Unlimited: Father Abraham
Jul 15, 2022 942
Father Abraham is the first person in the Bible of whom it is said that he was justified by believing in God (Rom. 15:6.) In this sense he is the “father of all who believe.” The way in which Abraham was justified therefore points to how all who come after him will be justified.
So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them (Romans 4:11b).
The principle of “firsts” is an important one in the Bible. It tells us that the first mention of something in the Bible tends to establish its meaning in subsequent mentions.
We call him Father Abraham because he illustrates how it is that we are saved: by having righteousness credited to us when we believe.
The Jewish people believed that Abraham was their father. But Paul is telling them that Abraham is actually also the father of the Gentiles who have believed. In fact, Abraham is the father of every member of the human race who believes in Jesus Christ.
Abraham is our father because he illustrates how it is that we are saved: by having righteousness credited to us when we believe. In this way, all believers become spiritual descendants of father Abraham: spiritual Israel.
This is a key teaching of Paul’s epistle to the Romans. It is in this way that God will fulfill all of his promises to Israel. It is in this way that all who believe receive the promises given to God’s people throughout the ages.
Spiritual Application
If everyone obtains righteousness in the same way, including those who lived before and after Abraham, why do you think that God chose Abraham to especially illustrate how we are saved, and to be called “the father of all who believe”?
Leave a Reply