The Messiah and the Covenants of Israel (Continued)

The Church and the Abrahamic Covenant

The Church and the ‘Seed’ Aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant

It is clear from Scripture that part of the covenant purpose for the ‘seed’ or posterity of Abraham was:

a.                         to produce a nation that could be segregated, educated and trained to worship and serve the one and only God. They were to be the trail-blazers of monotheism.

b.                        to understand the principles of righteousness.

c.                         to be a ‘sign’ nation for all other nations in respect of monotheism and righteousness.

d.                        to receive and protect the future Savior of the human race.

How successful were they? Answer: very successful:

(i)                      they embraced segregation wholeheartedly, and committed themselves to following the principles and precepts laid down for them by the God they worshiped and served.

(ii)                    their offerings and festivals demonstrated what was required to be accepted before a righteous God. Moreover, their writings gave such principles a voice, which could be heard by those who would take time to listen.

(iii)                  that they became a ‘sign’ nation has also been evident. They have survived against all odds, and those that have cursed them have themselves been cursed.

(iv)                  and whatever else you say about the generations that were contemporary with the Messiah, Israel did provide an environment where He, a sinless law abiding individual, could grow up and follow the code of righteousness without being the object of foolish curiosity and scrutiny. Apart from the opposition of Herod the Great at His birth, He spent the first thirty years in relative anonymity, just as was intended.

 

Furthermore, it was intended that after the nation had received their Messiah and the Messianic kingdom was a reality, they would continue with the essentials expressed above. The New Covenant would be in place, and they would be the evidence to the world that the Lord was a covenant keeping God, and that under His reign, government would be righteous and equitable; all people would be treated equally, and none would be disadvantaged. Unfortunately, for the people of Israel, the decision taken by their national leaders has delayed for them the implementation of the Messianic kingdom and the New Covenant. Nevertheless, God’s purposes continue to be fulfilled. The Abrahamic Covenant being an eternal covenant is still in place, which means that the nation of Israel still holds the privileged position of being the ‘seed’ to which the foundational covenant applies.

But since ‘seed’ singular is also taken by Paul to refer to the Messiah, and He has already come, then for the nation of Israel as well as the Church, the main element of the ‘seed’ aspect has been fulfilled. And even though the Church comes into blessing under the Abrahamic Covenant, at no time do its Gentile members become Jews and the ‘seed’ of Abraham in the natural sense.

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