In my nation as in many it is difficult to say it is a blessed one. Hatred on the streets fuelled by hatred on social media. My nation needs the Saviour. It needs Jesus Christ.
Speaking into the hatred of division Paul is defending the position that Gentiles do not have to become Jewish in order to be a true Christ-follower. He has met the Messiah. He has been transformed by Jesus and his faith is in Him. He looks back into the Scriptures to the promise Abraham received. It is a promise of blessing given to Abraham’s descendants who have faith like he had.
“Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3 v 8-9)
The quotation is from Genesis 12:3 when Abram at 75 years old set out from Harran to the Promised Land, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”. Also when in the presence of the Lord and two angels in Genesis 18:18, “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.” Finally and most importantly, after his obedience in willing to surrender his own son in Genesis 22:18, “and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” It is most important because it shows how the nations will be blessed. Through the offspring of Abraham. That is not many but one. We will read soon in v16, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.” It is still for today. It is for my nation right now and for every nation. The ‘through you’ is not only Abraham’s faith but through being in Christ, through faith in Jesus and being transformed by the obedience He has done on the cross.
Paul wrote of this in Romans 6 using the concept of baptism in showing the identification change that took place when we first started to follow Jesus. We were dipped into the same scene of the cross. There was blood, a slaughter, our crucifixion, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him…” (6:6). Crucial to our understanding is this: sin and death was not overpowering Jesus on the cross, Jesus was overpowering sin and death. The blood of Jesus overpowered all fear. The blood of Jesus justified us. The blood of Jesus redeemed us from the hand of Satan. The blood of Jesus totally forgave us. The blood of Jesus gave access to God. That’s the scene: the overcoming of all fear, justification, redemption, forgiveness, access, freedom. That’s the scene we were dipped into. All nations will be blessed THROUGH YOU. That’s what we went THROUGH. We then went where Jesus went. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death…”(6:4) We were dead. Therefore, His resurrection then becomes our resurrection. His new life becomes ours. His power becomes our power. All nations will be blessed THROUGH YOU is still a promise to every nation and a prayer for us all that today people will go through Jesus to their blessing.
Missions Paul 