‌God’s Promises to Abram

Abram is promised THE WORLD (Genesis 13:14–17)

After Lot had left, God spoke again to Abram. Here we have one of the most important promises in the Bible. Abram was told to look from the heights of the hill country near Bethel where he stood, to the north, south, east and west, as far as the eye could see. From that vantage point he would have taken in quite a panorama of the land. God then spoke to him.

Genesis 13:15 “For all the LAND which thou seest” Although what he could see would have been extensive, the promise was not limited only to this land. The apostle Paul later comments that he was in fact promised “the world” (Romans 4:13).

“To THEE will I give it” God promised Abram that he would inherit the land himself.

“And to THY SEED” God had already promised the land to his seed (12:7). We now realise that both Abram and his seed would inherit the land.

“for ever” Here is the key to the understanding of this promise. How could a mortal man inherit a land “for ever”? The only possible answer is that he must be raised from the dead and given immortality.

The Promises to Abraham are the Gospel

The meaning of this wonderful promise is revealed in the New Testament. Paul in fact devotes a whole chapter in his letter to the Galatians to explain the importance of this promise. In Galatians 3:8 he says that the giving of promises to Abraham was the Gospel being preached to him, because through these promises all nations would be justified through faith. To “be justified” means to be counted as righteous by God. It is through faith that we are made right with God.

Galatians 3:16 Here Paul directs his readers to this promise in Genesis 13:15: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made”. He then makes this point: “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many”; that is, God did not say that He had made these promises to many “seeds”, or descendants of Abraham , “but as of one”, that is, to one specific “seed”. Paul is showing that a careful reading of the Bible reveals that God has promised the land to Abraham and to one specific seed, or descendant. He now explains who that one seed is: “And to thy seed [singular], which is Christ”.

We now understand that God promised the land to Jesus Christ and to Abraham for ever. How can it be possible for Abraham who is dead to inherit it? For this promise to be fulfilled it is necessary for him to be raised from the dead and given immortality. This is exactly the way that Paul interprets the promises: “I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto the fathers...why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” (Acts 26:6–8; cp Luke 13:28–29).

Paul further expounds this promise in Galatians 3:26–29

Paul now shows how that we can share in the hope of the promise that God made to Abraham.

Galatians 3:26 We can also become the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27 Our faith motivates us to obey God’s commandments. The first thing we must then do is be baptised. Baptism is the way by which we identify with Christ (Mark 16:15–16). We lose our old identity and “put on Christ”. God sees us then as “in Christ” (cp Romans 6:3–8; Galatians 2:20).

Galatians 3:28 Paul shows that no matter what race, rank or gender, all have equal status in Christ through baptism. So God has made provision for a whole multitude, collectively, to become “ONE in Christ Jesus”.

Galatians 3:29 “and if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed” By baptism into Christ, we become incorporated into that one seed of Genesis 13:15. Though not Abraham’s natural descendants, we become his “seed” by faith and baptism.

“and heirs according to the promise” Now we see how this great promise can include us. Through the Lord Jesus Christ we become heirs of the promises which he will inherit.

Further References to This Promise

• Christ spoke of Abraham being in the Kingdom of God on earth when he returns to set it up (Luke 13:28–29).

• Christ shows that Abraham will certainly rise from the dead (Luke 20:37–38).

• Stephen states that Abraham has not yet received his promised inheritance of the land (Acts 7:5). Its fulfilment must then still be future.

We have seen from the promise that God made to Abraham (Genesis 13:14–17), that it held a glorious hope not only for him but for all those who, through baptism into the Lord Jesus Christ, share that hope with him (Galatians 3:16, 26–29).

Adapted from “The Exploring the Bible Course” by David Evans