Galatians 3:8, 9
And The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles (any non-Jew) by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."
So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS of FAITH
Romans 4:11, 12
And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
It is the heart that needs circumcision. The unbelieving heart is uncircumcised: its intents are hidden in darkness. But when the circumcision from God comes on the heart of the person who believes by faith in The Son of God, then Light opens up the heart and Love comes to live there, the Love of God which is written on our hearts by The Power of The Holy Spirit of God.
Circumcision is painful and bloody. Being a woman this is a physical pain I do not know personally, but have heard the cry of the newborn when it happens to them. So, too, the newly born in Christ have circumcised hearts. The blood from The Lamb of God, which was shed for us, is sprinkled across our hearts, washing away our sins and breaking the chains of sin which had bound us.
No longer do we walk in the darkness of our hearts: we are born anew, born again, into the family of God: we are His sons and His daughters--we walk in newness of life. The New and Living Way of Life in Christ is ours now.
JUSTIFIED BY FAITH
Romans 3:29, 30
Is God The God of Jews only? Is He not The God of Gentiles, too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, Who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Romans 9:8
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
It is faith in the promise of God which is saving faith. For Christ is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham. The promise: Genesis 17:19 "But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.”
The promise is to the seed of Abraham, not the children. For the seed of Abraham are the people who believe God and obey/follow His Word. Many are they which say they believe in God, but few are they who say they believe God. For we who know God exists also know that God's Word is Faithful (unchanging) and True (genuine, sincere). Abraham was given the promise from God and believed it. Those who follow Abraham but not God are not the seed of Abraham, though they may be his descendants.
It is the same when we come to Jesus. We have acknowledged that Jesus Christ is Lord. We believe that He died on the cross and rose from the dead. We confess our belief in public and are baptized into God's Name, Christ's Name, and The Holy Spirit's Name. We are children of the promise, for we came by way of faith.
Children of the curse are outside the promise. It is a hard fact for many to swallow, but only because they refuse to believe God and His Word. It is only when a person born under the curse of sin accepts by faith Jesus Christ as God's Only Begotten Son that the curse is lifted and the promise is given. And we have all been born under the curse of sin because we are all Adam's descendants.
Sin came when Adam didn't listen to God. That's rebellion. That's outside the promise because the promise is given by God and Adam didn't listen to God. Not listening to God is not believing God. Not believing God is not believing God's Word. Not believing God and His Word puts a person outside the promise of redemption through Jesus Christ. For Christ is God's Word wrapped in flesh. (Luke 1:35; John 1:14). And He is God's Servant through His obedience in saying what God wanted Him to say and doing what God wanted Him to do. (John 7:16; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10). Jesus is God's Only Begotten Son. (John 3:16; Romans 8:32; Galatians 4:4, 5; 1 John 4:14).
But when a sinner (one born under the curse) believes and receives Christ Jesus as Lord [of their lives] and Savior [of their souls], then we are no longer cursed but now we are saved! We have been born again. How awesome is that? How wonderful that God would send His Only Begotten Son to save such wretches as we are. Children born outside the promise but able to receive it because we believe it.
While only a small percentage of my dna reveals that I am a descendant of Abraham, it is not that which brings me into God's family. It is my faith in Christ Jesus and believing that He is Who God says He is that saves me. John 1:12, 13 "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
