What is the Abrahamic Covenant?

(Follower;60704)
(tim_from_pa;60659)
Show me scripture to support that and I'll show you mine. There is an elect race of Israel. Paul made that abundantly clear in Romans 9.
You have Romans 9 backwards. Paul is sad because his race is not the elect. He explains that Israel (the race) doesn't equal Israel (the elect), v39. Paul then points out what I have pointed out, if God's elect were a race, God would not have chosen Isaac over Ishmael. I don't know how much more point blank Paul could get than to say, "Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children."Read what the Lord Jesus has to say in John 8 and 9. Jordon has already quoted, "John 8:37 - I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you." Then what does Jesus say? Jesus says those descendants of Abraham are not Abraham's children. The Promise made to Abraham was not to his children in the flesh but to his children through Jesus Christ. Christians are the elect! (The core doctrine of Christianity.)In order for an elect of grace to come aboard, God needed a race so that grace can come forward. Lord Jesus Christ didn't just come to Earth in a "mysterious" fashion way. Without a bloodline of God's chosen race, Christ would never be born...And Christians are the elect? Not all Christians are the elect to be honest with you. I think this scripture comes to mind...Matthew 22:14 - For many are called, but few are chosen.

(tim_from_pa;60709)
Are you aware that there are two elections?
No, I do not know of two elections. It sounds like you're promoting the dual-covenant theory that Jews are saved without Jesus.
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.Paul is not saying that some Israelites are not Abraham's children. He is saying that not all that are viewed as Israel (e.g. the Jews) are all the Israelites as a whole. There are others.
The NIV is less vague, "For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children." Not everyone who is a descendant from Abraham belongs to Israel.
And likewise (neither) are all the seed of Abraham counted for the promise. (This is a contrast to the first statement) He then goes on to say that in Isaac shall thy seed be called. IN other words, only certain lineages of the branches of Abraham's family tree had the promises.
It looks like you're contradicting what you've just said. Just certain branches? God extended the promise to the righteous members of Abraham's family, from a line from Abraham through Mary, for the sake of the Lord Jesus. But, who are you to say which branches, if any, God has elected since Mary? What purpose would this serve?Abraham was saved because he had faith in God and it was counted as righteousness. The same for Isaac and Jacob. The same as all Christians. The same as all to whom the promise extends.

When we learn to view all things through the eyes of God, then will we truly know Him. The true knowledge of God begins with a recognition of His sovereignty. The more we know Him, the more sovereign He seems to be. The less we know Him, the more sovereign man seems to be.Elsewhere in Paul's writings, he confirms the doctrine of election. In Ephesians 1:4-6,4Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.Even as Jacob was elected before his birth, that God's choice might stand not of works-so also were we chosen in Him "before the foundation of the world." We are predestinated and chosen "according to the kind intention of His will" (vs. 5) to be saved first and bring the nations to Christ. Paul says it again in 2 Timothy 1:9,9Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity ["before times eonian"].Paul also writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, "God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation." If we had not been chosen, God may have decreed that we should be born in an idolatrous nation, where the name of Christ had never been heard. If so, our chances of being Christians today would be somewhere between slim and nil. No matter how we slice it, our cultural and religious background, the time and place we are born, and many other factors all make it easy or difficult to find Christ. These are factors outside of our control, determined by the sovereignty of God alone. From a human viewpoint, this is simply not fair, especially if it results in eternal torment for 99% of mankind.When any man receives enlightenment of the Truth, it is an act of God. Paul learned this by personal experience, and such a dramatic event had a tremendous impact upon his view of God's election. We must keep this in mind as we read Romans 9, for Paul wrote this chapter as a result of his own personal experience. Some other Scriptures reflecting this are:Matt. 11:27. 27All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 2 Tim. 2:25. 25With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,Rom. 2:4. 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?John 6:37. 37 All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.John 6:44. 44 No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws (helkuo, "drags") him.John 1:13. 13Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God [i.e., God's will].Having thus established that God is sovereign and if He chooses to keep you in vanity for reasons we may not understand at the present, this is something that we as Christians must receive by faith or we will (just as Paul) think God is unjust in His Purpose. We have to except that God knows what He is doing even when we think He might be wrong. That my friend...is what we have to accept. Wedon't know but what we do know is God will do what is right.Logabe

(tim_from_pa;60715)
I'm going to do something more productive now, like teach my cats calculus.
You probably will find it a more fruitful use of your time to teach your cat calculus than to convince me of something contrary to scripture. If this helps, my cat finds solving calculus problems through algebraic manipulation of Laplace transforms to be easier than doing the actual calculus, especially when it comes to trigonometric integrations.

