The Bible makes a distinction between sons and descendants. Throughout the Old Testament, various people were labeled as being either a son of Abraham or his descendant. According to the Bible, Christians are classified as ‘sons’ of Abraham and the Jewish people are considered to be the descendants of Abraham. In this post, we will take a look at the difference between a son and a descendant of Abraham.
John 8:31-33 & 37-38 – To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”…37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”
In this verse, Jesus agrees that the Jewish people are descendants of Abraham, meaning they are physical descendants of Abraham. Today, all Jewish people are descendants of Abraham as well.
And to these descendants, God made a promise through their ancestor, Abraham.
When the Jews stated that they were descendants of Abraham, Jesus agreed with them. Through blood and DNA, they are related to Abraham. The promises that God made to Abraham and his descendants on this earth, such as having as many descendants as the dust of the earth and the land of Israel as their possession, have been fulfilled by God to the Jewish people. However, Jesus states in John 8:44, that their father is the devil.
John 8:44 – You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The 2 Promises Made To Abraham
There are 2 sets of promises made to Abraham; one was to his ‘descendants’ and the other to his ‘sons’.
Genesis 17:1-8 – When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
The two sets of promises given to Abraham are:
- God will greatly increase his descendants and the whole land of Canaan will be given as an everlasting possession to Abraham’s descendants. God will establish an everlasting covenant with these descendants and as long as they circumcise their sons; the land will be theirs forever.
This promise is for the Jewish people as descendants of Abraham.
- The second promise is that God will make Abraham the father of many nations. Meaning, he wouldn’t be just a forefather to the nation of Israel, but a spiritual father to many other Gentile nations.
This promise is for the Christian people and was fulfilled through the Messiah, Jesus, who is the seed/spiritual son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1 – This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
The promise God made to Abraham regarding his descendants, the Jewish people, would come through Isaac, Abraham’s biological son.
Genesis 17:19 – Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
Isaac was also Abraham’s spiritual son because he believed in the same promises as Abraham, believing in promises he never saw fulfilled in his lifetime.
Hebrews 11:8-9 – By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
Descendant And Child; Different Promises And Covenants
Let us now examine the difference between a son and a descendant. Biologically, anyone directly related to someone through birth is considered a son. However, the Bible offers a different meaning for the term ‘son’. Ishmael was also a son of Abraham who was born to Hagar, Sarah’s slave.
Genesis 16:3 – So after Abram had been living in Canaan for ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
Many Christian scholars refer to Ishmael as an ‘illegitimate child’, but this is not a fair or biblically accurate statement. The scriptures state that Hagar was given to Abraham to be his wife. Out of this union, Ishmael was born, whom Abraham naturally referred to as a son (as we all would). However, God refers to Ishmael as ‘the boy’, ‘descendant’ and ‘son of the slave’. He does not call Ishmael a son of Abraham. He specifically refers to Ishmael as a descendant of Abraham and never refers to Ishmael as Abraham’s son.
Genesis 21:11-13 – The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. 13 And of the son of the slave woman I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.
God refers to Ishmael only as the slave woman’s son and as Abraham’s descendant, even though biologically, Ishmael is in all pretenses and purposes, Abraham’s son. It is Isaac whom God refers to as Abraham’s son – his only son.
Genesis 22:2 – Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”
Genesis 22:12 – He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Genesis 22:16 – and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son…
And so we can see that in God’s eyes, a son is different from a descendant. Ishmael and Isaac were both biological sons of Abraham, but God considered Ishmael merely a descendant, meaning only biological. It was Isaac, who represented the promises given to Abraham. Isaac believed in the promises of God like his father, Abraham, without seeing any of it come to pass during his lifetime, and was considered a son. Isaac believed without seeing, like Abraham did, making him Abraham’s spiritual (and biological) son. He had the faith of Abraham.
The Apostle Paul also explains this in:
Romans 9:6-9 – 6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
The Spiritual Sons Of Abraham
In this case, Ishmael and Isaac had different mothers. But in the story of Jacob and his older brother, Esau, they had the same mother, yet God chose one to carry the promise and not the other, even though both children came from the same mother and father. They were twins who grew together in the same womb. Rightfully so, Esau was the eldest and should have received the promise but he did not. The Apostle Paul explains this in:
Romans 9:10-13 & 16 – Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
This means that God determines who is a son and who is a descendant. A son is a spiritual son who does the deeds of his father. To be a son of Abraham, you must have the faith of Abraham which is to believe God for what you cannot see. Isaac had this faith, as he also believed in the promises given to Abraham as did Jacob, all unto their deaths, without ever seeing them come to pass.
Hebrews 11:8-10 – By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
This is why Isaac and Jacob were also considered Abraham’s sons (spiritually). They believed in God’s promises without seeing and so Jesus says:
John 20:29 – Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The promises given to Abraham were repeated to Isaac and Jacob, without them ever seeing it come to pass.
