(a) Highlight the covenant promises which God made to Abraham. (b) In what three ways are these promises significant to Christians?

(a) The covenant promises God made to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15; 17)

• God promised to make Abraham a great nation.
• God promised to bless him and make his name great, so that he would be a blessing.
• God promised him numerous descendants, as countless as the stars of the sky and the sand of the seashore.
• God promised to give him and his descendants the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession.
• God promised to bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him.
• God promised that in Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed.
• God promised to be God to him and to his descendants, an everlasting covenant, with kings coming from him; circumcision was given as the sign.

(b) Three ways the promises are significant to Christians

• Abraham is regarded as the father of faith: Christians are counted his spiritual children and heirs of the promise through faith in Christ.
• The promise of blessing to all nations is fulfilled in Christ: through Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, salvation has come to all peoples, including Gentiles.
• It assures Christians of God's faithfulness: as God kept His covenant with Abraham, believers are confident He will keep His promises to them, and are taught justification by faith rather than by works of the law.