The promise God made to the fathers of Israel

01/03/2010

Paul before Agrippa

In Acts 26 we read of Paul being brought before the Roman king Agrippa. He had been accused of causing trouble with the Jewish population of the province for preaching things about Jesus Christ.

King Agrippa, the Roman leader permitted Paul to speak in his defense. The words which Paul speaks are of extreme interest to anybody who claims to believe in the Bible. He says:

“I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers” Acts 26:6

What an interesting thing to say. Paul, a converted Christian claims that his beliefs are based upon promises that almighty God made to the Jewish forefathers.

The gospel preached to Abraham

In Galatians Paul writes this:

“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen (non-Jews) through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed… Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Galatians 3:8+16

So according to the Apostle Paul, who was chosen by Jesus Christ himself to spread the Gospel, the promises that God made to Abraham way back in the Old Testament, are in fact an integral part of the Gospel itself.

The message of the Bible is that an understanding of these promises is essential for salvation. Consider for example this message:

“And he (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:15-16

So two things are essential if we are to hold the Biblical hope of Salvation – belief in the gospel (the promises made to the fathers of Israel) and baptism.

A question for you

Do you have such a knowledge dear reader? If not then you need to seek it if you want to have a hope of salvation.

The Bible is clear – it is not enough to simply believe that Jesus existed and can save in a general sence. There are other factors and detail to consider and believe. Essential doctrines which modern Christianity has lost down through time are needed to be understood so that the true “hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20) can be understood, believed and acted upon.

If you are seeking such knowledge have a look at the following:

The promises to Abraham »

Comments welcome…