S17P12 – When Jesus walked in: our new lineage

Gal. 3:29
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We are all the seed of natural parents, born into a natural lineage. We are heirs of those who have gone before us. Other than by marriage, the chances of becoming an heir as part of another’s lineage are rather slim. Ultimately, we are left to the families into which we are born. But this is only natural lineage. As believers, there is a second lineage, a spiritual one. This verse gives us a part of that picture.

God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 is a promise that spans centuries and continents. Abraham’s people would be made into a great nation, and God would make their name great [v. 2]. Through Abraham’s lineage, all peoples on earth would be blessed [v. 3]. When we belong to Christ, we are heirs to this promise. Where we naturally might have fallen well outside the lineage of Abraham, God makes us spiritual heirs to this promise through his Son. He makes us part of that great nation, not only blessed but also a blessing to the world.

What a wondrous thing that God would include us in a promise made to a faithful servant thousands of years ago and thousands of mile away. He includes us where only He has the power to do so. While one’s natural lineage might provide certain benefits in this world, they do not compare to the benefits our spiritual lineage provides in this world and the next. Father, we are grateful that You include us in the promise to Abraham, grafted into a blessed nation that is called according to your purposes, heirs now not only to your promise but also to your kingdom.