There are many different terms used for the elect people. The sacred writers to emphasize something particular used these distinctive terms. Paul uses one in Romans 4 in addressing the question, ‘Who are the children of Abraham?’
“Children of Abraham” -I don’t have to tell you the problem with taking time to listen to Paul. The experts believe that people disbelieve Christianity for three reasons: 1) Christians are weird 2) Christianity isn’t true 3) Christianity is irrelevant. Well, any serious talk about the ‘children of Abraham’ seems to confirm the third allegation! This seeming irrelevance is definitely a hurdle.
But let’s get over it!
Just discussing the fact of Paul’s discussion can impact us with the point: Paul took the Old Testament really seriously. Not just seriously as in, ‘there are some great lessons here for us (about honesty or God’s provision, etc)’ but as in ‘this is where redemption has started.’ He takes the story seriously. 1800 years after the call of Abraham Paul thinks it still as important as the day Abraham received it. The fact that 1800 years has elapsed is actually unimportant.
21st century Bostonians, if we were smart, would grapple with this question too: ‘Who are the children of Abraham?’ The fact that now 3800 years have elapsed since God’s summons of Abraham should be considered hugely unimportant. Long periods of time have always been the enemy of faith (and is there a better evidence that the curse has invaded our habitation with space-time?).
The reason that the question is so important is that the children of Abraham are the inheritors of God’s promise to do something unmistakably good and permanent in the middle of a world that is become unmistakably bad. Everything is defined by God’s curse, His write-off, and His condemnation except for these descendants of Abraham.
The fact is that people today don’t normally think theologically. But they do always think in terms of success and failure. The big question in the secular mind is ‘Who has handled life?’ Who has property? Who has obtained? Who is shaping things? Where is the influence? Who sparkles?
Different questions, and not stated theologically, but still closely related to Paul’s in Romans 4. We’ll never escape the baseline categories of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’; or stated more theologically: ‘blessing and cursing.’
It’s so important that we not let ourselves think of Abraham and his goings on as general religious examples or material for moral lessons. He has to, in our minds, retain his particularity. And what makes Abraham’s call particular is that it was - is! - God’s answer to the human problem: “I will bless.” ‘You and yours [and no one else] will be given a place.’
Can we let this Abram talk come off as a-historic, general, in-the-bad-sense spiritual? May it never be! Who are the heirs of this world? Shouldn’t this macro-question be at least hovering in the background as we see our 401ks heading for the drain? What I mean to say is, ‘this is practical stuff.’
Is Abraham really my ancestor? must take priority of place in my mind. But even as I write that I see how much hard work is in store. I’ll have to shake off the archaic feel that overwhelms when I pose the question. I’ll need to become habituated to thinking of myself as connected with something that began with Abraham. I’ll have to allow the New and Old Testaments a closer association.
It takes a lot of concentration to be a Biblicist in 21st century Boston! (Especially when you know that the Broncos and Patriots are playing next Monday night at Gillette Stadium!)
All these words to stress the importance. But who are the children of Abraham?
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