The Seed of Promise

by Rex Conklin with Frank Klin

Come now let us reason together. We are challenged to be Bereans so test the spirits and
search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. Study with a friend and pray for discernment
because we are promised that wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ Name, He is there.
May you be richly blessed as you study His Word.

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For
the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as
the Lord our God shall call. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." - (Acts
2:33 & 38-39 & Galatians 3:14)

Promise – Greek 1860: epaggelia, a summons or promise undertaking to do or give something.

Used only of promises of God, the thing given, a gift graciously given, to proclaim life in
fellowship with Christ, the divine promises of blessing especially of the benefits of salvation by
Christ. Hebrew 1697: dabar, words, speech, discourse, especially the Word of the Lord, an
oracle, the ten commandments. (Zodhiates Lexical Aids of the New Testament, Thayer’s Lexicon)

The first promise given in Scripture was to Adam and Eve, who became the seed (children) of
Satan after the fall in the garden of Eden. Satan would lose his dominion over those who groaned
to be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God”
(Romans 8:21). God told Satan exactly how He would accomplish this. “And I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.” - (Genesis 3:15)

Seed – Hebrew 2232: zera, offspring, descendants, posterity, children, used of one son, as in
Genesis 4:25, namely, Seth, when he was not an only one, because Cain was yet alive; and
further, this seed of the woman was to bruise the head of the tempter, “thy head,” which can in no
sense apply to any but Christ individually, who became incarnate, “that by means of death He
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” Greek 4690: sperma, Seed
for sowing and growing seed, the grain or kernel which contains within itself the germ of the future
plants. – (Hebrews 2:14)

This promise was reiterated to Abraham, "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so
that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. And He
brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to
number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And God said, Sarah thy wife shall
bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish My covenant with
him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” – (Genesis 13:16, 15:15 & 17:19)

Abraham has good reason to be called the Father of Righteousness by Faith. He believed the
promise that through his seed would come the child that was to be the Redeemer of mankind.

“And being not weak in faith, he (Abraham) considered not his own body now dead, when he
was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: he staggered not at
the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being
fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.” - (Romans 4:19-
21)

Even here in belief the spirit of Satan was working to derail the coming of the promised
Redeemer. Not having the faith her husband had, Sara grew tired of waiting for the Lord to do
what He promised and she tried to do it for Him.

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 “Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose
name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from
bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram
hearkened to the voice of Sarai.” - (Genesis 16:1-2)

Because Abraham listened to the voice of his wife instead of the voice of the Lord he had a
child of the flesh by Hagar. God did not accept their son Ishmael as a substitute, though for
Abraham’s sake He promised, "and also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation,
because he is thy seed.” - (Genesis 21:13)

The promise of a son was fulfilled when they both fully believed the Lord, "Through faith also
Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she
was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." - (Hebrews 11:11)

“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his
seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (As it is written, I have made
thee a father of many nations,) before Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the
dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in
hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so
shall thy seed be.” – (Romans 4:13 & 17-18)

Isaac alone was accepted as the only son begotten of promise. Through his lineage came the
only begotten Son of our Heavenly Father. Jesus became the seed of promise given to Abraham
fulfilling the prophecy spoken to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15.

We may receive that same seed of promise through the Spirit, “But if the Spirit of Him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall
also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. This is He that came by
water and blood, Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that
st
beareth witness, because the Spirit is Truth.” - (Romans 8:11 & 1 John 5:6)

“Jesus saith . . . I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by Me . . . If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know
the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. - (John 14:6, 8:31-32)

“For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a
freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after flesh; but he of the
freewoman was by promise.” - (Galatians 4:22-23)

“They answered Him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how
sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for
ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no
place in you. I speak that which I have seen with My Father: and ye do that which ye have
seen with your father.” - (John 8:33-38)

“They answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were
Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. Because that Abraham obeyed
My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” - (John 8:39
& Genesis 26:5)

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 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and abode not in the Truth, because there is no Truth in him. When he speaketh a
lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. - (John 8:44)

“Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no
gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye
again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.” - (Galatians 4:8-9 &
John 8:56)

*** See our study “Spiritually Minded vs the Flesh” ***

http://www.scribd.com/doc/35445981/Spiritually-Minded-vs-the-Flesh

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, to
them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God." - (John 1:12-13)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath
made us accepted in the beloved. In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of
the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." - (Ephesians 1:3-6 & 13-14)

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that
we may be also glorified together. - (Romans 8:16-17)

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he
cannot sin, because he is born of God. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that
the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into
st
Christ have put on Christ." - (Galatians 3:22, 26-27 & 1 John 3:9)

"For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many
days hence. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father
the promise of the Holy Ghost, He (Jesus) hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Forasmuch then as God gave them (Gentiles) the like gift as unto us, who believed on the Lord
Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?" - (Acts 1:5, 2:33 & 11:17)

*** See our studies “And He Shall Baptize You With the Holy Ghost” & “The Gift” ***

http://www.scribd.com/doc/33334097/And-He-Shall-Baptize-You-With-the-Holy-Ghost

http://www.scribd.com/doc/33488382/The-Gift-Our-Abiding-Possession

"Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our
fathers, saying unto Abraham, and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed, that
the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 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

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Christ. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham
by promise. Wherefore then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should
come to whom the promise was made; and ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a
mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one." - (Acts 3:25, Galatians 3:14, 16 & 18-20)

"And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the
redemption of the transgressions under the first testament, they which are called might receive
the promise of eternal inheritance." - (Hebrews 9:15)

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: For where a testament is, there
must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are
dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. And almost all things are by the
st
law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." - (1 John 2:1, Hebrews
9:16-17 & 22)

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Even so we, when we were children, were in
bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no
more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. - (Galatians 3:28 &
4:3-7)

“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born
after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what
saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman
shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. O then, brethren, we are not children of the
bondwoman, but of the free.”- (Galatians 4:28-31)

"My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. He hath
holpen His servant Israel, in remembrance of mercy, as He spake to our fathers, to Abraham,
and to his seed for ever." - (Luke 1:46-47 & 54-55 )

“The sum of the whole matter is that in the promise to Abraham there is the Gospel, and only
the Gospel; and any attempt to make the promises apply to any other than those who are Christ's
through the Spirit, is an attempt to nullify the promises of the Gospel of God. ‘If ye are Christ's
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.’ ‘Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.’ So if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit by which
Isaac was born, he is not a child of Abraham, and has no claim to any part of the promise. But as
the inheritance is wholly a gift, and the Holy Spirit is the first-fruits or pledge of the inheritance, so
the Spirit is freely given to all who believe; and with the Holy Spirit comes the righteousness of
God.” (Ellet J. Waggoner, “The Everlasting Covenant” page 62, Glad Tidings Publishers)

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” - (Galatians 5:25)