In light  of eternity

How the Abrahamic and New Covenants find their fulfillment in Christ, uniting all nations in one people of God

Welcome back to our 12-week Sunday school series: The Israel of God. This series began Sunday, April 5, 2026, and this week we trace the golden thread of God’s covenants from Abraham through Jeremiah to Jesus Himself. We’ll discover that the promises were always bigger than one ethnicity — they point to heart transformation, global blessing, and the eschatological unity Paul celebrates in Christ.

Key Scriptures (NASB)

• Genesis 12:1-3 – “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country… And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’”

• Jeremiah 31:31-34 – “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant… I will put My law within them and write it on their heart… for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.”

• Matthew 28:18-20 – “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations…”

What Paul Is Really Saying

The Abrahamic covenant was never limited to bloodlines — it always carried the seed of blessing for every nation. O. Palmer Robertson reminds us that “the covenants of God still had conditions. Recognizing this fact, the student of Scripture must look forward to One who would fulfill the conditions of the covenant perfectly on behalf of his people” (The Israel of God, p. 40). The new covenant in Jeremiah promises exactly that: internal heart change and universal knowledge of God.

Jesus perfectly fulfilled every covenant condition on our behalf, and the Great Commission launches the end-time fulfillment Paul describes: one new people from every tribe and tongue united in Christ. The land itself was never merely geographic; “the Lord’s claim to the whole earth” (Robertson, p. 21) shows that the promise was always cosmic and eschatological. Herman Ridderbos ties it all together: the whole preaching of Christ and the apostles is “concerned with the kingdom of God” (The Coming of the Kingdom, p. 9), and that kingdom has now arrived in Jesus.

Discussion / Application Questions (use these in class or small group)

1. How does the Abrahamic covenant point beyond ethnic Israel to a blessing for all nations?
2. What does the promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah reveal about the transformation God intends for His people?
3. In what way did Christ perfectly fulfill the conditions of God’s covenants on behalf of His people?
4. How does Christ’s Great Commission reflect the global and eschatological scope of God’s redemptive plan?
5. How does Paul’s eschatology unify Old Testament covenants and bring Jews and Gentiles together in Christ?

Memory Verse to Hide in Your Heart

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:33 NASB)

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for covenants that were always meant for the whole world. Thank You that Jesus fulfilled every promise perfectly and that the new covenant is now written on our hearts. Unite us as one people in Christ and send us out to make disciples of all nations as we await the full coming of Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Insight

These three additional posts from the blog will give you deeper background and context for everything we covered today:

→ Eschatology Precedes Soteriology: What Does Greg Beale Mean? – Explains how God’s end-time plan shapes the fulfillment of all covenants in Christ.

→ 03. The Temple: A Cosmic Mountain of God’s Presence – Shows how the temple (and land) always pointed to God’s cosmic kingdom for all nations.

→ 07. Faith in the Fire: God’s Sovereignty in Exile – Connects God’s sovereign plan through exile to the new-covenant unity we now enjoy in Christ.