterday, will continue the repeated cycles of apostasy followed by repentance, followed by a period of obedience, followed by apostasy, etc. as long as we rely on anything other than Christ.  Heritage and history, accomplishments and status, doctrinal wealth and possessors of a most precious message, of themselves will leave us in this never-ending cycle until we are immersed in Christ and put Him on.

Notice this contrast between those that are “heirs according to the promise” and those that are not, as described in a letter from Ellen White to her husband James.  She was attending a tent meeting in California and the Lord revealed the hearts of some in attendance.

“Those who came forward are assembled in several tents to seek God more earnestly. The feeling has been deepening since the meeting commenced, and yet they do not walk out as they might and believe for present salvation. They look to themselves and seek to make themselves righteous by their good works and they do not walk out by faith, believing that Jesus will do that work for them which they cannot do for themselves, if they should try their lifetime. Genuine conversion unites the heart in clinging faith to the Friend of sinners. The heart is joined to the heart of infinite love. The life of the truly converted is knit by hidden links to the heart of Jesus. Because Christ lives, he will live also. His destiny is bound to Jesus. He is kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” (Lt26-1880.12)

The “genuine conversion” described above is the experience of those who have not bowed the knee to Baal nor kissed his face.  This described the remnant of whom the enemy of souls is furious with.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”  Revelation 12:17

Are you Christ’s?  Have you been baptized into Christ?  The question isn’t were you submerged in water?  The question is have you been baptized into Christ?  Have you been immersed in Christ or have you simply been sprinkled with Him?  Do you live in the present reality of the finished and finishing work of Christ?  Have you allowed the living Christ to abide in you in the person of His Holy Spirit?  Do you live and move and have your being in Him?  These are all things that we clearly cannot do for ourselves and these are the ways of the "heirs according to the promise”.  When we do this at last, the cycle will be broken.

May we all be immersed in Christ and know the baptism of the Holy Spirit today.  In so doing we will be part of the “dust” promise that was given to faithful Abraham.

~Kelly Kinsley

 

 

“None but God can subdue the pride of man’s heart. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot regenerate ourselves. In the heavenly courts there will be no song sung, “To me that loved myself, and washed myself, and redeemed myself, unto me by glory and honor, blessing and praise.” But this is the keynote of the song that is sung by many here in this world. They do not know what it means to be meek and lowly in heart, and they do not mean to know this if they can avoid it. The whole Gospel is comprised in learning of Christ His meekness and lowliness.” (Letter 73, 1896)

“What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself. When men see their own nothingness, they are prepared to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. When they begin to praise and exalt God all the day long, then by beholding, they are becoming changed into the same image.” (Letter 73, 1896)

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God Who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;” Deuteronomy 7:6-9