Copeland: Covenant, Joint Heirs

Post Reply
adminpc
Site Admin
Posts: 363
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 2:32 am

Copeland: Covenant, Joint Heirs

Post by adminpc »

Copeland: Covenant, joint heirs

Years after Isaac’s birth, that covenant was still strong in Abraham’s mind. And nothing—not
even a request from God Himself—could shake his confidence. We see this in Genesis 22. There God asks Abraham to place his only son on the
altar and sacrifice him. How could He do this after promising Abraham that he would become the father of many nations through this son?

We would expect Abraham to be distraught over such a request. We would expect him to wring his hands and pace the floor all night in
grief and anguish. But we’re not as covenant- minded as Abraham was.
Abraham was confident in his covenant. He went to sleep that night and rose up early the
next morning ready to go. And when he took Isaac up on the mountain of sacrifice, he turned to his servant and said, “Wait here—the boy and
I will be back.” He had a covenant!
Hebrews 11:17-19 says that Abraham, by faith, had already received Isaac raised from the
dead. God had promised him Isaac would make him the father of many nations, and he knew God could not possibly break that promise. Even
though he’d never seen or heard of such a thing, Abraham reasoned that God would just raise
Isaac back up from the dead if He had to. He knew that God would do whatever it took to keep their covenant.

And when Abraham laid his son down on the altar of sacrifice, he opened the way for God—his
covenant partner—to do the same thing with His only Son, Jesus, on the cross years later. But here’s
an important point for you to realize. Jesus didn’t just appear on the scene at that time. He’d been
involved in that covenant from the beginning.

According to Galatians 3:16, while God was binding Himself in covenant to Abraham on earth, He was
also making covenant with Jesus in heaven. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Abraham
was the earthly representative. Jesus was the heavenly representative. The covenant was not only between God and Abraham, but between
God the Father and God the Son.
covenant with Jesus, He was making covenant with someone He knew would never break it, thereby removing the need for a curse.
How does all this apply to you and me?

Galatians 3:29 is the binding tie. “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise.” We are the unborn generations who looked on as God cut the covenant with Abram, the father of our covenant
faith.

Romans 8:17 calls us joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Through the new covenant, God has promised to care for us the same way He would love
and care for Jesus.
Post Reply