Fulfillment of God’s Promises in the New Testament
The New Testament is a collection of early Christian literature written primarily by Jesus’ disciples and followers. The New Testament details the life of Christ, the letters of the first Apostles to Christians, the experiences of the early teachers of Christianity, and the events of the first century of Christianity. There are five sections of the New Testament, The Gospels, Acts, Paul’s Epistles, The General Epistles, and Revelation. In all these sections, God fulfills His promises to Abraham, Israel at Sinai, and David. God promised that He would make Abraham the father of a great people and that God would guide, protect, and give them the land of Israel. God promised Israel that He would protect him and bring him back to the land of Sinai. God then promised David that his descendant would be the Son of God who will build a house of God and reign for eternity from David’s throne in Jerusalem. The five sections of the New Testament manifest these promises and show that Jesus is the source of the fulfillment of God’s obligations to His ancestors.
The Gospels reveal the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Israel, and David. The genealogy of Jesus Christ offered by the Gospels all acknowledges Abraham, Israel, and David as the Messiah’s ancestors. In the Gospels, faithful Jews are referred to as Abraham’s sons and daughters (Habel, 1969). This fulfills God’s promise that Abraham would be a father of a great people and that his descendants would occupy Israel. Jews are given the promise that their great ancestor would meet them at the doors of heaven when they depart the earth (Luke 16: 22). Similarly, for Israel, who was promised that his descendants would occupy Israel’s land and that they would be in great numbers. The existence of the Jewish community across Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth and ministry show that God kept his promises to Israel. God’s promise to David is fulfilled through the birth of Jesus, whose lineage traces back to David (Daley-Denton, 2003). Jesus is manifested as the Son of God as David was promised, sent to rule the earth.
The Gospels show that Jesus is the source of the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Israel, and David. Jesus is the descendant of these three major figures of the Old Testament. In the Gospel, Jesus comes to save Jews from sin and to protect them from the devil and give them everlasting life. Therefore, through Jesus’ mission, God fulfills His promise to Abraham, Israel, and David that he would be with them forever and protect them. After His resurrection, Jesus’ declaration that He would never abandon his flock is the fulfillment of God’s promise that He would forever be with Abraham, Israel, and David. When Jesus dies on the cross, He delivers the world from sin, hence guaranteeing Christians the protection of God. Christianity is anchored upon the teachings of Jesus, and when He dies and ascends to heaven, he pioneers Christianity. Through Christianity and Jesus’ life and mission, God fulfills the promise made to David, that His descendant would build God’s altar and rule forever as a King from Jerusalem. Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem and His hailing as He who comes in the name of Lord attests to Jesus’ divinity as the Son of God. Jesus dies at Golgotha outside Jerusalem, where He rises and takes his place at God’s right hand, where He rules forever. This symbolizes the fulfillment of God’s promise to David that his descendant would rule from Jerusalem because it is at Jerusalem that Jesus’ gospel reaches its pinnacle. The Gospels in these ways show that Jesus is the source of the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Israel, and David made in the Old Testament.
Like the Gospels, the Acts also fulfills God’s promises to Abraham, Israel, and David. At the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the early Christians as they celebrated the Feast weeks. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven to become the guide and protect the first apostles of the world. Christians are the children of Abraham, Israel, and David because they are reborn when in Jesus when they become baptized and adopt Christianity. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was sent to guide and protect Abraham, Israel, and David’s children. It is a fulfillment of God’s promise to protect the descendants of Abraham. Also, in Acts, Stephen hails Jesus as the servant sent by “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers” who has been glorified by God (Acts 3:13). It attests to Abraham and Israel’s attachment to the gospel of Christ (Whitenton, 2012). It is also a fulfillment of God’s promise to David that is from his descendant will build the church of God. It is also the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and Israel that their legacies would be guaranteed. The Acts also document the beginning of the ministry of Apostles. Christianity was expanding across the world. Because Christians are the children of Abraham and Israel, the expansion of Christians across the world is a fulfillment of God’s world that Abraham and Israel’s descendants. The Acts thus fulfills the promise that God made to Abraham, Israel, and David.
The fulfillment of God’s promises is shown to originate through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is part of Jesus Christ, and therefore it is through Jesus that the Christians, who are the descendants of Abraham, Israel, and David. It is, therefore, through Jesus that God fulfills the promise to protect the descendants of Abraham and Israel. Jesus is the one who guides and protects the early apostles who spread the ministry of Jesus Christ. By protecting the apostles and Christians at large, Jesus is the source of the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and Israel to be with them and their descendants forever.
