The Glad Tidings
Blessed with Abraham
“So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Mark the close connection between this and the preceding verse. The Gospel was preached to Abraham in the words, “In thee shall all nations be blessed.” (It should be remembered, in passing, that the words “heathen,” or “Gentiles,” as in the Revised Version, and “nations,” in verse 8, come from the very same Greek word.) This blessing is the blessing of righteousness through Christ, as we learn from Acts 3:25, 26: “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. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Because God preached the Gospel to Abraham, saying, “In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” those who believe are blessed with the faithful Abraham. There is no blessing for any man except the blessing which Abraham received, and the Gospel preached to him is the only Gospel there is for any people under heaven; for besides the name of Jesus, in whom Abraham believed, “there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” In Him “we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:14. The forgiveness of sins carries with it all blessings. GTI 106.5