I Am One of Them and So Are You - October 29

Read Galatians 3:7-9

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed. ”So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Reflect

How were Old Testament believers in God saved even though Jesus hadn’t died on the cross for them yet?

Do you remember the old Sunday School song, “Father Abraham”? It’s a song that kids have been singing in their Sunday School classrooms for years (usually while waving their arms and legs, turning around with their chins up in the air). “Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them and so are you. So let’s all praise the Lord!”

But when I was younger, I didn’t fully understand the lyrics to that song. After all, I am not Jewish. You may not be either. Plus, Abraham lived a long time before Jesus even arrived on the scene. So, how is Abraham a “forefather” of mine and every other believer in Christ? And how were Abraham and all of the other Old Testament saints saved if they didn’t even know Christ?

In today’s verses, Paul answered those questions for us. Those who have faith are the sons of Abraham. Remember Galatians 3:6 from yesterday: “Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Abraham and all of the other Old Testament saints are saved the same way we are—by God’s grace through faith.

To put it simply, the Old Testament believers looked forward to the Promised Messiah and trusted that through Him, God would graciously save them. It was never through the works of the law that they were saved.

But the Judaizers likely used Abraham as Exhibit A in their argument for requiring the adherence to Old Covenant circumcision laws. After all, when we read Genesis 17:10, we read God’s command that all male descendants of Abraham be circumcised. But Paul argues that while Abraham was obedient in following God’s mandate for circumcision, it wasn’t the circumcision that saved him! It was his faith that God was going to do all that He promised and save His people through his descendants.

God made this promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3: “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” But God didn’t fulfill that promise right away. In fact, about a decade later, Abraham and Sarah were still childless and Abraham poured out his heart to God about it. That is when God took him outside and told him that his descendants would outnumber the stars. “And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). All of this occurred well before God commanded circumcision as the sign of His covenant with Abraham. Approximately 14 years before to be exact.

It wasn’t the sign of God’s covenant that saved them. The circumcision was just an outward sign of an inward reality—that these people believed in and belonged to God. Abraham and his descendants looked forward to the Messiah and trusted that God would fulfill His promise to send His Son to forgive us our sin. We are on the other side of the cross so we look back on Christ’s death on the cross and trust that His perfect sacrifice covers our sin. It’s the same faith from two different vantage points.

I’ve been made righteous before a holy God because I have placed my faith in the Messiah. According to Paul, that makes me a spiritual son of Abraham. And so are you, if you’ve placed your faith in Christ. We share in the blessing promised to Abraham, the man of faith.

Respond

Lord, my faith is in You. I know that there is nothing I could ever do to earn my salvation but by Your grace, You have extended the blessing of Abraham’s descendants to me, too. Praise You, Lord and thank You for adopting me into Your family of faith. Amen.

Reveal

Think of someone in your life who often feels like an outsider—maybe someone who doesn’t quite fit in at work, school, or even within your own circle of friends. Make a point this week to draw that person in, not out of pity but out of genuine friendship. Invite them to share a meal, sit with them at an event, or simply take time to listen to their story. As you do, remind them through your actions that they belong—that they are seen, valued, and welcomed. When you extend that kind of inclusion, you’re quietly reflecting the heart of God, who welcomes people of every background into His family through faith.