Many claim that the following passage proves that “the seed of Abraham” means “the church,” so the many promises made to “the seed of Abraham” do not mean his physical “descendants.”
“Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” Galatians (3:15-18)
Because of this passage, these people imagine that all the promises made to Abraham were only made to Christ, and not to Abraham’s physical “descendants.” But when we examine the scriptues carefully, we see that this cannot be correct. For God unquestionably referred to Abraham’s “seed” in other senses than the one referred to here. This can be seen in the following:
“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.’ And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son. But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.’ ” (Genesis 21:9-13)
Here, the Hebrew word זָרַע, in our alphabet, zera’, word number 2233 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary, which translates literally as “seed,” was specifically used of two different physical descendants of Abraham, one of whom (Isaac) was the one through whom Abraham’s “seed” would “be called.” But the other (Ishmael) was also Abraham’s “seed.” This Hebrew word, or some form of it, is the one used in every Old Testament promise about Abraham’s “seed,” or his “descendants,” as the translation we are using (the NKJV) often (correctly) renders it.
The Greek equivalent of this Hebrew word is found in the first passage we examned. For the Greek word translated “seed” two times in Galatians 3:16 is σπέρματι, spermati in our alphabet, This is the dative singular neuter form of the Greek word σπέρμα, sperma in our alphabet, word number 4690 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary, whose English deritative is obvious. Likewise, the Greek word in that same verse translated “seeds” is σπέρμασιη, spermatisin in our alphabet. which is the dative plural neuter form of that same Greek word.
The fact is, that although Galatians 3:16 speaks of one of the promises made to “Abraham,” the scriptures themselves distinctly differentiate between various promises made to him. For we read in Romans 4:13 that “the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Here, the Greek word translated “or” is the single letter ἤ, e in our alphabet, word number 2228 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary. Strong defines this word as “a primary particle of distinction between two connected terms.” This word is distinctly different from the Greek word translated “and” in Galations 3:16. There, the Greek word is καί, kai in our alphabet, word number 2532 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary. This Greek word literally means “and.” So in one place the New Testament combines the two words “Abraham” and “seed” with the word “and,” meaning both of them, and in another place, it combines them with the word “or,” meaning either of them. That is, there was a promise made to both “Abraham” and his “Seed,” which the scriptures distinctly tell us speaks of Christ. And there was also a promise made individually to both “Abraham” and to his “seed.” And the promise made individually to each of them was “the promise that he would be the heir of the world.”
Again the New Testament quotes two different promises made to Abraham. The first of these is:
“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) This is the promise referred to in Genesis 18:17-18, where we read. “And the LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?’ ” This is quoted in Acts 3:25, where we read, “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ”
But a highly similar promise was made to Abraham a number of years later The words used the second time were almost, but not exactly, identical, saying “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18)
The first time the blessing was stated to be “in” “Abraham,” and about “all the families of the earth.” But the second time it was stated to be “in” Abrahams “seed,” and the word “families” was changed to “nations,” saying, “And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 26:4) This is the one quoted in Galatians 3:8, which says, “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ ”
So we have seen that the New Testament clearly differentiates between various promises made to Abraham, and specifically quoted different ones of these promises in different places.
And, as we have seen, we know that the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 was about the gospel, And the promise made to him in Genesis 22:18 was about Christ. We know these because in both cases we are explicitly told so in the New Testament. But does this mean that all the promises made to Abraham’s “seed” were references to Christ? Most absolutely not. For there are two other senses of this expression plainly set forth in scripture.
Othat “the church” is “Israel” make much of this scripture, Imagining that it re-defines the term, “the seed of Abraham.” But such is not the case. This is speaking of becoming children by faith, in the same sense as Paul wrote to the Corinthans, “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 4:14-15) And as He also wrote “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith.” (1 Timothy 1:2 KJV) and “To Timothy, my dearly beloved son.” (2 Timothy 1:2 KJV)
(continued next post)