Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham.
Parallel translations
- WEB Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham.
- KJV Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
- NKJV Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
- NASB Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
- NLT The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Those who have faith are the true children of Abraham. Spiritual descent from Abraham comes through faith, not physical lineage.
Overview
Paul redefines Abraham's family around faith rather than ancestry or law. Gentile believers, then, are genuine heirs of Abraham simply by believing as he did. This dismantles the agitators' claim that one must become a law-keeping Jew to belong to God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Gal 3:9So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
- Rom 9:7–8Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
- Gal 3:26–29You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
- Rom 4:24but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
- Ps 100:3Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- John 8:39“Abraham is our father,” they replied. “If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham.
- Rom 4:11–16And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
- Luke 19:9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.
- Luke 21:31So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
- Heb 13:23Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ became a curse for us to redeem us from the law's curse, that we might receive the Spirit and be sons — justified by faith in him, not by works.
How Galatians 3:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.