What happened to Abraham? If we look forward to the Days of Christ, including His death on the Cross, we can better understand why Abraham is our Father, or initial representative, of what True and genuine Faith is. What happened to Abraham can be found in Colossians 2:9-15.
Colossians 2:9-15 NKJV
9 "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily . . ." – Jesus is complete because He is "in" the Father.
10 ". . . and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." – Abraham was not yet made complete (remember, on the Cross was when Jesus said, "It is finished." Abraham would have to wait for the death of Christ to be forgiven of sin. Today, however, and because Christ has already died, if we Truly Believe in Christ, we too are complete in Christ. Why and how are we complete? Verses 11 through 15 tell us . . . clearly.
11 "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ . . ." – Christ Spiritually Circumcised Abraham. And this is the Purpose of Christ, to remove the Curse that separates us from God. Without Christ, according to the Eternal, pre-written Plan, there can be no relief of the Adamic Curse. Abraham was lifted of the Sinful Nature so that he could respond, or, Turn and Repent. Abraham, before physical circumcision, was Spiritually Circumcised by Christ, the Circumcision made without human hands. This Spiritual Circumcision is the removal of the body of sins that a person possesses. That "body," or sum and source of evil. . . is removed. This "body of the sins" has been put off; an evident change has been made and put into effect within the new believer's Heart. And this is precisely what happened to Abraham.
12 ". . . buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with [Him] through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." – Again, Abraham would have to wait for the Holy Sacrifice of Christ. But for those of us today, and because Christ has already paid the penalty for our sins, we are raised anew by our Genuine Belief in him. For Abraham, though, he would have to wait for the final Work of Christ, the Capstone of Jesus's act of paying the debt for our sins.
13 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses . . ." – Abraham was not yet made alive by Christ, because Christ had yet to die, thus paying the debt for his sin. This, however, does not mean that he wasn't Pure, Righteous, Blameless, and Holy. He was . . . However, Abraham was still "dead (in Sheol) because of his sins, because the debt had yet to be paid. Abraham had been lifted of the Adamic Curse; he had been Enabled to Turn and Repent, and the Holy Spirit had been granted to Abraham to ensure that he would live his life according to the Holy Edicts issued by God Himself. So when Abraham died, he had already been Purified by Christ. The remaining "it is finished" Work that needed to be conducted for Abraham by Christ, would be the payment for his (Abraham's) sin, and this is through Christ's death.
14 ". . . having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." – When Jesus removes the Adamic Curse from our Hearts, no worldly law determines our innocence or guilt. The Curse that causes sin in our lives will have been removed. Therefore, laws, and even the breaking of them, no longer separates us from God. Jesus is who, or what, that Justifies us. Laws no longer act as a Holy Guardian, but a Truly Converted Believer will live by the Laws of the Spirit of Life. Laws written on stone save no one, but Laws from the Holy Spirit embedded within the New Heart are Causal; they are Effectual, and these Laws absolutely guarantee an Eternal Inheritance. This is what happened to Abraham; this is precisely what happened to Abraham! The Adamic Curse, the Sinful Nature, was lifted but replaced by the Divine Nature. Unless Abraham was born without the Adamic Curse, which is entirely possible, at some point, Christ Circumcised the Heart of Abraham so that he would obey.
15 "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." – The result of being lifted of the Sin Nature is that the Devil has ultimately been defeated in a Truly Saved Believer of Christ. And that is precisely what happened to, and for, Abraham. Satan could no longer kill the Seed of Christ that lived within him. Abraham's Spiritual life was wholly protected. But for us today, if we have Turned to Christ for this clear, Spiritual Circumcision, we should be living our lives as those who have been totally relieved of the influence of Satan and his minions. Satan can no longer be blamed for our sin if his influence has been removed. And again, this is what happened to Christ.
And what about young Saul, later to be called Paul? What happened to him? Why did he change? How did he change? Doesn't it seem reasonable that what happened to Abraham, through the easy-to-understand passages that I have provided, is what happened to Saul/Paul? I've shown through the Old Testament what the Promise would be, the Promise of a New Heart and Spirit [so that] we will change and obey more and more, and I have shown through the New Testament what the Spiritual Operation of Christ is. Paul tells us precisely what happened to him . . . he made it clear in Colossians 2:9-15. Have you ever noticed Colossians 2:9-15? I know you haven't. . . neither did I for the first 51 years of my life.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 tells us of the Promise of Circumcision.
John 3:16-17 tells us of the Purpose of Christ, which is to save the World through His Work, His "Hand."
Colossians 2:9-15 tells us exactly [how] Jesus saves us.
