Who are the seed of Abraham?
Answered from the commentary of William J. Hocking, An Outline of Sound Words, J. N. Darby and 10 others
**The seed of Abraham is first of all Christ Himself.** The promise "in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" speaks "not of seeds, as of many; but as of one, … which is Christ" (Galatians 3:16). That promise was confirmed to the seed after Isaac had been offered up and received back from the dead in figure. So Isaac was only a type, and Christ, dead and risen, is the true seed to whom the promises were made.
Because Christ is Abraham's seed, all who are Christ's are Abraham's seed too, "and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). This includes Gentiles, who come into that place by having Christ, not by circumcision or the law. The ground of it is faith: "they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham" (Galatians 3:7). Abraham is "the father of us all", meaning all true believers. As one writer puts it, all who believe are Christ's, and all who are Christ's are Abraham's seed.
The authors do not agree on one detail. Kelly insists that "Christ" in Galatians 3:16 means Christ personally, not mystically. One set of notes reads verse 29 as believers identified with Him as members of His mystic body. Several also add that being Abraham's seed is a privilege of a far lower order than the church's heavenly place shown in Ephesians.
**Natural descent alone does not make anyone a true child of Abraham.** "Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children" (Romans 9:7-8). If descent were enough, the Ishmaelites and Edomites would have to be let in as well; so it is the children of the promise who are counted for the seed. For the same reason, the Jews who sought to kill Christ were Abraham's seed by natural generation but not his children, because they did not do the works of Abraham.
**This does not set aside Israel.** In Genesis 22:17 the numerous seed, "as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand," that will "possess the gate of his enemies," is the nation of Israel. The authors hold that the promise of the land and of national supremacy is not transferred to the church but still awaits its fulfilment. Israel will be restored, and all Israel saved.
Hole adds a distinction of his own: he sees the stars as the spiritual seed, whose destiny is heaven, and the sand as the earthly seed, who will enjoy millennial blessing. Baines sums up the common view: believers are spiritually Abraham's children and heirs in Christ, while the specific promises remain with the seed "which is of the law".
Verses: Galatians 3:29, Galatians 3:16, Galatians 3:7, Romans 9:6, Romans 9:7, Romans 9:8, Romans 4:13, Romans 4:16, Galatians 3:26, Galatians 3:27, Galatians 3:28, Galatians 3:8, Galatians 3:9, Galatians 4:28, Romans 4:11, Romans 4:12, John 8:33, John 8:37, John 8:39, John 8:40, Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8, Genesis 12:7, Genesis 13:15, Genesis 13:16, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 17:7, Genesis 17:8, Genesis 21:12, Genesis 22:17, Genesis 22:18, Hebrews 11:18, Hebrews 2:16, Acts 3:25, Romans 11:1, 2 Corinthians 11:22, Isaiah 41:8, Psalms 105:6, Galatians 4:22, Galatians 4:23, Galatians 4:24, Galatians 4:25, Galatians 4:26, Galatians 4:27, Galatians 4:29, Galatians 4:30, Galatians 4:31, Luke 19:9, Romans 2:28, Romans 2:29, Philippians 3:3
The above is AI generated summary based on the writers below.
What the commentators say
The passages the answer is drawn from, the most direct first, with the words that bear on the question marked.
"And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (v.29). The JND version gives the sense more clearly, "If ye are of Christ..." The most vital point is that Christ Himself is the Seed of Abraham, and all believers are represented in Christ: they are "of Christ." Therefore, because He is Abraham's seed, so are they. Faith has brought them into this position and given them an intimate connection with Christ, for it is a faith which, recognizing personal worthlessness, repudiates self entirely and finds all good, all blessing in the blessed Person of the Son of God. The promise was "to Abraham and his Seed," to Christ; and our own marvelous place of blessing is as "joint heirs with Christ" (Rom.8:17). How magnificently are the wisdom and grace of God blended in this admirable means of His accomplishing the fruits of promise to those "afar off," Gentiles who had never themselves been given any promise. Far from doing violence to the promise, this precious working of God only enhances the beauty of it.
