Advent-ure 2021 December 2: Descended From Abraham (Believe)

The New Testament itself, in Matthew chapter 1, opens with a statement of a fulfillment of prophecy; we can read:
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

The New Testament goes on to explore the connection of Abraham to Jesus, and shows us how He fulfilled the prophecy that He would come from the seed of Abraham.  Galatians 3 relates:

7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."  

Verse 29 states, "if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

God made a promise to Abraham, and the genealogy in Matthew shows us how God continued to be faithful to do what He had said.  His Word is true, and we can rely on what He is stated and place our trust in the authority and authenticity of His Word.

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It's Day 2 of 25: A Christmas Advent-ure, our yearly Advent series, concentrating on the Timeline to Transformation, examining prophecies written about and fulfilled by our Savior, whose birth we celebrate. In Genesis 12, we can read that God appeared to a man named Abram, whose name He later changed to Abraham.  The Scriptures say:

1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 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."

We see that Abraham believed the Lord, and in Romans 4:16, we can read, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all..."

God kept His promise to Abraham, and Jesus, the Messiah is the fulfillment of the promise spoken long ago to a man named Abraham, a man of faith, who dared to walk in the ways of the Lord.

Last week, ChristianHeadlines.com published a report on a poll conducted by Pew Research that "found that 58 percent of American adults say they believe in 'God as described in the Bible,' while an additional 32 percent say they don’t believe in the God of the Bible but 'do believe there is some other higher power or spiritual force in the universe,' according to the survey’s wording."  

The article goes on to say: "All total, 91 percent of Americans say they believe in God or a higher power – slightly above the percentage when Pew asked those same questions in 2020 (89 percent) and 2017 (90 percent)."

The poll did point to the belief of a majority of respondents that confirmed a belief in what you might call the supernatural, or at least something beyond this world and our senses; "83 percent say they believe 'some things happen in life that can’t really be explained by science or natural causes.'"  The less ethereal phrase "everything in life happens for a reason," was embraced by just over 2/3 of the respondents.

The Pew survey also explored elements of human suffering, including its cause and purpose.  Pew's report stated:

A large majority of U.S. adults (80%) are believers who say that most of the suffering in the world comes from people rather than from God. Relatedly, about seven-in-ten say that in general, human beings are free to act in ways that go against the plans of God or a higher power. At the same time, half of all U.S. adults (or 56% of believers) also endorse the idea that God chooses “not to stop the suffering in the world because it is part of a larger plan.”

Meanwhile, 44% of all U.S. adults (48% of believers) say the notion that “Satan is responsible for most of the suffering in the world” reflects their views either “very well” or “somewhat well..."

Questions about heaven were also on the agenda; Christian Headlines puts it, "73 percent of Americans say they believe in heaven, while 62 percent say they believe in hell."  But, an astonishing 4 out of 10 Americans believe a person who doesn't believe in God can make it into heaven, as the Pew summary points out.  It also relates:

Protestants are more than twice as likely as Catholics to say that their faith is the one true faith leading to eternal life in heaven (38% vs. 16%), with half of evangelicals expressing this view. On the other hand, 44% of evangelical Protestants say that many religions can lead to eternal life in heaven...

During the Christmas season, I do believe that there is increased spiritual sensitivity. It reminds us that we have great opportunities ahead to share about the reality of a Savior; a reality that was introduced to faithful Abraham - a God from another world came to this world, appeared to Abraham and introduced His promise of redemption, and brought it about at just the right time.  The Christmas story is a reflection of the faithfulness of a God who kept His promises, and Jesus is the embodiment of that faithful God.

So, as Pew has discovered, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe in something greater, something beyond this world, beyond our physical senses and our human comprehension.  The Word of God identifies for us, with great reliability, what - and Who - that is. In fact, as John 1 says, the Word became flesh; He walked the earth, He demonstrated the reality of His Heavenly Father.  

The reality of the risen Lord is not just some nebulous concept - it is a spiritual reality.  People apparently believe, to some extent, in that supernatural realm, even heaven itself.  But, there needs to be clarity about the way that God has made available for us to discover it and to know the One who is beyond human comprehension, but has made it possible for us to know Him and to understand His truth.