Disciples Digital Library

The possession of the land of Canaan by Israel was a preliminary stage in God’s redemptive plan, one that always envisioned something larger than Israel or a relatively small plot of land in the Middle East. With the arrival of the Messiah, the covenant promises find their fulfillment in the “ true seed of Abraham ,” namely, Jesus, and this includes the future bodily resurrection and the new creation.

Basic to the redemption of humanity is the covenant with Abraham and his “ seed ,” including the promise that “ all the nations the earth will be blessed in him ,” and that he will have innumerable descendants. How and when will the nations be blessed in the Patriarch? And who are his descendants, and most importantly, who is the true “ seed of Abraham ” who inherits and implements the covenant promises?

If a man is not justified from the works of the Law, what was the purpose of the Law given at Sinai? – Galatians 3:19 .  In his letter to   the Galatians, Paul declares that we are set right with God from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” and not “ from the works of the Law .” But if keeping the “ works of the Law ” does not justify us, inevitably, this raises the question - What was the purpose of the  Torah ? Paul answers this question in the third chapter of his letter.

The promise of the Spirit is part of the blessing of Abraham for the nations and the children of Abraham .  Paul refers to the “ promise of the Spirit ” which he identifies as the “ blessing of Abraham .” Jesus came under the Law’s “ curse ” to redeem believers so that the “ blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. ”

According to Paul, the covenant promise of land for Abraham and his seed always envisioned the inclusion of the entire world  – Romans 4:13.  God began to redeem humanity with His covenant with Abraham, beginning with the summons for him to leave his homeland for the “ land that I will show you .” Yahweh would make him into a “ great nation ,” and in the Patriarch, He would “ bless all the clans of the earth .” And from the start, the land promise was central to the covenant.

The Gospel of  Matthew  begins by declaring that Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” This is more than a genealogical notation - it sets the stage for the theme of fulfillment in this gospel account. The lowly man from Nazareth is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ seed ” of the Patriarch. In him, all the covenant promises find their fulfillment.

New Jerusalem will be populated in fulfillment of the promise to Abraham to bless all nations  – Revelation 21:24-22:5.  The book of  Revelation  concludes with an image of the immense and glorious city of “ New Jerusalem ”  populated  by the “ innumerable multitude ” of men redeemed from every nation. It represents the fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham of “ land ” and “ blessings to all the nations .” All this is accomplished by the shed “ blood of the Lamb .”

Paul is adamant. Now, “ in Christ Jesus ,” no longer can there be “ Jew or Gentile .” He has “ dismantled the middle wall of partition ” that once separated Jew from Gentile, “ that he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the cross .” Having voided the “ law of the commands in ordinances ” that separated them, he is “ creating in himself one new man .”

In his letter to the  Romans , Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of the faith, the model for all men who choose to live from the “ faith of Jesus .” God counted the Patriarch’s faith as “ righteousness ” while he was yet uncircumcised, and thus He justified him apart from the “ works of the Law .” Consequently, he became the father of everyone who is “ from faith ,” both Jews and Gentiles, as well as the “ heir of the world .”

The introduction to Matthew’s gospel declares Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” But this is much more than another name on a genealogical list. He is the heir of the covenant promises made by God to the Patriarch. And his descent from Abraham forms the basis of the theme of fulfillment that dominates  Matthew .

From the start, the promise of the Spirit has been integral to redemption and the Covenant of God with His people .  In his letter to the  Galatians , Paul links the “ promise of the Spirit ” to the “ blessing of Abraham ,” the covenant promise that God will bless the Gentiles in the Patriarch. And he is referring to the Spirit that the Galatians received “ through a hearing of faith .” Thus, the gift of the Spirit is one of the covenant promises made to Abraham.

The land of Canaan was an early stage in the greater redemptive plan of Yahweh, one that  ALWAYS  envisioned something beyond the nation of Israel or the territory of Palestine. In the New Testament, the covenant promises find their fulfillment in the “ true seed of Abraham ,” Jesus Christ, including the New Creation - the “ new heavens and the new earth .”