3. Promises to Abraham impacted

1. Bible Overview Steve Atkerson ~ Atlanta, Georgia New Testament Reformation Fellowship 3. Promises to Abraham impacted

2. 1. Land, 12:1, 7a 2. Seed, 12:2a 3. Blessing, 12:3b

3. Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they tookpossession of it, and they settled there . . . Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. — Joshua 21:43-45 (ESV)

4. ESV Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance . . . By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

5. ESV Hebrews 11:13-16 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.

6. ESV Galatians 3:6-9 . . . Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" . . . And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

7. ESV Deuteronomy 1:10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. ESV 1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. ESV Deuteronomy 1:10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. • ESV 1 Kings 4:20 • Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. ESV 1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.

8. NAS Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

9. ESV Galatians 3:29 . . . if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

10. Seed Promise Physical descendants of Abraham

11. Seed Promise • Physical descendants of Abraham • Christ (Seed Jesus)

12. Seed Promise • Physical descendants of Abraham • Christ (Seed Jesus) • 3. Any true believer (Israeli or Gentile): True Israel, Spiritual Israel

13. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

14. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

15. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

16. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

17. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

18. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

19. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

20. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

21. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

22. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

23. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

24. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

25. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

26. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

27. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent

28. immediate . . . ultimate physical . . . metaphysical foreshadow . . . reality type . . . fulfillment temporary . . . eternal outward . . . inward, internal sign . . . substance interim . . . permanent.

29. What effect (if any) do the ultimate New Testament fulfillments of the promises of the Abrahamic covenant have on the intermediate Old Testament fulfillment of the promises?

30. Once the final fulfillments came, how are we to view the initial fulfillments?

31. And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations . . . Every male throughout your generations . . . shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.   Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised . . . shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” — Genesis 17:9-14

32. What does the NT do with circumcision? Does the NT require circumcision of Jewish believers under the New Covenant?

33. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision.   For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.   Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. — 1 Corinthians 7:18-20 (ESV)

34. ESV Galatians 5:2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

35. ESV Galatians 5:2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ESV Galatians 5:6 . . . in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. .

36. ESV Galatians 5:2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ESV Galatians 5:6 . . . in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. ESV Galatians 6:15 . . . neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

37. ESV Colossians 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ . . .

38. ESV Colossians 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ . . . ESV Colossians 3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

39. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . . — Philippians 3:2-3

40. Something fundamental has changed

41. Something fundamental has changed We are playing by new rules

42. Something fundamental has changed We are playing by new rules There has been a radical shift in significance from outward signs to inward reality

43. Something fundamental has changed We are playing by new rules There has been a radical shift in significance from outward signs to inward reality The Abrahamic Covenant itself had two fulfillments, a short term and a long term, an intermediate and an ultimate, and shadow and a substance. So too with the sign of the covenant: from physical circumcision to spiritual circumcision.

45. . . . it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman (Hagar) and one by a free woman (Sarah). But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants (Old & New Testaments). One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;  she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.   But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. — Galatians 4:22-26 (ESV)

46.  I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth . . . And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. — Revelation 11:3-8 (ESV)

47. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.   So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.   For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. — Hebrews 13:10-14 (ESV)

48. James’ letter was written to Jewish believers, to the twelve tribes “scattered among the nations.”

49. James’ letter was written to Jewish believers, to the twelve tribes “scattered among the nations.” Did he tell them to move back to Palestine and reclaim their Canaan?

50. James’ letter was written to Jewish believers, to the twelve tribes “scattered among the nations.” Did he tell them to move back to Palestine and reclaim their Canaan? Did he tell them that they were the rightful heirs of the land promise?