What Is the Abrahamic Covenant?

The Abrahamic Covenant is really the beginnings of the formal revelation of the covenant of grace, of God's decision to reach into humanity and specifically save people for Himself. It comes in the form of a promise to Abraham. Abraham, who's the son of an idolater, who did not know God. God takes the initiative with him, calls him into a relationship with Himself, and makes just unilaterally some promises to Abraham. He promises that Abraham is going to be a great nation, that he is going to be given a land, a place to live, and that through Him, all of the nations will be blessed.

Let's take a deeper look at the significant promises made to Abraham under the Abrahamic covenant:

1. Nationhood: God's promise to make Abraham into a great nation is not merely about numerical growth or ethnic identity; it signifies the establishment of a people through whom God intends to reveal Himself and His purposes for humanity. This aspect of the covenant points to the formation of Israel, which plays a central role in the unfolding story of redemption throughout the scriptures.

2. Land: The promise of land is deeply tied to the concept of place and belonging, serving as a tangible sign of God's faithfulness and sovereignty. The land of Canaan, promised to Abraham and his descendants, symbolizes a place where God's rule is recognized and where His presence dwells among His people, foreshadowing the broader biblical theme of the new creation where God will dwell with His people in a renewed and restored creation.

3. Universal Blessing: Perhaps the most far-reaching aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is the promise that through Abraham, "all nations on earth will be blessed." This promise transcends national, ethnic, and temporal boundaries, pointing forward to the messianic figure of Jesus Christ, through whom salvation is made available to all humanity, Jew and Gentile alike. This aspect of the covenant underscores the inclusivity of God's saving purpose and His desire for a relationship with all peoples.

The Abrahamic Covenant, therefore, is not just an isolated episode in the ancient Near East but a cornerstone in the theological and redemptive framework of the Bible. It reveals God's initiative in grace, His commitment to redemption, and His plan for a people through whom He would bring about His purposes for the whole world. As such, the covenant with Abraham is a manifestation of God's grace, promising redemption and blessing not just for a single nation, but for all nations, fulfilling the promise of restoration and reconciliation through the work of Christ.

Where is the Abrahamic Covenant Mentioned in Scripture?

The promise initially given to Abraham in Genesis 12, which lays the foundational elements of the Abrahamic Covenant, undergoes a significant process of formalization and reaffirmation in subsequent chapters of Genesis. This development illustrates the evolving and deepening relationship between God and Abraham, and by extension, God's relationship with humanity.

In Genesis 12, God's call to Abraham is clear and direct, promising him blessings, nationhood, land, and universal impact. However, this promise is not left as a mere verbal assurance. As the narrative progresses, God takes deliberate steps to formalize His commitment to Abraham, emphasizing the certainty and unbreakability of His promises.

The formalization of the Abrahamic Covenant is particularly evident in these two later key episodes:

Genesis 15 - Here, we witness a dramatic and solemn covenant ceremony. In this ancient ritual, animals are divided, and God, represented by a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, passes between the pieces. This act symbolizes God's binding commitment to fulfill the covenant, even to the point of self-curse should He fail to uphold His promise. This ceremony underscores the gravity and unconditional nature of God's promises to Abraham.

Genesis 17 - This chapter marks another crucial moment in the covenant relationship, where God reiterates His promises to Abraham, including the promise of numerous descendants and the gift of the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession.  In Genesis 17, the promise is given a specific sign with the sign of circumcision. Abraham and his son, Ishmael, are circumcised, making clear that they and all of their household are set apart to the Lord. Here, the covenant is further solidified through the institution of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. This physical sign served as a daily reminder of God's promises and the people's special status as God's chosen people.

This covenant, this promise, of blessing to Abraham, to Abraham's seed, and then to the nations through Abraham really is the beginning of the covenant of grace that's going to find its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Where Does the Abrahamic Covenant Come From?

Normally, when a covenant was made in the ancient Near East, they would talk about the covenant being cut. The cutting of the covenant involved the sacrificing of animals. Animals would be literally cut in two. The person who had to keep the promises would walk through those animals, basically saying, "If I don't keep my end of the bargain, may be done to me what has been done to these animals." Typically, in a covenant, the great king would force the lesser party in the covenant to walk through those animals. It was up to the junior member of the party to keep the terms of the covenant.

What's so amazing in the Abrahamic Covenant is that God Himself takes the threatened curses upon Himself, guaranteeing, as He walks through those animals that are cut in two, that He will certainly bring this promise to pass.

The Greater Implications of God's Covenant with Abraham

the transition from the initial promise in Genesis 12 to its formalization and reaffirmation in later passages illustrates the depth and permanence of God's covenant with Abraham. It signifies a foundational moment in the biblical narrative, where God commits Himself to a specific plan of redemption and relationship with humanity, a plan that is fulfilled and made available to all through Christ.

The process of officially establishing the covenant, highlighted by God making a solemn promise, emphasizes several important ideas about faith and relationships:

• Divine Faithfulness: God's willingness to bind Himself by an oath highlights His unwavering faithfulness and commitment to His promises. It shows that God's plans are not capricious but are reliable and will come to fruition.

