Children of Abraham: Embracing the Promise
I have been in Jerusalem for a week now, my first time here, processing all of it. In one sense, I am loving so much of what I see and experience. If I am honest, at another level, I find myself choking, sort of hating so much of it. This tension led me to think deeply yesterday as I read that passage in Galatians—really Galatians 3 and Galatians 4—where Paul compares Sarah with Hagar, Isaac with Ishmael, and Jerusalem above with Jerusalem below. It stirred something in me that I have not considered for years, drawing me back to the simple truth of our identity in Christ.
The Land of Promise
This is the land of promise. It is not the land of law. There is no salvation, no hope, no redemption to be found by going back to Moses. As I walk through Jerusalem, I see the influence of Abraham—the man of faith, the promise—yet I also hear the residue of people still trying to meet God through Moses. Moses has nothing to say to us now. Paul describes the law as a nanny that brings people to Christ, and Christ is the fulfillment of that. We need to relate to this place as children of the promise.
As it is written in Galatians 3:29 (NKJV): “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
I believe the future of Israel and the future of the church lies in the promise, not in law. We come here as Christians, but we must grasp that our connection runs through faith, not through rituals or regulations that point backward. The promise opens everything; it invites us into what God has always intended.
The Song of Our Heritage
There is a song many children sing in churches. We used to sing it every week in French as we began our services. We would get all the kids forward and sing: Father Abraham has many sons. Many sons has Father Abraham. I am one of them, so are you, let us all praise the Lord.
As I walked around Jerusalem yesterday, it just hit me. I am a child of Abraham. I am not a child of Moses. I am the seed of Abraham, but I am not the seed of Moses. This distinction matters deeply because it shapes how we approach our faith and even this holy land.
Listen to what Paul writes in Galatians 4:31 (NKJV): “So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”
Abraham points us to faith and promise. Moses, in his role, served to guide toward Christ, but we do not linger there. The song reminds us of our inclusion—simple, joyful, profound. It declares our place in the family of faith.
Not Under the Nanny of Law
Paul says Moses was like a nanny. The law acted as a guardian to lead people to Christ. Once Christ comes, that role ends. We find fulfillment in Him alone. Yet in Jerusalem, echoes of that old system persist, where people strive to encounter God through rules and observances. I see it, and it chokes me because it misses the freedom we have.
The Bible teaches in Galatians 3:24-25 (NKJV): “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
Nothing draws us back to that nanny. Our hope rests in the promise given to Abraham, extended to us through Christ. We walk free from that shadow.
The Future in Promise
I am a son of Abraham. Abraham has many sons. I am one of them, and so are you. If you are in Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Consider this in 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV): “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
The promises of God are yes and amen in Christ, to the glory of God through us. This defines our path forward—for Israel, for the church, for each of us.
I encourage you to visit the promised land, but visit it as a child of the promise. Visit it as one who walks in the promises of God.
We stand as heirs, not as those bound by what has passed. The tension I feel here in Jerusalem resolves in this truth: promise triumphs over law, faith over striving. We belong to Abraham’s line through Christ, and that sets everything right. Selah.
Scriptures for Further Study: Galatians 3:29, Galatians 4:31, Galatians 3:24-25, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Romans 4:16, Genesis 12:2-3, Galatians 3:7, Hebrews 11:8-10, Romans 9:7-8, Galatians 4:22-23, Genesis 17:4-5, Galatians 3:16, Acts 3:25, Genesis 22:18, Galatians 3:8, Romans 4:13, Genesis 15:6, Galatians 3:6, Romans 4:3, Galatians 4:28, Isaiah 54:1, Galatians 4:27, Romans 8:17, Ephesians 3:6, Titus 3:7
10 Questions for Reflection:
- What does it mean to you personally to be a child of Abraham rather than of Moses?
- How has the tension between promise and law shown up in your own faith journey?
- In what ways do you see residues of law-based striving in modern Christian practice?
- How might viewing Jerusalem through the lens of promise change your understanding of biblical history?
- What promises of God are you claiming as yes and amen in your life right now?
- How does Paul’s comparison of Sarah and Hagar speak to your sense of spiritual freedom?
- In what areas might you be relating to God more like a child under a nanny than an heir?
- How can the simple children’s song about Father Abraham deepen your grasp of inheritance?
- What role does faith play in accessing the promises given to Abraham?
- How might embracing your identity as Abraham’s seed impact your view of Israel’s future?