Genesis 26:2-3 – The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.
Genesis 28:12-13 – He [Jacob] had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
Both Isaac and Jacob believed God like Abraham did until they died, without seeing the promises fulfilled. Paul explains this in:
Hebrews 11:13, 20-22 & 39 – All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth….20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Joseph also exhibited faith like Abraham, making him a spiritual son too. By faith, he ordered that when he dies, his bones are to be taken with the children of Israel when they return to the Promised Land. Joseph spoke this out of faith, as at the time, there was no evidence to indicate a return to the Promised Land. He never actually saw the inhabitance of the Promised Land come to pass during his lifetime.
Continued Hebrews 11:22 – By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones…39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
How Can You Be A Son Of Abraham?
In order to be a son of Abraham, you must have the faith of Abraham to believe in what God says without seeing the promise come to pass during your lifetime. Those who have faith like Abraham, are the children of Abraham. This means to believe in that which you cannot see. Such as the kingdom of heaven, the Holy Spirit, the spiritual Temple of God and the promised Messiah. Abraham gave up what he could see, his beloved son Isaac, for what he could not see, the promises of God. This is the faith of Abraham!
Hebrews 11:17-19 – It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
It means to believe in these things so much, that you are willing to sacrifice the things you can see, money and possessions, the luxuries and pleasures of this life, for the age to come; the promises of God which you cannot see (the kingdom of heaven). This is faith like Abraham!
Luke 16:9 ESV – And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
Luke 16:9 NLT – Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.
Luke 16:11-13 NLT – And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
Luke 16:13 ESV – No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Abraham offered up what he could see (his son, Isaac) for what he could not (the promise that God would multiply his descendants through Isaac).
Hebrews 11:1-2 – Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
There is no such thing as faith that is not blind. All faith is blind since this is the very definition of faith. True faith like Abraham is to confidently believe in what you cannot see.
Galatians 3:5-7 – So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.
Scripture shows us that the true children of Abraham are those who believe and have faith in what they cannot and will never see in their lifetime, pertaining to the promises of God. The promises of God are the Holy Spirit, the promised Messiah, the kingdom of Heaven and the spiritual Temple of God. This faith makes us righteous like Abraham.
Galatians 3:6-9 – So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Romans 4:3 – What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Genesis 15:6 – Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
James 2:23 – And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”and he was called God’s friend.
The children of Abraham are those who believe in the Promised Messiah who is Jesus. You believe in Jesus by accepting his teachings without compromise and by sacrificing the things we can see for that which we cannot see. For example, our earthly possessions and wealth (money) must be sacrificed for what we cannot see which is entry into the kingdom of heaven and escape from hell.
Luke 12:32-33 – “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”
In doing this, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, heaven and hell are 3 things we believe in without physically seeing until after death.
Galatians 3:14 – He [Jesus] redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
How Does Abraham Bless All The Nations Of The World?
Paul goes on to explain how Abraham blesses all the nations of the world:
Romans 4:9-24 – Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Verse 12 also points out that not only is Abraham the father of the uncircumcised (Gentiles who believe in the Messiah) but he is also the father of the circumcised (Jews who believe in the Messiah) “who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” The natural continuation of Abraham’s faith leads to belief in Jesus, the Messiah’s teachings. All of the teachings of Jesus take the faith of Abraham to believe and receive, since we will not see any of them in this lifetime until the age to come. It is to believe God’s word even though you cannot see any physical evidence of what God promised. Abraham is the father of both Jews and Gentiles who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
Continued Romans 8:13 – It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Abraham is the father of both Jews and Gentiles who believe Jesus is the Messiah.
Continued Romans 8:17 – As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
And so, the Jewish people are descendants of Abraham in that they believe because they have seen the fulfilment of God’s promises. They have seen the possession of the land of Israel, the building of the Temple and the growth of their race like the sand of the shore. Because of the promise of their earthly descendancy, they will continue to possess the land of Israel forever.
The sons of Abraham are those (Jews and Gentiles) who believe in Jesus, the Messiah and the things which are not seen such as the Holy Spirit, the spiritual Temple of God and the kingdom of heaven. We are all either connected to Abraham through descendancy (the Jewish people), or through spiritual sonship (anyone who believes in the teachings of the Messiah, Jesus). Abraham does indeed bless many nations!
The Jewish people believe that they are the seed that blesses many nations for the scripture says:
Genesis 12:3 – I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Galatians 3:8 – Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
Paul is explaining that the preaching of the Gospel (Jesus’ teachings) to the Gentiles is how the families of the earth are blessed. This is what Jesus commanded to his disciples, including us, to do in order to fulfill God’s word.
