THE GOSPEL IN A SEED
By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min.
A fundamental part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit was for the apostles and prophets to interpret the Old Testament Scriptures through the lens of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In this study Paul reached back to the Gospel in the Old Testament, revealed in the founding father of Israel. “Consider Abraham: He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Galatians 3:6; Genesis 15:5-6). In fact, God credited righteousness to Abraham before he was circumcised, and about 400 years before God gave Moses the Law.
Yes, faith came before works in the plan of God, and still does to this day.
Paul looked through the lens of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and the revelation blossomed: salvation comes by grace through faith. With Abraham, it was credited righteousness, defined as the blessing of God’s grace that deposits the full measure of righteousness to our accounts when we repent with Godly sorrow.
And blessed truth this: “all of us… can have the promised Holy Spirit through this faith” (Galatians 3:14 TLB).
The Gospel in a Seed
Building on this foundation, the Holy Spirit also inspired Paul to focus on the meaning of Abraham’s bloodline. When God made the covenant with Abraham, He said, “Unto thy Seed will I give this land: and there he built an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him” (Genesis 12:7 KJV). For about 1800 years the Jewish people had interpreted “unto thy Seed” as referring to Abraham’s bloodline.
Paul received another revelation when he looked at Jesus’ death and resurrection and applied it to the promise from God to bless Abraham’s Seed. He recognized the old interpretation did not square with Jesus’ sacrificial death and international vision (see Isaiah 49:6). It is Jesus’ blood that saves us, not Abraham’s blood. Our Lord made the sacrifice in His own blood. As the Son of God, He had full authority to motivate Paul to make the change.
Paul comprehended “the Scripture did not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your Seed,’ meaning one Person, who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Indeed, Seed in the Hebrew of Genesis 12:7 is in the singular. The revelation patiently waited 1800 years for the Messiah to come and move it on the stage of salvation history.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit and picturing Jesus on His Cross, Paul affirmed Seed in Genesis 12:7 meant in the heart of God all Gentiles are included in Abraham’s family and enjoy his bloodline. Indeed! Gentile believers are blessed with the same credited righteousness God gave to Abraham (Genesis 15:6).
This understanding of Genesis 12:7 swung the door wide open for all followers of Jesus, Jews and Gentiles, to come to Christ in repentance with the same faith that saved Abraham. Jesus who is the Son of God, in His humanity is the Seed of Abraham that God promised in the Abrahamic Covenant. All who accept Jesus as their Savior by faith become sons of God. They are “baptized into Christ” and are “clothed… with Christ,” and are candidates to receive the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:26-27).
At the cross of Jesus, Jews and Gentiles are one family in Christ. This understanding meant the Gospel that is included in two testaments is one Holy Bible and applies to all people worldwide.
It was in divine genius that the Holy Spirit developed the Old Testament with the Gospel in it, and the apostles and prophets used it to plant the Lord’s church and write the New Testament. The only Bible the apostles had to use was the Old Testament.
These major paradigm changes greatly empowered the spread of the gospel.
1) Abraham’s true sons hold Abraham’s faith in Jesus the Messiah and
2) Jesus is Abraham’s true Seed.
Those two bring to this day whosoever will into one great family – one bloodline – the blood Jesus poured out for all at His Cross. It meant the New Testament has two strong anchors: Abraham’s faith in Jesus who experienced credited righteousness by faith and Messiah as Abraham’s Seed who showers this redeeming grace on God’s children and adopts all into the family of God.
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,” Paul wrote to the Galatians. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise…. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Genesis 3:26 – 4:7)
And yes, “All of us… can receive the promised Holy Spirit through this faith” (Galatians 3:14, TLB).
Little wonder the Gospel rocket went into orbit, taking the good news to the whole world, and is still doing it!