The Pentecostal Christians of the first century had succeeded where Israel had failed at Mount Sinai, for they had the faith to go to the upper room to see Pentecost fulfilled. Nevertheless, they needed endurance in this new way in order to have the faith to fulfill the feast of Tabernacles. This feast represents the promise of God, which is no longer a piece of real estate in the Middle East, but the glorified body—the “tabernacle from above” that Paul wrote of in 2 Cor. 5:1-4. 13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply you.” 15 And thus, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. Here is another example to show that we need patience and endurance to obtain the full promise of the feast of Tabernacles—that is, to be an overcomer. This is one of the most misunderstood ideas in the book of Hebrews, because so few understand the distinction between a believer and an overcomer. They do not know the difference between a citizen of the Kingdom and a ruler in the Kingdom. Without knowing this distinction, one side argues that “once saved, always saved,” while the opposing view argues that one must “endure to the end to be saved.” Both sides make this an issue of salvation, when in fact it is an issue of which feast one is fulfilling. The Church in the wilderness under Moses was “saved” (i.e., justified by faith), but they were neither filled with the Spirit (by rejecting Pentecost at Sinai), nor did they receive the promise of Tabernacles, which is the glorified body. ( Abrahamic Covenant)Once we understand that there are three feasts of Israel (Deut. 16:16) which we may experience, then it is plain that not every believer is at the same place in his/her Christian walk. If a believer wants to inherit the first resurrection and reign with Christ during the thousand-year Age to come, he must endure to the end. In the context of the book of Hebrews, he cannot revert back to Judaism and still hope to be an overcomer. The example of Abraham refers specifically to the promise of Sonship, for Abraham was promised a son. In fact, he was promised many sons and a multitude of nations. This promise of Sonship was part of the birthright passed down from Abraham to Isaac and then to Jacob. Jacob gave it to his son, Joseph (1 Chron. 5:1, 2), of whom it was said, “Joseph is a fruitful son” [Heb. ben]. ( Gen. 1:28) (Hebrews 6:16-20)16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. 17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 in order that by two unchangeable things, in which is it impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. God swore an oath to Abraham to establish Sonship through him. Paul tells us in Galatians 3:26-29 that one does not have to be a physical descendant of Abraham in order to inherit this promise of Sonship. Like the change in priesthood from Aaron to Melchizedek, the promise of Sonship is no longer based upon one's genealogy, but upon one's faith. The idea of being “the son of Abraham” is much like other Hebrew idioms such as “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), “children of light” (Luke 16:8), “children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36), “children of the wicked one” (Matt. 13:38). Note also that “wisdom is justified by her children” (Luke 7:35). Thus, we see that God's vow was to give Abraham many children, and Paul tells us that this is in no way limited to genealogical children. In fact, John the Baptist informs us in Luke 3:8, 8 Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham for our [genealogical] father,” for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. This promise of Sonship (Abrahamic Covenant) was established by “two unchangeable things” (6:18). First was the promise to Abraham, ratified by the blood-sacrifice of five animals (Gen. 15:9). Second was the promise ratified by the blood of the True Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In both cases, the blood sacrifice was unchangeable. This anchors our hope (expectation) with a sure and steadfast faith in the One who entered the veil as High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek. As High Priest of this new Order, Jesus Christ entered the Most Holy Place in the True Temple in heaven, carrying His own blood to sprinkle upon the mercy seat, of which the ones in Moses' tabernacle and Solomon's temple were only shadows of the True. What is the Abrahamic Covenant? It is the manifested Sons Of God. The Spirit Given without measure to the ones that press into the high calling of God in Christ Jesus(Rom. 8:19-23). What kind of calling do you want? A high calling or alow calling. If we choose high...we must press into theSpirit and partake of the Kingdom through submittingourselves to God and in due season "He will exalt us."Logabe

