Righteousness in Person
Douglas Campbell ( Deliverance of God , 749) convincingly suggests that the promise to Abraham is specifically embodied in his son Isaac:
“Abraham is convinced that God is capable of giving him an heir. And if God does so, then the further promises are enabled - more offspring, land, and even the inheritance of the cosmos. Moreover, when God does so, Abraham’s longstanding trust in God is finally rewarded. Hence, it seems hard to avoid the conclusion that Isaac is God’s righteous and saving act - his act of grace toward Abraham. Isaac is the dikaiosune that God gifts to Abraham, having promised him earlier on.”
And if this is true, then it is only a short step to realize that Christians share Abraham’s faith in a very precise way: “Christians are to trust in the God who raised Jesus from the dead, just as Abraham trust in a resurrecting God who conceived Isaac from sterile parents.”
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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