matthews messianic expectations Essays - Prophets Of Islam

The Covenant of Abraham or The Abrahamic Covenant is oftentimes spoken of in religious services during prayers and sermons. This covenant establishes Abraham and his descendants to reap not just material benefits throughout eternity; but much more, to include a relationship with God. Beginning with Genesis 12:1-3, the blessings to Abram are promised; from making him a great nation, to blessing his name and his offspring. The understanding of a covenant relationship is of paramount importance when we discuss Abraham and Moses. In theology, a covenant is a solemn agreement made with a religious ritual. (Senior123). The use of the word covenant is frequently used in the 21st century when discussing real estate in considering subdivisions within a neighborhood. There are rules and regulations that encompass conditions with a long list of promises that the resident agrees to abide by regarding the use of the land after purchase. On a much larger scale in the call of Abraham, with his arrival to the land of Canaan (ancient Palestine), God appeared to Abram and said, ?I will assign this land to your heirs.?And he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him (Voorst 46). Again, God has made promises throughout the Bible; however God brought them about by Abraham?s faithfulness and devotion to His promises and commands (Boadt 115). Speaking from a burning bush, God calls Moses to action in helping to lead his people to the Promised Land. God identified himself to Moses saying, ?The God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.? (Voorst 46, 47) In the lives of Abraham and Moses, God gave them promises in a theophany, which means an ?appearance of God? (Boadt 113). In Galatians, emphasis is on justification by faith. Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who has faith. Moses as the mediator received the law and passed it on to the Israelites. Scripture clarifies the use of the law. ?Now there is no mediator when one party is involved and God is one ?(Galatians 3:20). Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. Consequently the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian (Senior 1650). Works Cited Boadt, Lawrence Reading the Old Testament New York: Paulist Press, 1984. Senior, Donald ; Collins, John J; Getty, Mary Ann The Catholic Study Bible Van Voorst, Robert E. Anthology of World Scriptures: Western Religions.Wadsworth.Belmont, CA.Print.2007