The Circumcised Heart

The gift of the Spirit is vital to the redemption of humanity and God’s covenant with His people, the Church of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament links the gift of the Holy Spirit to the “blessings of Abraham,” the promise that God will bless the nations through the Patriarch. The outpouring of the Spirit on the Church is one of God’s promises to Israel, and the Scriptures confirm this.

Heirs of the Covenant

Christians become heirs of Abraham through Christ, and the gift of the Spirit is our assurance of participating in the full salvation to come.

The possession of Canaan by Israel was an early stage in God’s redemptive plan, which always envisioned something larger than Israel and the small territory of Palestine. With the arrival of Jesus, “the seed of Abraham,” and the outpouring of the Spirit, the fulfillment of the covenant promises began.

The Time of the Spirit

The gift of the Spirit is foundational to the New Covenant. It is the beginning of the New Creation and the gathering of the nations.

The history of Israel includes descriptions of the sins that caused the expulsion of the nation from the Land of Canaan. God foresaw the failures of Israel, and therefore, He determined to make a new covenant, one that is energized and characterized by the Holy Spirit.

The Blessing of Abraham

The gift of the Spirit is part of the covenant promises made to Abraham, including blessing the nations of the Earth.

The Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is the son of Abraham. Thus, this gospel account connects the Nazarene to the Abrahamic Covenant, for the Messiah of Israel came to complete the covenant and all its promises.

The Promise of the Father

With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is described as “the promise of the Father” in the New Testament, which connects this gift to the Abrahamic covenant. The promises to Abraham and his seed are fulfilled in the New Covenant inaugurated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Spirit is the guarantee that we will inherit all that God has promised.

The Son of Abraham

Jesus is the Son of Abraham, the heir of the promises, and the Messiah who implements the inheritance for his people.

The Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” He is the descendant who inherits the promises made to the Patriarch, and this introduces the theme of fulfilment that characterizes Matthew – (“For thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness” – Matthew 3:15).