The Abrahamic Covenant

As Christians we are sometimes so far removed from the ancient Jewish context of the Bible that we forget about some of the important promises and covenants that are found in the Old Testament. In this post, I want to look at one of those covenants, the Abrahamic covenant, in detail. To begin with, we will answer the question, “What is the Abrahamic Covenant and why is it important?"

The Abrahamic Covenant is a covenant that God made between Himself and Abraham. It details how God plans to save His people and restore all things. This restoration will occur through three wonderful promises. These promises include land for Abraham, a great number of descendants for Abraham, and universal blessings for the nations. It should also be noted that this covenant is the basis for the other covenants that God will institute in Scripture.

The initial promises of the Abrahamic covenant are found in Genesis 12:1-3. In this portion of the text we see in verse 2 that a great nation will come from Abraham. This great nation will become Israel, composed of descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also states that Abraham will be blessed, Abraham’s name will be great, and that Abraham will be a blessing. Continuing in verse three, God will bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse Abraham and through Abraham and his descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. Abraham and Israel will be used by God as a means of bringing blessings to the Gentiles. With the Abrahamic covenant, God obligates himself to bring blessings to three parties. He gives some promises to Abraham, some to the nation of Israel, and others to the families of the earth. Abraham will be personally blessed as God will make his name great and make him the father of many nations.

Israel will be blessed as it becomes a nation that inherits a land forever and experiences peace from her enemies. Gentile peoples will also be blessed as God brings them into His covenant and blesses them as the people of God alongside Israel. Although the initial covenant is mentioned in Genesis 12:1-3, there are other passages that expand on the promises made in the covenant. Genesis 15:1-21, here it can be seen that God will protect Abraham and reward him (v.1), and that Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars (v.5). The specifics of the land dimensions are given in verses 18-21. In Genesis 17:1-14 we see that God will multiply Abraham’s descendants (v.2), that Abraham will be a father of many nations (v.5), that Kings will come from Abraham (v. 6). It can also be seen in verse seven that this covenant is viewed as everlasting. We see in verse eight that all the land of Canaan is promised to Abraham, and in verses 10-14 that circumcision is the sign of the covenant. Some of these promises are elaborated on or expanded in Genesis 22:15-18.

The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant therefore its ultimate fulfillment is based on God and not on the actions of humans. The unconditional nature of the covenant means that God will bring the fulfillment of the covenant. This does not mean that every person or generation will experience the benefits of this covenant since a person or group’s relationship to the covenant is based on faith. While the covenant primarily focuses on Israel, it is not restricted to Israel nor are the promises seen only as applying to Israel.

It can be seen in Genesis 12:3 and 22:18 that God was intent to include Gentiles in the covenant promise. The link from the Old Testament to the New of the Abrahamic covenant comes with Jesus. It states in Luke 1:54-55, "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his offspring forever." And continuing on it states in Luke 1:72-73, “To show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father. “This can also be seen in Paul’s letters. In Galatians 3:7-9, Paul links Gentile salvation in the Church to what God had promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3 and 22:18 concerning blessings to Gentiles. Paul also draws on the significance of the Abrahamic covenant in Romans 4. Here Paul states that the timing of Abrahams faith is important. Abraham was counted as righteous before he was circumcised so that Abraham could be the father of two groups, Gentiles who are saved by faith, and Jews who believe. Believing Jews and Gentiles retain their ethnic identities, but both are united to Abraham through faith and are identified as descendants of Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant therefore declares that all kinds of people will be saved by grace through faith.
This is a very important aspect of the covenant. The promise of the covenant continues in relation to the people of Israel but is expanded to all those who are in Christ.

Abraham and his descendants were to be the mediators of the promise, and now the climax of this goal is reached in Christ. Those who believe in the manner of Abraham are “Abraham’s seed.” In his commentary on Romans, Douglas Moo puts it this way, “because Abraham believed while uncircumcised, he is the father of all Gentile believers; because he believed and was also circumcised, he is qualified to be the father of all Jewish believers. . . . Paul now claims Abraham and the inheritance that is his, for anyone who believes. It is through faith, and not through incorporation into the nation of Israel, that one becomes Abraham’s spiritual ‘child.” 

Many today have tried to spiritualize aspects of the Abrahamic covenant, specifically regarding the land promise to the nation of Israel. This does not need to be done. Although there is not as much in the New Testament regarding the land promise to Israel, there are text that deal with them. For instance, both Mary and Zechariah expressed hope that God would save Israel and deliver Israel from her enemies. These truths concerning national salvation and deliverance for the nation of Israel do not need to be spiritualized or made to refer to the Church today. Instead, they need to be understood as events that will be taking place at the second coming of Christ.

Understanding this covenant, as well as all the biblical covenants, will enhance your understanding of God’s plan for, and working in, the world today. We will never truly grasp the theme of the bible, as a whole, if we do not understand the biblical covenants. So, preach the gospel generously, but never unhitch that gospel from the Old Testament and always keep the biblical covenants in mind as you proclaim the truth found in the New Testament.