What is the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers in Acts 26:6? Abrahamic Foundation 1. Genesis 12:3; 22:18 – “All nations will be blessed through your seed.” 2. Genesis 15:6 – Abraham “believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Paul explicitly links this promise to Christ (Galatians 3:16) and to the gift of the Spirit (Galatians 3:14). The worldwide blessing is inseparable from justification by faith and life in the Spirit—both guaranteed by Messiah’s resurrection (Romans 4:24–25). The Davidic Covenant 2 Samuel 7:12–16 promises an eternal throne. Psalm 16:10 foretells the Holy One’s body will not see decay; Peter and Paul cite it as predicting Messiah’s resurrection (Acts 2:25–32; 13:34–37). Thus the “hope” is royal, messianic, and resurrection-centered. Resurrection In Israel’S Scriptures Job 19:25–27; Isaiah 25:8; 26:19; Ezekiel 37:1–14; Daniel 12:2 promise bodily revival. Paul weaves that expectation into Acts 26:8: “Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” The Pharisees embraced this hope (Acts 23:6–8), and the earliest Aramaic targumic paraphrases echo it (e.g., Tg. Isaiah 26:19). The New Covenant Promise Jer 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:26–27 foretell inner transformation by the Spirit. Jesus ties this to His atoning blood (Luke 22:20). Paul therefore sees the risen Christ as the covenant fulfiller who pours out the Spirit (Acts 2:32–33). Prophetic Synthesis Isa 9:6-7; 11:1-10; 53; 61:1-3, Zechariah 9:9-11, and Micah 5:2 locate the promised Redeemer in history (Bethlehem birth, suffering yet triumphant servant-king) while threading the theme of global restoration. Portions of Isaiah and Zechariah found in 1QIsaᵃ and 4QXII (Dead Sea Scrolls, dated c. 150–125 BC) match >99 % of the extant Masoretic text—empirical confirmation that the promise pre-dates Christ yet accurately foretells His work. Fulfillment In Jesus Of Nazareth 1. Incarnation – born in the prophesied lineage (Matthew 1; Luke 3). 2. Crucifixion – foretold (Isaiah 53:5–12; Psalm 22) and historically secured (Tacitus, Ann. 15.44; Josephus, Ant. 18.3.3). 3. Resurrection – “raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). The creedal formula dates to within five years of the event, as even skeptical scholars concede, anchoring the “hope” in eyewitness memory. Apostolic Proclamation Of The Hope • Acts 2:29–36 – Peter links Davidic promise to resurrection. • Acts 3:24–26 – the prophets have “announced these days,” offering blessing by turning from sin. • Acts 13:32–39 – Paul uses Psalm 2 and Isaiah 55:3 to declare, “We proclaim to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers.” Theological Core 1. Justification – “He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:25) 2. Adoption – resurrection power installs believers as sons (Romans 8:23). 3. Eschatological life – “Christ has been raised…so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22) Escatological Scope The hope culminates in: • Bodily resurrection of believers (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). • Restoration of creation (Romans 8:18-21; Revelation 21–22). • Messianic reign—the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). Practical Implications Because the promise is fulfilled: • Assurance: believers possess a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). • Evangelism: the gospel is the outworking of God’s ancient oath, inviting every nation into covenant blessing. • Perseverance: suffering is reframed in light of guaranteed resurrection glory (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:14-17). Synthesized Answer The hope of the promise to the fathers is the long-foretold, divinely guaranteed reality that God would send His Messiah, raise Him from the dead, justify His people, pour out His Spirit, resurrect the righteous, and restore all creation. In Acts 26:6 Paul declares that every strand of that multifaceted promise has already begun to be realized in Jesus of Nazareth, whose empty tomb is the irrevocable pledge of our own future resurrection and the ultimate blessing of all the families of the earth. |
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