Scriptures: Galatians 3:13-14
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.“
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the law because we have been delivered from it. It is written, “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:6) Therefore, the blessings that we receive from God in the New Testament are no longer based on the principles of blessings and curses, as is the case in the law, but are based on the blessing of Abraham.
What exactly is the blessing of Abraham? When God called Abraham to go out of his country to a land that He would show him, leaving his relatives and his father’s house, He said to him, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3) What God said to Abraham was not only that He would bless him, but that He would also make him a blessing. Thus, the blessing of Abraham is not about being blessed but about being a blessing.
What is the difference between being blessed by God and being a blessing of God? If we are blessed by God, then we will receive good things from God. However, if we are a blessing of God, then we will bring the good things from God to others. Not only what we do will bless them, but our very presence among them will bring a blessing from God to them. Therefore, the blessing of Abraham is not really about how we can receive blessings from God, but rather about how our lives can be blessings of God for people. It is written, “The generous soul will be made rich (Whoever brings blessing will be enriched), and he who waters will also be watered himself.” (Proverbs 11:25)
The blessing of Abraham is very different from the blessing of the law. The blessing based on the law requires obedience in our actions. If we obey and do what the law commands, we will be blessed. But, if we disobey and break the commandments of the law, we will not be blessed. In fact, we will be cursed because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” (Galatians 3:10) The blessing of Abraham does not require any obedience in our actions from us. This Abrahamic blessing was given by God to us as grace. How can we receive God’s grace? There is only one way, and that is by faith (Romans 5:2). We believe and we receive it.
What will happen when the blessing of Abraham is in our lives? The first thing that will happen is we want to be a blessing to others. Then, we will do the things that will bless them. But, there is something else that will happen. When this Abrahamic blessing is full in our lives, then our presence among the people or our connection with them is enough to make them receive God’s blessings. They will be blessed even when we do not do anything specific to bless them. Yes, the blessing will come because of us, but not because of what we do to them. This is the great power of the blessing of Abraham.
The clearest example of a person whose life was blessed because of Abraham was his nephew Lot. Abraham, who was still called Abram at the time, was very rich in livestock, silver and gold (Genesis 13:2). And Lot who went with Abraham had flocks, herds, and tents (Genesis 13:5). Lot was blessed with great wealth because Abraham was in his life. Likewise, Lot was taken out of the city of Sodom before God destroyed it. Why did God save Lot? Yes, Lot was righteous in his life, but the main reason God saved him was because God remembered Abraham whom he was connected with. It is written, “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.” (Genesis19:29)
What will happen to us when we have the blessing of Abraham in our lives? We will experience that whatever people do to us will come back on them. If they bless us, then they will be blessed by God. But, if they curse us, then their curse will backfire on them. This blessing of Abraham makes us immune to any curse that is directed at us, even the curse will bounce back to the one who sent it. On the other hand, if someone blesses us, then the blessing will return to him, so that he will be even more blessed by God.
How can we have the blessing of Abraham’ in our lives? This blessing of Abraham is actually the promised Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:14). So, the most important thing that we must do to have the blessing of Abraham is to receive the Holy Spirit and to keep that Holy Spirit full in our lives. The Holy Spirit will then work within us, making our hearts willing and wanting to do something to bless others. This is ‘the blessing by action’ stage. If we continue to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts that we bless people consistently, then over time the heart that always blesses will be formed in us. When this heart has been formed, then we will become the blessing itself. This is ‘the blessing by life’ stage. When we are in this stage, people will get blessed by God because of our presence in their lives or our connection with them. Even if we do not specifically do anything to bless them, they will still be blessed by God.
As it has been mentioned, the blessing of Abraham is actually the grace of God given through Christ because Christ is the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16). When Christ lived on earth as Man, He blessed people by what He did to them. But, now He is no longer on earth but in heaven. So, how does He bless people from heaven? By His presence through the Holy Spirit who is given to us. Therefore, like Lot who received the blessings of Abraham because of Abraham’s presence in his life and his connection with him, we receive the grace of God because of Christ’s presence in our lives and our connection with Him. The presence of Christ in our lives will in turn bring His grace to others.