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

Answer Details

(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.