Mark 16:15 – He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Abraham is told this by God in:
Genesis 18:18 – Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
Genesis 22:17-18 – I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
This is why Jesus states:
John 8:56 – Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
Jesus is referring to the scriptures where God refers to the whole world being blessed by the Messiah, a son and descendant of Abraham. He rejects the Jew’s assertion that they are children of Abraham and also disagrees with their claim that God is their father.
John 8:39-42 – They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
Instead, Jesus states that their father is the devil.
John 8:44 – You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The true children of Abraham are now Christians, the followers of Christ. A true child of Abraham reacts to Jesus the way Abraham did:
John 8:56: Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
However the Jews did not react this way to the coming of Jesus which makes them only descendants of Abraham.
Sons Of Abraham Are Rare And Precious To God
We know that Jesus was both a physical descendant of Abraham which millions of Jewish people also are. There’s nothing special in that, which is why John the Baptist states:
Matthew 3:9 – And don’t think you can escape punishment by saying that Abraham is your ancestor. I tell you that God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham!
Luke 3:8 – Live lives which shall prove your change of heart; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our forefather,’ for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.
Descendants are easily made by God, they are just biological creations. But to raise sons of Abraham is another matter entirely. Sons of Abraham are rare to God due to their precious faith.
Jesus, being a spiritual son of Abraham, means that he believed God and had the faith like Abraham to believe that which he had not physically seen.
Matthew 1:1 – This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Jesus never physically saw the whole world being blessed by his teachings, although he was promised this by God through Abraham. Jesus believed because God said it and now thousands of years later, it has come to pass. Jesus is a spiritual son of Abraham.
Continued John 8:39-40 – They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.
Jesus does not agree with the Jews that Abraham is their father. A spiritual son does the same works and deeds as his father. Jesus explains this in:
John 5:19 – Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.
In the same way, Peter calls wives who do the same deeds as Sarah, by not being afraid to submit to their husbands, ‘daughters’ of Sarah.
1 Peter 3:6 – For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
Jesus explains this concept to the Jews:
John 8:44 – You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Jesus is explaining that the Jewish people did not accept him as Abraham did, upon hearing the promise that his seed would bless many nations. Therefore, they are not sons of Abraham but rather, their father is Satan, as they are doing his works.
Jesus Is The Seed Of Abraham
Jesus is the seed of Abraham meaning he is both a descendant of Abraham and a spiritual son of Abraham. Paul explains this further in:
Genesis 22:18 – And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Galatians 3:16 – The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
Through belief in Jesus’ teachings, we are the nations of the earth who are blessed. Peter explains how the children of Israel are not the seed that will bless the families of the whole earth but rather, they are just one of the families of the earth that will be blessed also by the Messiah, the seed of Abraham (Jesus). Jews, who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, are the families of the Jewish nation (Israel) that are blessed by Abraham’s seed, Jesus the Messiah. This now makes them not just descendants, but sons of Abraham and this is the blessing to the nations.
Acts 3:24-26 – “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
KJV Translation Acts 3:24-26 – Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. 25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Peter is explaining to the Jewish people that as descendants of Abraham, they are heirs of the covenant made with Abraham and they are blessed first by the seed of Abraham (spiritual son of Abraham) who is the Messiah (Jesus). They are one of the families of the earth.
Through faith in the teachings of Jesus who is the seed of Abraham, the Jewish people become spiritual sons of Abraham, children of God (people of God). Gentiles are blessed by faith in Abraham’s seed, Jesus the Messiah, and also become children of Abraham and children of God.
Hosea 2:23 – I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people,‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”
Romans 9:25 – As He also says in Hosea: “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
Hosea 1:10 – Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted; and in the place where it is said to them, “you are not My people,” it will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.”
Romans 9:26 – “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Descendants of Abraham Have Already Received Their Promises
Because the Jewish people have seen their promises already fulfilled (ie. they will have descendants like the dust/sand and the possession of Israel), this makes them descendants of Abraham.
Paul explains this in:
Romans 9:6-8 – It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
Romans 9:30-33 – What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
Paul is explaining that the descendants of Abraham (the Jewish people) live by the law. This means that they live by their own interpretation and standards of right and wrong in God’s word. But the followers of Jesus live by faith. This means they live by faith in Jesus’ interpretation and standards of what is right and wrong in God’s word, and not their own.
Descendants of Abraham are people who believe in God’s visible promises such as the land of Israel and having descendants as numerous as the stars. They believe in God because of the promises they have seen God fulfill.
Sons of Abraham are Christians who believe in God’s invisible promises such as the promised Messiah, the Holy Spirit, the spiritual Temple and the Kingdom of Heaven. They believe in God because they have faith like their father Abraham, who believed God for things that they will never see during their lifetime. A faith that believes in God just because He said it. In conclusion, we must aim to become children of Abraham which carries an eternal promise of entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.
We believe God by giving up what we can see – our earthly possessions and wealth, for what we cannot see – the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 14:33 – So then, none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
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