The Bible records a number of covenants, but there are two covenants that deal directly with man's salvation. They are commonly called the Old and New Covenants. The Old Covenant was instituted through Moses, who was its "mediator." The New Covenant was mediated by Jesus.The Old Covenant made man fully liable for all sin. The New Covenant made Jesus fully liable. But in order to understand the relationship between these two covenants, we must take note of Paul's commentary on them in the third chapter of Galatians. It is extremely important that we understand the relationship between these two covenants in order to comprehend the process of man's salvation. Galatians 3:15 reads:15Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.In other words, if you draw up a contract with someone, once it has been signed and witnessed by both parties, you cannot change it or refuse to abide by it. It is absolutely binding upon all who sign their names to it. God made a contract (covenant) with Abraham and to his seed. It was by "promise." In modern terminology, we could say that God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham. It was like a "promise to pay," a check that bore only one signature-God's.If you recall, in Genesis 15 God told Abraham to take five animals and cut them in half. This was a "blood covenant." Although men normally used only one animal, God used five in order to bind Himself five-fold to the fulfillment of its promise. Five is also the number of grace.No doubt Abraham expected to walk between the animal halves with God, thus making the covenant binding upon both of them equally. In those days, this was how men made blood covenants with each other; they would link arms and walk between the halves, signifying, "may God cut me in half if I break this covenant."However, God had a better idea. He knew that imperfect men could not be perfectly obedient. He knew that men would always break any covenant they made with God. Thus, men would always be liable, and God would have to cut them to pieces. So God put Abraham to sleep (Gen. 15:12), and as he slept, God alone passed between these pieces of flesh (Gen. 15:17).Thus, the Abrahamic covenant was unconditional in nature. Only God bound Himself to perform certain things. This is what Paul means when he says that this covenant was made "by promise." It is not "by agreement," which is two-sided. It is "by promise," which is one-sided, a check to Abraham written and signed by the hand of God alone.The only problem was that if Abraham could not sign his name to it, then who was going to ratify it? Recall in Gal. 3:15 above, it says that no one can annul it once it has been ratified. As we shall see, the promise was given to Abraham, but it was ratified nearly 2,000 years later by Jesus. Verse 17 says it was "previously ratified by God" (before the time of Moses); however, one must remember that in the spirit there is no past or present. And so in the sight of God, Jesus had already died from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8) to ratify the covenant that was, in human terms, yet to come. And so the law is satisfied on this point. Now Paul contrasts this one-sided, promise-covenant with the two-sided, obligation-covenant, which God later made through Moses:17 What I am saying is this: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.You see, Paul is dealing with an apparent contradiction in these two covenants. The first said, "I promise to save all your seed and give them the Kingdom." The second said, "I will save you ONLY IF you are obedient." Listen to the conditions of the Mosaic Covenant, which we read in Exodus 19:5 and 6.5'Now then, IF you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, THEN you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.If anyone doubts the conditional nature of this covenant with Moses, just read Leviticus 26, where God spells out the blessings for obedience and the curses (penalties) for disobedience. This was a covenant (contract) that BOTH God and Israel had to sign. It was totally unlike the Abrahamic covenant, where God was both Promiser and Ratifier through Jesus.And so the problem that Paul raises in Galatians 3:17 is this: Which covenant shall we follow in order to obtain the inheritance, or the promises? More than that, what is the relationship between the two covenants? If God already unconditionally promised the inheritance to Israel in the time of Abraham, then why institute a second covenant under Moses, a conditional covenant at that, which seemed to nullify the Abrahamic covenant?The answer is that God, in His wisdom, did not wish to raise up children who were rebellious or disobedient. If He had promised to save all mankind regardless of their actions, then God would be saving unrepentant children who had not learned the lessons of obedience that He desired. And so, the covenant under Moses established the judgments of God upon the disobedient and set the standard of righteousness in the earth that men would ultimately attain. The law covenant, spoken out of the midst of fire, established not only the discipline to bring believers into maturity, but also established and defined a future "lake of fire" for the disobedient unbelievers.Logabe

