Are you a child of the promise?
Romans 9:6-8(AMP) However, it is not as though God’s word has failed [coming to nothing]. For not all who are descended from Israel (Jacob) are [the true] Israel; and they are not all the children of Abraham because they are his descendants [by blood], but [the promise was]: “YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED THROUGH ISAAC” [though Abraham had other sons]. That is, it is not the children of the body [Abraham’s natural descendants] who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as [Abraham’s true] descendants.
It is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise. In other words, not all the physical descendants of Abraham are the beneficiaries of the covenant promises. The beneficiaries of the promise are the children of the promise.
The Bible uses the term child of promise to refer specifically to Isaac, the son God promised to deliver to Abraham and Sarah. The promise God gave to Abraham included the provision that God would bless all nations through Abraham’s Seed through the coming of Jesus, and those who receive that blessing by faith in Jesus, are known as the spiritual children of that promise.
The New Testament uses the term children of promise to refer to all who are born again by faith in Jesus Christ, the Seed promised to Abraham. Therefore, all who are children of the promise, are also those who have become children of God, by faith in Jesus Christ.
This is beautifully described in Galatians 4:28-29(AMP) And we, [believing] brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children [not merely of physical descent, like Ishmael, but are children born] of promise [born miraculously]. But as at that time the child [of ordinary birth] born according to the flesh persecuted the son who was born according to [the promise and working of] the Spirit, so it is now also.
Paul points out that Ishmael and his mother were cast out of Abraham’s house, in the same way, those who are not in Christ, they too shall be cast out. When Abraham tried to do it on his own, the result was someone being born to a slave mother. When Abraham trusted God, the result was God fulfilling his promise.
The same is true for us. When we try to do this on our own, slavery will be our mother. But if we trust Christ, the result will be the same as when Abraham trusted God, we will see God fulfil His promises. We will be a child of the promise. And this was made possible by Jesus, at the cross. We are all sinners, by nature and by choice, we deserve to be cast out, we deserve to be condemned. But Jesus took on the punishment we deserved, and He made it possible for us to be saved.
Through Jesus, you can now become a child of the promise.