Abraham Rejoiced

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”

John 8:56

This interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees should call into question the idea that there were different plans of salvation in the Old vs New Testaments. Here in John 8 Jesus acknowledges the physical lineage of the Pharisees but he in no way suggests that this fact alone will get them to heaven. In fact in Luke 16 we have a rich man clearly descended from Abraham who is literally burning in Hell. “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me…But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things….”

Luke 16:24-25.

Ethnicity, nation, tongue, DNA, works of righteousness that we do to be seen of others…these things do not get anyone, in any “dispensation”, into heaven. Yet there are many who believe that Jesus taught a gospel of works in order to gain access to heaven.

Hypocrisy is certainly a sin, but it's not the sin of hypocrisy of the rich man or the Pharisees that condemns them as much as their lack of faith.

Hell is always merited, Heaven is always free.

“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

Matthew 3:8-9.

Abraham is not the key to anyone’s salvation. Abraham “believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Genesis 15:6.

Also in Genesis we see, “…for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also the son of the bond-woman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”

Genesis 21:12-13

“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”

Galatians 4:28

“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7

This is not a popular opinion among “Christians” today but it is simply what the Bible says. And many people’s souls hang in the balance, because on the one hand they are being told that Jews have an unmerited grace from God that does not rest on Jesus Christ, while we as Christians have a limited atonement salvation that must be maintained by works.

There is no room for error on this issue. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you are passed from death to life. That is the gospel and there is only one.