When God covenanted with Abraham, He gave the inheritance of the Kingdom to him and to his seed. Then He instituted another covenant under Moses to delay the inheritance until such time as the people learned obedience.But there is another, more universal level of meaning to this story. God chose Abraham and his seed to be a blessing to all families of the earth. Abraham was to be God's attorney to call together all families of the earth (after the death of Jesus Christ) for a reading of His will. They are called to inform the world of their inheritance, now that the Testator has died. This covenant cannot be annulled for any reason. However, under Moses, God set a condition before that promise could be inherited. The condition is obedience. And so, we ask people to make a decision to follow Christ. What does this mean? It means, essentially, that we are to ratify, or sign our names to the Mosaic Covenant, promising to make Jesus the Lord of our life and obey His law (refrain from sin).This is what it means to place our faith in Him. They have faith if they truly believe that God is able through Jesus Christ to fulfill His promise. Israel in Moses' day, as they stood at the foot of the mount, believed that Yahweh was the true God and was able to bring them into the Promised Land. They believed that His laws were righteous. And so, by faith, they decided to follow Him.But did they follow Him? The Bible says that they failed God at almost every step of the way, just as we too fail to be perfectly obedient. Does this mean that the Abrahamic covenant has failed? Was God not strong enough to bring His people into the Promised Land? Was man's will strong enough to make God's promise fail to bring blessing to all families of the earth? No, a thousand times no. Salvation is not dependent upon the will of man, but of God. The will of man is never more powerful than the sovereignty of God. Man's disobedience only delays the final outcome of grace-and even then, it is only because this was part of God's plan from the beginning.And so, our decision to follow Christ-which is without question the most important decision we can make-is nonetheless NOT the true basis of our salvation. It was not the basis of Israel's salvation either. We are not saved by the will of man, for the will of man has its roots in Moses, not in Abraham. This decision to follow Christ might save us only if we had the ability to fulfill that decision (vow) and never sin again. Even so, making a decision for Christ was important enough in the eyes of God to send Moses to Israel and mediate that decision-making covenant.Our inheritance with God is instead based upon a better covenant, the new and unconditional covenant signed by Jesus in his own blood. Jesus' death was the only condition by which the Abrahamic covenant could be obtained. A "last will and testament" is not in force until the death of him that made the will, as we read in Hebrew 9:16 and 17.16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.The blessings of our inheritance were spelled out in both the Abrahamic and the Mosaic covenants. However, with the Mosaic covenant the inheritance could be obtained only by the will of the flesh to be perfectly obedient and by the blood of bulls and goats to atone for disobedience. On the other hand, the Abrahamic covenant (will) was made "valid" by Jesus' death. The inheritance is obtained by the will of God alone, and by the blood of the true Sacrifice for sin-Jesus Christ.Those who believe that their own "decision" will save them, those who believe that salvation comes by the will of man, are in the same position as the majority were in the Old Testament. This opinion led quite naturally to the idea that keeping the law could save men. And so throughout history, from ancient Israel and even throughout the history of the Church, we find men seeking the perfection of the flesh through self-discipline. With it came the idea that doctrinal perfection ("orthodoxy") was also necessary to salvation, for one had to be perfected in both body and soul (mind).These misconceptions have put a great burden upon the Church. Christians everywhere are driven to seek personal perfection in order to be saved. Many are full of guilt for not fulfilling their vow to be perfect. Christianity for them has become a performance-based religion. So long as they see in themselves personal imperfections, they walk in guilt and fear, rather than in forgiveness and faith. The solution is to see that our salvation and justification, is based upon the decision of God Himself. Our ability to be obedient is a sanctification process by which we-as Christians-learn to hear God's voice as He leads us to the Promised Land, the perfection of the Feast of Tabernacles.Jesus never advocated breaking the law, nor did the Apostle Paul. But Paul very carefully explains to us that it is impossible for us to obtain our inheritance ("salvation") by means of the law covenant. It comes instead by the death of Jesus, which validated the Abrahamic covenant, the unconditional promise that we shall receive the inheritance. And what He has promised, He will see to it that it shall be done, for this is His Will. Logabe