The Biblical Concept of Corporate Adam / Israel part 1

Abraham Plus Sarah

When the God of Abraham promised Abraham that He would make him a blessing, He spoke in terms of families. He spoke of Abraham in corporate terms.

Why did Abraham's relationship with Hagar, resulting in the birth of Ishmael, not work toward bringing about the fulfillment of the promise of Abraham becoming a channel of blessing for the world? Because it was not Abraham in his individual capacity that was chosen but Abraham in his corporate capacity that was chosen to overcome the Creator's curse with the Creator's blessing.

When the God of Abraham said to Abraham, "I will make you a blessing," He was not speaking (in the first place) of Abraham's accomplishments as an individual; He was speaking of Abraham corporately as a father, as one part, the male part, of the source of a family. This means that essentially it was Abraham's marriage to Sarah that was chosen. It was Abraham plus Sarah. Only Abraham with Sarah was corporate Abraham as chosen by the Creator of Adam, the man and the woman. Thus it could not be that Abraham and Hagar could work toward the fulfillment of the promise, for this relationship with Hagar represented and understanding of Abraham as an individual, apart from the corporate aspect of Adam.

Thus, it was when Abraham personally believed in the promise as given to him in his corporate aspect, given to him together with Sarah as a corporate source of the branch of Adam chosen for the redemption of the world, to Abraham and his seed, that it was "counted to Abraham for righteousness." And thus it is that if any form of replacement theology denies the present and future corporate redemption of Israel the same theology denies the very promise of corporate redemption for Adam that Abraham believed in in order to be justified by his faith. This presents us with the question, how do we develop our understanding through the grace of the God of Israel from an individual centered hope and theology to the corporate hope that was given to Abraham and in which he believed in order to be justified by faith?