“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:29
Not long after my conversion, I read the book of Genesis for the first time. Before that I had been a member of a white-supremacist prison gang. I remember thinking to myself, “This is my family history! If I’m a child of Abraham by faith, then these Old Testament patriarchs are my spiritual ancestors!”
What a thrilling moment that was! The Bible was no longer a book of old fairy tales to me. Now it was a record of what God had done for His people in the real world. God promised long ago that all the families of the earth would be blessed in Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). That promise was ultimately fulfilled in the true Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). And it was extended even to me!
If God is your Father, then every believer is your brother or sister in Christ, no matter what their race or background. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus…. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (vv. 26, 28). Through Him, you truly are a member of the family.
What a thrilling moment that was! The Bible was no longer a book of old fairy tales to me. Now it was a record of what God had done for His people in the real world. God promised long ago that all the families of the earth would be blessed in Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). That promise was ultimately fulfilled in the true Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). And it was extended even to me!
If God is your Father, then every believer is your brother or sister in Christ, no matter what their race or background. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus…. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (vv. 26, 28). Through Him, you truly are a member of the family.
Scripture Focus
Genesis 12:1-9; Galatians 3:15-29
Insight
Do you know your family history? If not, the book of Genesis would be a good place to start knowing it.
Bible In A Year
- Exodus 21-22
- Psalm 36
- Mark 16
