Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Parallel translations
- WEB Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham.
- BSB Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons 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 then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
- Rom 9:7–8Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
- Gal 3:26–29For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
- Rom 4:24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
- Ps 100:3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
- John 8:39They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
- Rom 4:11–16And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
- Luke 19:9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
- Luke 21:31So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
- Heb 13:23Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will 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.