What is the Abrahamic Covenant?

The Abrahamic covenant is a one-sided agreement between God and Abraham. A unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties in which only one party has the authority to act. In the instance of God and Abraham's agreement, God was the only one who had to act, making it a unilateral (or unconditional) covenant. Genesis 12:1-3 contains the Abrahamic covenant. Abram was a man who lived in ancient Mesopotamia and was a descendant of Noah via Shem (Genesis 11:10-27). "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you," God said one day. And I will create you a big country, bless you, and magnify your name so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who dishonour you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3). This promise is now referred to as the Abrahamic covenant.

We know the pact was unilateral because in the ancient world, a covenant was made formal by cutting open a dove, ram, or other animal or animals and placing the pieces on the ground so that both persons involved in the covenant could walk between them. In the event of God's covenant with Abraham, God took the appearance of a "smoking furnace and a flaming torch" and travelled only between the pieces. During this time, God induced Abraham to fall asleep, guaranteeing that the full weight of duty in the covenant would fall on God rather than Abraham (Genesis 15).

The Abrahamic covenant is divided into three parts:

The promise of land came first (Genesis 12:1). When God called Abram, he was living in Ur of the Chaldeans, and God instructed him to relocate to another area that God would show him. That land turned out to be Canaan (Genesis 12:6-7), but it would take several generations for Israel to fully occupy it (Joshua 22:1-6).

Second, there was the promise of a progeny as numerous as the sand on the beach or the stars in the sky, who would bless the entire earth (Genesis 22:17-18). God promised Abraham's descendants that they would become a powerful country with mighty kings (Genesis 17:6).

Third, God promised to deliver blessing and redemption to all humanity via Abraham's people. God repeated this promise to Isaac (Genesis 21:12; 26:3-4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:14-15). Despite the fact that all three patriarchs committed sins, God's unconditional promise stands. Because Jesus was the sole partner in the covenant, no human action could render the vow null and worthless.

The Abrahamic covenant is an everlasting covenant that extends into Christ's future kingdom. Ezekiel foresaw a day when Israel will be entirely restored to the Promised Land as a nation (Ezekiel 20:33-37, 40-42; 36:1—37:28). As promised, Israel as a country shall be rebuilt, blessed, and redeemed (Romans 11:25-27). Most importantly, not only Israel, but all people, have entry to God's kingdom through the Messiah, who is an Abrahamic descendent (John 3:16-17).