None but the children of Abraham inherit the blessing. But this is not the natural seed, but the spiritual. Abraham was the father of the faithful. They who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7). The natural seed do not count. Abraham is the father of all them that believe, whoever they may be. His line is the line of blessing, and all who believe are on that line; for all who believe are Christ’s, and all who are Christ’s are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
In Galatians 3:16 the apostle is speaking of Genesis 12 and 22, only it is of one special seed. The promise was made to Abraham alone, and confirmed to his seed in chapter 22. The promises of a very numerous seed are distinct; also Abraham is not joined to his seed in this promise. It should be read, "To Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed." In chapter 15. we find the promises to his seed according to the flesh, added to the promises of the one seed. The reasoning in Galatians is that Christ alone is the seed meant in chapter 22, when the nations of the world are spoken of; and, if we are in Christ, we are then the seed of Abraham.
C.C. — We see from Galatians 4:28-29 that when God promised Abraham a seed, He had us Gentiles in mind, as well as those that sprang from Abraham by natural birth. It is not the natural man that is the seed of Abraham, but those that are of faith.
From Romans 9:6-9, it would seem that Ishmael sets forth the unbelieving mass of Israel. There we read, "They are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called." The unbelieving mass of the nation are children of Abraham according to the flesh; but only the believing remnant are the true seed according to promise. Nevertheless, even the children according to the flesh would be great upon the earth.
When the Jews, in deadly opposition to the Son of God, spoke of Abraham as their father, the Lord pointed out to them that, had they been Abraham's children, they would have done the works of Abraham (John 8:33-39). They were Abraham's seed by natural generation, but they were not the children of Abraham as the father of the faithful, for their attitude to God and to His Son manifested that they belonged to another generation.
I. The first rule of interpretation is that the Church is the seed of Abraham to which the promises are given. Now, that believers are the children of Abraham is not disputed. The question is whether they absorb into themselves, and divert from Israel, the promises given under this head. In one of the Abrahamic promises, the seed named is Christ Himself; in the other it is a countless multitude. To this innumerable seed was promised the perpetual possession of a certain geographical area, together with national supremacy in the earth. Now how can this be interpreted as the portion of the Church? But since it has not yet been given to Israel, and since it is not the portion of the Church, the promise still has to receive its fulfilment outside the Church. In other words, the Church does not set aside Israel, or usurp the promise of national blessing and glory.
The apostle is showing that Christ is the true seed of Abraham, to Whom the promises were made. This he establishes, by pointing out that the terms of the ancient promises mentioned "seed," and not "seeds"; so that one person, not many, was in view. This person therefore was Christ, and not the sons of Israel. (Gal. 3:16.)
"Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace." Had it been by works it would have been a matter of debt and not grace, as verse 4 told us. On the principle of faith and grace the blessing is made "sure to all the seed;" that is, the true spiritual seed of Abraham or in other words, true believers. For Abraham is, "the father of us all." "US all" be it noted — ALL true believers.
The Jewish teachers had said, You must become as Jews. You must live like Jews; keep the Jewish law, the Jewish feasts; receive circumcision, which is the special mark that distinguishes the Jew; then you are proselytes, and can be reckoned as Jews. Know then (or, Be it known to you), says Paul, that the ones who are on the principle of faith, these are Abraham's sons. It is not the outward marks that make a man a son of Abraham; it is not even the natural birth: but the ones who follow in the steps of Abraham, and have faith in God, these are the ones who (in God's sight) are the true sons of Abraham. How completely Paul answers every argument of these false teachers!
Verses
- Galatians 3:26–2926for ye are all God's sons by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For ye, as many as have been baptised unto Christ, have put on Christ. 28There is no Jew nor Greek; there is no bondman nor freeman; there is no male and female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus 29but if ye [are] of Christ, then ye are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise.
- Galatians 3:16But to Abraham were the promises addressed, and to his seed he does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed; which is Christ.
- Galatians 3:7–97Know then that they that are on the principle of faith, these are Abraham's sons; 8and the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations on the principle of faith, announced beforehand the glad tidings to Abraham In thee all the nations shall be blessed. 9So that they who are on the principle of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.