Does the Abrahamic covenant still apply to Israel or Christ only?

Hi,

I was going to combine this answer with another recent question here, but it got too long so I encourage you to read the other recent Q&A on Israel as well as there is a connection between the two.

Gal 3:16  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Firstly, this is a good question you have. Some have read Gal 3:16 alone, in isolation from other scriptures, and concluded that the Abrahamic covenant no longer applies to Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, but only apply to Jesus. Now it is true that all promises are ultimately in Christ, and through Christ. And even the future fulfillment of the promises given to the nation of Israel are ultimately fulfilled once they are reconciled back to Jesus their Messiah. As scripture says of their future acceptance and reconciliation:

''For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?' (Rom 11:15)

The context of Galatians 3

It is important to see what Paul was and wasn't saying in the context of Galatians 3. Firstly, the context is not about whether God's promises to the physical descendants of Abraham, the Jews, still apply and will be fulfilled. Some Christians incorrectly think that Gal 3:16 means that the promises to the nation of Israel no longer apply but that is not the case. Paul himself, in the book of Romans, was clear that they are still loved because of the Fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and the promises made to them, and so have a special part in God's future plan. This is because the giftings and calling of God concerning the nation of Israel are irrevocable. (Rom 11:25-29) This means that God cannot and will not ever change His mind on the promises given. The Abrahamic covenant was an unconditional covenant and God is not a man that He should lie or change His mind! 

So what is the context in Galatians about then? The Galatian church was coming under legalists who said they needed to keep the law of Moses (Mosaic covenant). Paul writes to say they aren't under the Mosaic law but are heirs with Christ through the Abrahamic covenant. William MacDonald writes well on this: 

Paul's argument in this section may be summarized as follows: In Gen_12:3, God promised to bless all families of the earth in Abram. This promise of salvation included Gentiles as well as Jews. In Gen_22:18, God also promised: “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” He said seed (singular), not “seeds” (plural). God was referring to One Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was a direct descendant of Abraham (Luk_3:34). In other words, God promised to bless all nations, Gentile as well as Jewish, through Christ. The promise was unconditional; it required neither good works nor legal obedience. It was a simple promise meant to be received in simple faith. Now the law, given to Israel 430 years later, could not add conditions to the promise nor alter it in any way. In human affairs this would be unrighteous; in divine matters it would be unthinkable. The conclusion therefore is that God's promise of blessing to the Gentiles is through Christ, by faith and not by law-keeping.
Believers Bible Commentary

With that said, let's go back and have a closer look at the Abrahamic covenant for we will see that it has promises and blessings for different people. Again, ultimately they will all come through Christ, but it is important to see that the covenant gave promises to both Abraham's physical lineage as well as his spiritual heirs. In other words there were promises that pertained to Abraham's seed (plural, the Jews) as well as seed (singular, Jesus). And all will be fulfilled. 

The Abrahamic Covenant

Abraham was the father of the Jewish race and was given specific promises in what is known as the Abrahamic covenant. Here are the key passages:

Gen 12:1-3  The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.  (2)  I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  (3)  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Gen 13:14-17  The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west.  (15)  All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.  (16)  I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.  (17)  Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

Gen 15:18  On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates

Gen 17:3-8  Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,  (4)  As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.  (5)  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.  (6)  I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.  (7)  I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  (8)  The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

Gen 22:15-18  The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time  (16)  and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  (17)  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,  (18)  and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

It is important to note again that this was an UNCONDITIONAL covenant. God actually put Abraham into a deep sleep while making this covenant showing that He alone was responsible to keep it (Gen 15:12-18). So straight away we see that this covenant contained promises for Abraham himself, for his physical Jewish descendants (which would could through the line of Isaac and Jacob (Israel), for the whole world, and that these would come through a singular seed, the Messiah (though this is somewhat hidden until elaborated upon by Paul) 

• For Abraham personally: God called Abraham into a unique relationship (Genesis 12:1–3), promising to bless him and make his name great. His faith was “credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). He was promised the protection of God with the Lord saying “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you” (Genesis 12:3).
• For Abraham's descendants through Isaac and Jacob (the nation of Israel): They would become a great nation “I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). They would be given the Promised Land (Genesis 15:18–21, 17:8) And they would come under God's protection by extension "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.' 
• For all of the world: 'And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed' - Ultimately all of the world would be blessed through this covenant and the One it was ultimately fulfilled in. More on this in the next point.
• Through the Messiah: Paul brings out in Gal 3:16 that there were promises concerning Abraham's seed (singular) which pointed to the Messiah and the promises would be available through and because of Him. Most believe that Paul was referencing the following verse
  Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
  So the seed here is the Messiah Jesus, and the blessing is that of salvation to all in the world that would believe. Believers in Christ would become heirs with Christ (Gal 3:29) and the spiritual seed of Abraham.

The singular and plural 'seed'

When we look at the use of 'seed' in the Abrahamic covenant we see a dual fulfillment. The word for seed in Hebrew, like English, can refer to one or many. So look at the following:

1. Plural - 'Seed' used in the plural sense for many descendants (the Israelites) who will inherit the land
   Gen 13:15-16 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. (16) And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
   Gen 15:13-14 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; (14) And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
   Gen 22:15-17 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, (16) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: (17) That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
2. Singular - Seed used in a singular sense (Christ, as the source of all blessing to the world)
   Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Again, most scholars I have read believe it is this last verse, Gen 22:18, that Paul had in mind for Gal 3:16 and it is the one that shows that all of the world, both Jews and Gentiles, will be blessed through the singular seed of Abraham - the Messiah Jesus! 

Conclusion

So we have seen that the Abrahamic covenant had promises for both the physical and spiritual seed of Abraham. Ultimately, God is working out His plan for Israel, the Church and the rest of the world. He is a God who fulfills His promises. For the nation of Israel, their toughest time still awaits. The time of Jacob's trouble is coming but they will be saved out of it and the many promises given to that nation will come to their ultimate fruition when the full number of the Gentiles has come in and that nation looks to the One they have pierced (Zech 12:10). The events in the world today, with Israel in the news nearly every day, are directly aligning and leading to that day.

Rom 11:26-27  And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.  (27)  And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

God Bless.