They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
The children of Abraham
By grace all believers are such.
I. By imitation: in that Abraham is set forth as a pattern in the steps of whose faith believers walk.
II. By succession: in that they succeed him in the same blessing.
III. By a kind of spiritual generation: in that Abraham by believing the promise of a seed did after a sort beget them and receive them as his children (Romans 9:8). Here then is the true mark of a child of Abraham: to be of his faith.
1. The Jews are not his children though descended of Isaac, because they follow not the faith of Abraham.
2. Nor the Papists, in spite of their antiquity and numbers, unless they are of his faith.
3. Nor the mere professors of that faith (Matthew 7:22). To be children of Abraham we must--
(1) Have knowledge of the promises touching the blessing of God in Christ.
(2) Believe the power and truth of God to accomplish those promises.
(3) Faithfully follow God in all things. (W. Perkins.)
The example faithful Abraham
I. The particulars of this example. In his faith in God’s promise, he considered--
1. The terms of the promise.
2. The attributes of Him who made it.
II. The duty of imitating this example.
1. We must, like Abraham, think of--
(1) The object.
(2) The promise.
(3) The promiser.
2. Our faith, like his, must be--
(1) Simple.
(2) Single.
III. The benefit of such an example. (T. Dale, M. A.)
Children of Abraham--Spiritual kinship
To be the children of a person, in a figurative sense, is equivalent to, “to resemble him, and to be involved in his fate, good or bad.” The idea is, similarity both in character and circumstances. To be “the children of God,” is to be like God and also, as the apostle states it to be, “heirs of God.” To be “the children of Abraham,” is here to resemble Abraham, to imitate his conduct, and to share in his blessedness (John 8:39; 1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 3:8-9). It is as if the apostle had said, “These Judaising teachers talk much of the glory and advantage of being children of Abraham, and insist that it is by circumcision that men attain to this dignity and happiness. But how far is this from the truth! Abraham’s highest distinction was that he was a justified person, a friend of God; and this distinction he attained not by circumcision, but by faith. It follows, then, that they who believe like Abraham, and are like Abraham justified through believing, they--they alone--are his true spiritual descendants. Though a man should be “a Hebrew of the Hebrews, circumcised the eighth day, and touching the righteousness that is in the law, blameless,” if he is not a believer, he is not spiritually a child of Abraham. And if a man be but a believer, be he Jew or Gentile, he is spiritually a child of Abraham. And this fact, that all who believe, whether they were descendants of Abraham or not, were to be made partakers of his blessedness, was distinctly enough taught in the ancient oracles given to Abraham. (John Brown, D. D.)
The blessing of the gospel
All the weight and force hereof lies in the words “with faithful Abraham.” For he puts a plain difference between Abraham and Abraham; of one and the selfsame person making two. As if he said: There is a working and there is a believing Abraham. With the working Abraham we have nothing to do. For if he be justified by works, he hath to rejoice, but not with God. Let the Jews glory as much as they will of that begetting Abraham, which is a worker, is circumcised, and keepeth the law; but we glory of the faithful Abraham, of whom the Scripture saith, that he received the blessing of righteousness through his faith, not only for himself, but also for all those which believe as he did; and so the world was promised to Abraham, because he believed. Therefore all the world is blessed; that is to say, receiveth imputation of righteousness, ii it believe as Abraham did. Wherefore the blessing is nothing else but the promise of the gospel. And that all nations are blessed, is as much as to say, that all nations shall hear the blessing; that is, the promise of God shall be preached and published by the gospel among all nations. To bless signifieth nothing else, but to preach and teach the word of the gospel, to confess Christ, and to spread abroad the knowledge of Him among all the Gentiles. And this is the priestly office, and continual sacrifice of the Church in the New Testament, which distributeth this blessing by preaching and by ministering of the sacraments, by comforting the broken-hearted, by distributing the word of grace which Abraham had, and which was also his blessing; which when he believed, he received the blessing. So we also believing the same are blessed. (Luther.)
Faith obtains salvation
I have seen shrubs and trees grow out of the rocks, and overhang fearful precipices, roaring cataracts, and deep running waters; but they maintained their position, and threw out their foliage and branches as much as if they had been in the midst of a dense forest. It was their hold of the rock that made them secure, and the influences of nature that sustained their life: so believers are oftentimes exposed to the most horrible dangers in their journey to heaven; but, so long as they are “rooted and grounded” in the Rock of Ages, they are perfectly secure. Their hold of Him is their guaranty; and the blessings of His grace give them life, and sustain them in life. And as the tree must die, or the rock fall, before a dissolution could be effected between them, so either the believer must lose his spiritual life, or the rock must crumble, ere their union can be dissolved. (J. Bate.)