• Unconditional Grace: The covenant's establishment and reaffirmation, particularly through a unilateral ceremony in Genesis 15, demonstrate that God's promises are not contingent upon human action. They are acts of pure grace, initiated and fulfilled by God based on His character and purposes.

• The Foundation for Future Redemptive Acts: The Abrahamic Covenant sets the stage for the unfolding of God's redemptive plan through the history of Israel, the coming of Christ, and the eventual blessing of all nations. It is a cornerstone that points forward to the New Covenant, under which the promises to Abraham are fully realized in Jesus Christ, offering salvation to all people through faith.

In summary, the transition from the initial promise in Genesis 12 to its formalization and reaffirmation in later passages illustrates the depth and permanence of God's covenant with Abraham. It signifies a foundational moment in the biblical narrative, where God commits Himself to a specific plan of redemption and relationship with humanity, a plan that is fulfilled and made available to all through Christ.

(Interview with Michael Lawrence. Transcript of the video above, edited for readability)

What Can We Learn about God from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

We learn several vital things from God’s work through these three men.

1. God is the God of living promises

“But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Luke 20:37)

When God refers to himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he does not speak of them as dead but alive. This is a reminder that all of God’s promises are living promises. In God’s kingdom and in God’s economy, there is no such thing as a dead promise. Regardless of how long ago he said it, his promises remain alive and well. 

2. God is the God of enduring promises

The Bible is clear that God’s love and mercy endure forever. What we also know is that his promises endure forever as well. This is the reason God is so trustworthy because his promises don’t change; they endure. We know from the scriptures Abraham was declared righteous by faith. The same way God responded to Abraham’s faith is the same way he still responds to anyone who puts their faith in him. This has not changed and will not change through all generations. The promise that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom.10:13) was true then and will be true forever because the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob only makes enduring promises.   

3. God is a God of fulfilled promises

The truth about a promise is that it is only as good as the person making it. If they have no intention or ability to fulfill the promise, it is meaningless. That is not who God is. He has a track record of making promises and fulfilling them. You can be certain of one thing. Everything God has said he will do… he will do. You won’t always know when he will do what he promised. You can’t always know how he will do what he promised. You can be sure that he will do what he promised. 

For thousands of years, people have been putting their faith and hope in God’s promises. Whether it is for salvation, provision, protection, or any of the other promises God has made, God has fulfilled them. When you think of God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let it be a reminder. You serve a God who sees his word through to the end and will always do what he has said he will do.

(excerpted from "Why Does God Refer to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?" by Clarence Haynes, Jr.)

How Does the Abraham Covenant Affect the Whole World?

In Genesis 12, the Lord appeared to Abraham and he made a number of promises to Abraham. His promises included that God would bless Abraham, that God would make a great nation out of Abraham, but also that God, through Abraham, would bring blessing to all the nations of the earth. As we read from Genesis 12 onward, we begin to see that God starts to fulfill those covenant promises. At the beginning, the blessings and the promises are centered around Abraham personally. He and his wife, Sarah, were barren, and God miraculously brings about the conception of Isaac. Sarah's past the normal age of giving birth to children but God provides a miracle and Isaac is born.

God's blessing is evidenced in Abraham's life personally, as he gets Abraham out of several predicaments that Abraham got himself into, in dealing with Pharaoh and dealing with Abimelech. Now, as Abraham's descendants began to multiply, we see this in Exodus, for example, God's hand is upon the descendants. They're greatly increasing in Egypt, they're made slaves, and God comes in, he delivers the Israelites from Egypt, and he brings them into the land of Canaan. He establishes the descendants of Israel into a kingdom. He establishes them into a nation. Now, in these days, we begin to see the blessing going forth beyond the borders of Israel. In one sense, through the judgments, Egypt begins to know and have a knowledge of the Lord. As they're moving into the land of Canaan and beginning the conquest of the land, for example, we have a woman named Rahab who comes into the knowledge of God and is blessed because she changes her allegiance from her old God to the God of Israel.

As the nation of Israel is established, we see an example of someone like Ruth, who comes along and she changes her allegiance from her gods to the God of Israel. Now, the fullness and how the blessing of how all the earth is going to be blessed through Abraham doesn't come about, in large measure, until Jesus Christ is born. Matthew identifies Jesus as a descendant of Abraham and Jesus Christ is identified, as the Bible, as God's unique son. He is Savior and Lord of the entire earth. And so Jesus commissions his apostles and disciples to go forth and to make disciples all the nations, to take that saving message about himself to the uttermost parts of the earth. And we began to see that story displayed in the Book of Acts as the gospel makes its way through Israel and the gospel makes its way to the Samaritans, and the gospel begins to make its way outside the borders of Israel.

And once again, we see in the picture of revelation five and revelation seven, that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be successful, it will penetrate all nations, it will penetrate all language groups, it will penetrate all tribes, and a number of men, women, and children will be saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

(Excerpt is transcription from our interview with James Morrison)

Photo Credit: Created and edited using AI technologies