The question for today is, Is an unbelieving Israelite “according to the flesh,” an heir of the promised blessing of righteousness? Is he a “justified” person, declared righteous by God so that all his sins are forgiven, without having personal faith in the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ the Son of God?

Introduction

In view of the ongoing significance of Israel in the redemptive purposes of God, the three principal promises to Abraham may be explored in terms of their fulfillment for Israel and the nations today. The conclusion that a person reaches on this matter has significance not only in the realm of biblical and theological understanding. Beyond that foundational realm, the response to this question has far-reaching significance for the interrelationships of Israel and the nations in the world of today.

On the most basic level, the covenantal promises given to Abraham are three: land, seed and blessing (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1-8). Careful consideration must be given to the specific nature of these three promises in terms of their fulfillment in a new covenant context. These three basic promises of the Abrahamic covenant will be considered in reverse order: the promise of the blessing, the promise of the seed, and the promise of the land.

1. First, the Abrahamic Promise of the “Blessing” in its New Covenant Context

Paul in his writing to the Galatians and the Romans defines the focal blessing of the Abrahamic covenant for today as “righteousness,” “justification” of the sinner in the presence of the holy God. Justification is not only the doctrine of the “rising and falling church.” Justification is also the gateway to all the blessings of God’s covenants. Unless a person has been forgiven of all his sins, declared righteous as he stands before the holy God, he cannot be adopted as God’s son, he cannot be sanctified and preserved by God’s Spirit, he cannot be perfected in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

What did Abraham our forefather discover with respect to justification? What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:1, 3; cf. Gen. 15:6). A thousand years later, Abraham’s royal descendant David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not count against him” (Rom. 4:7, 8; cf. Psa. 32:1, 2).

The question for today is, Is an unbelieving Israelite “according to the flesh,” an heir of the promised blessing of righteousness? Is he a “justified” person, declared righteous by God so that all his sins are forgiven, without having personal faith in the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ the Son of God?

Paul’s answer to this question in Galatians and Romans is an unqualified “No.” For by keeping the law, no flesh can be justified before God. As Paul says so succinctly:

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified (Gal. 2:15, 16 ESV).

Justification before a righteous God can never be achieved by observing the law. For the Law requires that a person keep all its stipulations, without a single exception (Gal. 3:10). This level of law-keeping no one can achieve. Without repentance from all sin and self-righteousness, and faith in the atoning blood of Jesus the Christ, no one can be justified and receive the blessing of righteousness before God.

From a biblical perspective, repentance to new life and faith in Jesus Christ come as a gracious gift of God through the working of the Holy Spirit. In terms of the possession of the Holy Spirit, Paul addresses this question directly. He asks the Galatians, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law, or by hearing with faith?” (Gal. 3:2)? Paul’s answer is obvious. What could a sinful, corrupted human being do to merit God’s gift of the Holy Spirit? He could do absolutely nothing to inherit this promise. An unbelieving Israelite cannot receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit as a consequence of his external circumcision in his flesh. He must be circumcised in his spirit to possess the indwelling Holy Spirit. As Paul bluntly states, “circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Rom. 2:29).

Is this blessedness of sins forgiven the possession of an unbelieving Israelite? Does he possess this premier promise of the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant? Most evangelical students of Scripture would answer this question with a clear negative. For all the blessings of God’s redemptive covenantal promises, beginning with justification, can be claimed only by repentance and saving faith in Jesus as the promised Christ. At the same time, any person, whether Israelite or from any other nation, may be justified freely by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. No matter how deep may be his sin, he can be washed completely of all defilements, once and for all.

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