Foundations Part I

   "When Aslan said you could never go back to Narnia, he meant the Narnia you were thinking of. But that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia: just as our own world, England and all, is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan’s real world. You need not mourn over Narnia, Lucy. All of the old Narnia that mattered, all the dear creatures, have been drawn into the real Narnia through the Door. And of course it is different; as different as a real thing is from a shadow or as waking life is from a dream."

C.S. Lewis - The Last Battle

   These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:13-16

   This will be an extensive blog post -- more like a boatload of notes that I took while studying the book of Hebrews -- so I won't blame you if you don't care to read it. It's more for my satisfaction than anything else.

*snide chuckle*

   Anyway, these notes are the results of a sort of "pulling together" of all the tidbits of information, and the lessons I have learned throughout the years. It all started to fit like a puzzle, with hundreds of pieces finally matching up. It pleases me very much to see how the Lord has such a GRAND plan. I am beginning to see the forest, and not just individual trees. Only it's much more complex, and mind-blowing than that!

   As I go through the foundations, I'm also going to parallel them with the true plan God had behind them. The first things that He had created and established were only mirroring something greater and purer.

Abrahamic Covenant

   The first foundation, for the WHOLE plan of God's redemption of man, begins with His covenant to Abraham... sort of. There are other verses where it is hinted at, like the Fall of Man when God said that the serpent's head would be crushed. But the covenant itself began with Abraham. Once I learned this concept of the covenant, all of Scripture fell into perspective. I still, by no means, understand it all, but I can try to explain.

• A covenant that God made, to and yet without Abraham. (Genesis 15:9-17)  <  A covenant of grace that God made to us, and yet without us. Christ is the mediator of a better covenant, on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

   A covenant made in the days of Abraham was a messy, bloody affair. Animals were taken and cut in half, and laid in two lines paralleling each other. Then the two parties of the covenant would walk down that path strewn with animal parts, and pronounce a curse upon themselves if they failed to hold up their end of the deal. Probably where the term "cutting a deal" came from, lol.

   When God made His covenant with Abraham, he put Abraham in a coma, and in his sleep, Abraham saw the Lord walking between the corpses by Himself.

• Men swear by something greater than themselves. (Hebrews 6:16)  <  God swore an oath by Himself, for no one is greater than He. (Genesis 22:15-16)

   The Lord is immutable, and never changing. He cannot lie. Thus His word is sure, He will not go back on His promise.

• God made the two-part covenant alone. (Genesis 15:9-17)  <  God elected us without our input. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

• Abraham didn't have conditions to fill. (Genesis 15:9-17)  <  We are not saved by our works, or anything we can do. (2 Timothy 1:9)

• Abraham only reaped the rewards of the covenant. He believed and it was accounted to Him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)  <  We will be rewarded with peace in paradise if we persevere. (Revelation 3:5)

• The Covenant:  All nations through Abraham would be blessed. (Genesis 22:17-18)  <  Jesus died for people of all nations, not just the Jews. (John 3:16) (Daniel 7:13-14)

   This is the meat of it, folks. Christ came and preached to the Jews first, but His mission was for people of all nations and languages. The whole world. Sure, the Jews were the Sons of Abraham. but why did Christ rebuke them and tell them otherwise? Because the seed of Abraham is Christ's elect- the children of God! "Father Abraham had many sons. Many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you..."

   But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

Romans 9:6-9

• The offspring of Abraham, the Jews, the chosen people group that bore the law and the prophecies.  <  The seed of Abraham, Christ's elect and chosen beloved. (Galatians 3:28-29)

• Israel's rejection -- the first covenant, made with the forefathers taken out of Egypt, is obsolete. (Hebrews 8:13)  <  Gentiles election -- new covenant on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6) (Matthew 26:26-28)

• Some Jews are elect as first fruits and a cultivated olive tree, some Gentiles are elect, as branches grafted from a wild olive tree. (Romans 11)