The Redemptive Promise
The Abrahamic Covenant is a story of personal redemption. God revealed Himself to a man who was trapped in the bondage of service to other gods. Remember that the cult of Nimrod gave birth to the idolatry that Abram grew up in. At the tower of Bab-El, Nimrod attempted to establish a portal where heaven and earth could once again be merged into one. This was the source of all 'mystery religions' of which Abram and his family were once steeped in
God countered satan's domain when He showed Abram the coming kingdom in which both heaven and earth would once again be merged. This encounter with the one true God led Abram to turn to God from idols. Abram trusted God to change Abram, the childless shepherd, to Abraham the father of many nations. It would be through this new creation that the promised seed of the woman would come.
By faith, Abram had the righteous nature of God added to his account. This righteousness is an 'alien' nature that progressively defers to the advantage of others regardless of any disadvantage to himself.
I hope that there is a sense of awe and wonderment toward our God as we see the redemptive nature of the Abrahamic Covenant. Some see the pagan roots of our yearly celebrations and take exception to them. When I first awakened to the pagan symbols that are all around us, I also took exception to their use in Christian celebrations.
Yet as I have come to greater appreciation of the redemptive power of God in our world, I also can see them as a rebuke to the demonic realm...even as Abram's salvation from paganism demonstrates.
For instance, the Christmas celebrations are a time of year that we celebrate God’s intervention in this world to redeem the world from its idolatry. Even as Abram was redeemed out of the midst of idolatry, our celebration of the unknown date of Christ's birth turns the pagan festival of saturnalia into a remembrance celebration of Christ’s birth.
The pagan symbols intended to glorify satan are transformed into a memorial of God's redemptive power in Christ Jesus. The tree itself that was once a memorial to Tammuz, now becomes a memorial of Christ's rejection and His sacrificial death. The star on top of that tree reminds us of that supernatural beacon announcing His birth and guiding the wise men from the east to offer their gifts in worship of the promised King.
The ornaments on the tree remind us of the gracious words that adorned the life of the King in His first appearance as God's Lamb. Those that heard Him speak “... wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth”. They declared, “never a man spake like this man”. These reminders of grace even adorn His sacrificial death when in the midst of unbelievable agony He repeatedly spoke the words, 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do"
The gifts laid at the base of the tree remind us of the power of His resurrection and ascension to glory whereby He gave gifts unto men. These gifts of redemption and transformation are given to every individual soul that embraces Christ as the Redeemer from their sin.
While it is possible to use pagan symbolism and celebrations to declare the redemptive work of Christ, for many faithful, it is just a bridge too far. If it is a cause of stumbling another, then it is best to avoid them.The choice to avoid these celebrations altogether or to redeem them should be respected.
"Hast thou faith? have [it] to thyself before God. Happy [is] he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth." - Rom 14:22 KJV
The Blood Covenant
Abram's redemption brought him a new nature that God can work with. God tells Satan, I have found a man from your own domain that I have made my own. I am going to bless him and I am going to claim a piece of land from your domain that I am going to give him and to his descendants. I will make as numerous as the stars of heaven and from them I am going to bless the whole world of mankind by the seed of the woman that will come from him….and by the way, no matter how hard you try, satan, there is nothing that you can do to stop it.
God gave Abram very clear and special promises. Not only does God give those promises by His unfailing Word, but He confirms them with an oath. Because God could swear by no greater, He swore an oath to Himself that He would fulfill them or cease to exist. Since God cannot lie and God cannot die, this covenant with Abram and his descendants is as sure as the eternality of God Himself.
Professor Arnold Fruchtenbaum in his study on Genesis states the following:
“The nature of a blood covenant is spelled out in Jeremiah 34:8–11 and 17–20. A blood covenant pledged the lives of the ones making the covenant to the covenant: If one failed, his blood was to be poured out just as the blood of the animal had been poured out. In other words, he would invoke upon himself the death penalty. The animal sacrificed was the substitute in death for the two making the covenant. Once the covenant was made and once both parties walked between the pieces of the animal, the terms of the covenant could not be changed.”
Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum; The Book of Genesis, 279-80
With that reality in mind, we can state with great confidence that the present salvation that is offered through our Lord Jesus is an eternal salvation. The blood that He shed at Calvary establishes an everlasting covenant:
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews 13:20-21 KJV
The new covenant that established this salvation is not based on human merit and it is not kept by human merit. It is entirely dependent upon the goodness and faithfulness of God.
A Practical Consideration
So we cannot claim that God is done with Israel and at the same time hold to the eternal security of the believer. By the same reasoning, if we deny the eternal security of the believer, we are denying that God will one future day declare that He has set His King upon His holy hill in Zion (Psalm 2:6). Such a theology effectively calls God a liar.
Under this popular theology, God cannot be trusted to keep His promises. Rather than disciplining disobedient heirs of His promises, He simply abandons them and revokes His covenants with them. This is a hopeless theology that the devil delights to promote.
Worship of the true God is a response to God's truth, it cannot be a denial of God's truth. For many religious people this requires a paradigm shift in their thinking. The blood of Jesus Christ must be seen for its eternal value as payment for sin, rather than a temporal tragedy inflicted on a societal reformer.
Bought with a Price
The prophet Jeremiah laments the affliction of Israel in a day of God's discipline upon them. It describes the agony of heart, mind and body that they were experiencing. Moreover, his lamentations anticipate a future day when the Lord Jesus took upon Himself, not only Israel's affliction for sin, but also the sin of the whole world.
"[Is it] nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted [me] in the day of his fierce anger."
Lamentations 1:12 KJV
Is it nothing to you?
smc