so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of abraham might come to the gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. — [galatians 3:14]
the blessing of abraham
abraham is a central figure of the bible and an inspiration to all who would follow the call of God and live by faith. hebrews 11:8 recalls this great faith, and that he “obeyed when he was called”.
in paul’s writings, there is a great deal of discussion about abraham, and the role of jews and gentiles in the church. in studying these passages, it is important to remember that christianity is not a ‘new’ religion that came about in the 1st century. Christianity is an extension, or fulfillment, of what God had planned from the beginning. God chose the jews to carry his redemptive message, and then completed our redemption – available to all people – through Christ.
after all, Jesus and the twelve apostles were jews who lived as jews and worshipped as jews. paul himself was a jew.
jews of that time, as today, placed great importance on their relationship to abraham. it was to abraham that God promised “a great nation”, a “promised land”, and that through him “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (genesis 12:1-3).
the promised Spirit
When we are saved, we become indwelt by the Holy Spirit! the jews were not chosen because they were somehow ‘better’ than other peoples; they were simply chosen to carry the message to all peoples.
paul is explaining that although the jews remain jews, and gentiles remain gentiles, members of these two groups are become uniquely one in Christ through the Spirit. the gospel is now entrusted to all people to bless all people, and we are saved not by being jews, not by trying to fulfill jewish laws, but by trusting in the savior, promised by God to all humanity. one does not need to be a physical descendant of abraham to embrace the promise of the Holy Spirit.
as paul previously discussed the curse that falls to us all, here we now see the promised blessing that is available to us all. not through following abraham, but through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. thanks be to God for his promises, his Holy Spirit, and his love for all people and desire for them to know Him!
~ jason soroski