There are many promises in the Bible that God made. One of the most important is the promise He gave Abraham about a future nation. Abraham is the father of the Jewish peoples, and they honor him as their patriarch. But God’s promise to Abraham goes far beyond physical blood. God declared that Abraham would become the spiritual father of many nations.
5 And [God] brought [Abraham] outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:5-6 ESV
Spiritual Father
Abraham is not only the physical father of the Jewish people. He is the spiritual father of all who believe in Christ. Abraham shows us how to trust God even when we cannot see what He is doing. Because of this, Abraham is the father of faith. His life gives us a clear example of trusting and loving God.
16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Romans 4:16 ESV
Saving Faith
One of my favorite examples of saving faith comes from Jesus and a tax collector in the Gospel of Luke. Faith saves a physical son of Abraham and makes him a spiritual son as well.
He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-10 ESV
Spiritual Son
Jesus declared this son of Abraham saved. Did Zacchaeus receive salvation because he was a son of Abraham by birth, or did he become a son of Abraham because salvation came to him that very day by faith? Is Zacchaeus saved because he promises to give away his wealth or is Zacchaeus saved because he has a miraculous saving moment with Jesus and out of the overflow of that love, trust, and faith Zacchaeus wants to give up his ill-gotten gain? In truth Zacchaeus received salvation by faith because of his encounter with Jesus. On that day he became an heir to Abraham in a new way. His promise to give away wealth flowed from that love, trust, and faith.
We often focus on the physical first. Paul wrote to people who claimed physical descent from Abraham and looked to the Jewish law for salvation. Paul shows them that Abraham became the father of faith through God’s promise and his trust in God.
I am not Jewish, yet Abraham is my spiritual father because we share the same faith. Zacchaeus became a son of Abraham through spiritual faith, not physical blood. Abraham, Zacchaeus, and every follower of Christ share this same faith.
Salvation and God’s promise depend on the condition of our heart, not our physical circumstances. Do you trust God the way Abraham trusted Him? Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead so we might be saved. Do you believe Him? Do you trust Him to do what He says He will do?
16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Romans 4:16 ESV
Thanks for reading. I pray this was helpful to you in your devotional time or small group bible study.
