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Abraham was born in Ur, (in southern Iraq) over 2100 years before Christ (Gen. 11:27). That is hundreds of miles east of the Promised Land!
Abraham is considered the "father" of the Jewish people. In fact, his name means "father of a multitude" or of many, but ironically he had no children even at age 70.
Yet God changed that in a big way. In Genesis 12:1-3 we learn that God called Abraham to leave his home for the Promised Land, what would become Israel. God made three promises to Abraham (in bold below):
The Land,
Descendents (a nation full!), and
That all people of the world would be blessed through him:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“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.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
Notice particularly the third promise. "All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Christ is the descendant of Abraham, and is the One through whom that is being fulfilled!
Through the gospel we can continue to extend that same promise of God's blessing as people put their faith in Christ. Paul put it this way,
"Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith...." (Romans 4:11) because in Genesis 15:6 when Abraham "believed" in God's promise it was "credited to him as righteousness." So way back in the Old Testament we have the teaching that we are saved by faith, not by good works.
As believers, we are adopted into God's family of faith, along with Abraham who "believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3).
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