The epistles of Paul also fulfill God’s promises to Abraham, Israel, and David. In Galatians, Paul discusses the great debate of circumcision. Jewish Christians demanded that Gentiles should be circumcised to belong to the people of God. Jewish Christians argued that Gentile Christians could not be said to have faith in God because they do not do what God requires. However, Paul argues that the children of Abraham and gentiles who converted to Christianity should all be called Christians. Paul further notes that some of the Gentiles are children of Ishmael, who is also a son of Abraham in the letter to the Romans (Riccardi, 2014). Paul, therefore, gives Gentiles the freedom to practice Christianity. In so doing, Gentiles are also introduced to Christianity, hence expanding the number of Christians. It is a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that his children will fill the world. In so doing, the children of Abraham become protected as Christians. Gentiles who have been excluded from Abrahamic faith are included, and like every other Christians are guaranteed the protection and nourishment of Jesus Christ.
In Paul’s epistles, the acceptance of Gentiles into Christianity happens through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the pioneer of Christianity, and his mission preaches that his ministry is for everyone. Jesus Christ’s ministry accepts people of all identities. Because Christians are born in Christ, and Jesus Christ is the descendant of Abraham and Jacob, all Christians are the descendants of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, God fulfills his promise to Abraham and Israel that their religion would fill the entire world. By creating a ministry that could accommodate people of all identities in the world, Jesus expands the numbers of the descendants of Abraham and Israel. The legacy of Abraham and Israel thus lives in every Christian. Because Jesus’ ministry accepts all identities, and He is the King of all Christians, God’s promise to David that his descendant would build the church of God and rule forever from Jerusalem is fulfilled. Jerusalem is symbolic of the seat of Jesus Christ, which is in heaven.
The other epistles also fulfill the promises that God makes to Abraham, Israel, and David. In the letter of James, he addresses the Jewish community that had been scattered because of their faith. In and of itself, this already shows that God had fulfilled the promise made to Abraham and Israel that their children would spread across the world. In addressing the scattered Jewish community, James shows that Jesus was concerned with all the Jewish people. It is a fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and Israel that God would be with them and their descendants forever. Even those descendants of Abraham and Israel that are scattered also receive the attention of God. Similarly, Peter’s letter addresses Christians that were facing various forms of persecution to be steadfast and committed to Christianity. Many Christians that were persecuted were treated as outsiders. In addressing those that were being persecuted, Peter shows God’s fulfillment of the promise to always be with the descendants of Abraham and Israel.
Jesus is the source of the fulfillment of this promise. It is through Christianity that those in far places can still call themselves the descendants of Abraham and Israel. Through Christianity, people become strengthened and nourished and hence become the great people that God promised Abraham. The descendants of Abraham and Israel are with God even as they become persecuted. Through Jesus, they can overcome their tribulations. John also says that those who deny that Jesus is the Lord and Savior cannot claim to be a Christian and hence cannot claim to be the descendant of Abraham and Israel. Thus it is through Jesus that the promise to David is fulfilled.
In Revelation, God fulfills the promise made to Abraham, Israel, and David by the promises He makes to Christians. In Revelation, God promises that Christians, who are the descendants of Abraham and Israel, that they will be rewarded with eternal life. It is a continuation of God’s promise to always be with the descendants of Abraham and protect them, while also giving a great land which heaven. John is instructed to send what he sees to the seven churches of Asia. It shows that the descendants of Abraham and Israel were filling the earth just as God had promised. In John’s vision, he sees Jesus between the seven lampstands and is said to hold the key of David (Kruse, 1985) It attests to the divinity and authority of Jesus Christ, and fulfills the promise made to David that his Son would rule the world.
Jesus is the source of the fulfillment of the promises of God. It is He who dies on the cross to save humanity from sin and give them a chance for everlasting life. Jesus is the one who will come back to take Christians, who are the descendants of Abraham and Israel, to take them to God’s kingdom. It is, therefore, through Jesus that God protects the descendants of Abraham and Israel. Jesus is the King of the world, and through Him, the promises God makes to David are fulfilled.
The New Testament details the life and early history of the church. Additionally, through the scripture, God fulfills the promises made to Abraham, Israel, and David. Through Jesus and Christianity, the descendants of Abraham and Isaac expand and become great people hence fulfilling God’s promise. The divinity and royalty of Jesus and the fact that Christianity is anchored on the teachings of Christ fulfills God’s promise to David that his Son would build God’s church and rule forever.
References
Daly-Denton, M. (2003). David in the gospels. Word & World, 23(4), 421–429.
Habel, N. C. (1969). Gospel promise to Abraham. Concordia Theological Monthly, 40(6–7), 346–355.
Janzen, J. G. (2004). How can a man be born when he is old?: Jacob/Israel in Genesis and the gospel of John. Encounter, 65(4), 323–343.
Kruse, H. (1985). David’s covenant. Vetus Testamentum, 35(2), 139–164.
Riccardi, M. (2014). The seed of Abraham: a theological analysis of Galatians 3 and its implications for Israel. The Master’s Seminary Journal, 25(1), 51–64.
Whitenton, M. R. (2012). Rewriting Abraham and Joseph: Stephen’s speech (Acts 7:2-16) and Jewish exegetical traditions. Novum Testamentum, 54(2), 149–167. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1163/156853612X628133