Topical Bible: The Jews: Christ Descended From

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The lineage of Jesus Christ, as presented in the Bible, is deeply rooted in Jewish ancestry, fulfilling numerous Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's descent. This lineage is significant in understanding the fulfillment of God's promises to His chosen people, Israel, and the broader implications for salvation history.

Abrahamic Covenant

The foundation of Christ's Jewish lineage begins with Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites. God made a covenant with Abraham, promising that through his offspring all nations would be blessed. Genesis 12:3 states, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you, and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you." This promise is pivotal, as it establishes the Messianic line through which Jesus would come.

Isaac and Jacob

The promise given to Abraham was reaffirmed to his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, who was later named Israel. Genesis 26:4 records God's promise to Isaac: "I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed." Similarly, Jacob received the promise in Genesis 28:14 : "Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring."

The Tribe of Judah

The Messianic line is further narrowed to the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob prophesied over his sons, declaring in Genesis 49:10 , "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his." This prophecy indicates that the ruler, the Messiah, would come from Judah's line.

The House of David

The promise of a royal lineage is fulfilled in King David, a descendant of Judah. God made a covenant with David, assuring him that his throne would be established forever. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 states, "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." This covenant is crucial in identifying Jesus as the rightful heir to David's throne.

The Genealogies of Jesus

The New Testament provides genealogies of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, both of which affirm His Jewish heritage and descent from David. Matthew 1:1 begins, "This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." This genealogy traces Jesus' legal lineage through Joseph, His earthly father, emphasizing His royal and covenantal ties to David and Abraham.

Luke's genealogy, found in Luke 3:23-38, traces Jesus' lineage through Mary, His mother, further affirming His biological descent from David and Abraham. Both genealogies highlight Jesus' fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies and His rightful place in the Jewish lineage.

Fulfillment of Prophecy

The Jewish descent of Jesus is not merely a matter of historical record but a fulfillment of divine prophecy. Isaiah 11:1 foretells, "A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit." Jesse, the father of David, is a direct ancestor of Jesus, underscoring the prophetic fulfillment in Christ's coming.

Significance for Salvation

The Jewish lineage of Jesus is integral to the Christian understanding of salvation history. Through His descent from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David, Jesus embodies the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel and extends the blessings of salvation to all nations. As the Messiah, He bridges the Old and New Covenants, offering redemption to both Jews and Gentiles alike.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 4:22
You worship you know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 9:5
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

No Salvation to the Jews Except through Christ.
... Chapter XXVI."No salvation to the Jews except through Christ ... who have persecuted
and do persecute Christ, if they ... and the just men who are descended from Jacob ...
/.../chapter xxvi no salvation to the.htm

It is with no Loss or Disparagement Therefore of his Divine Nature ...
... But it should be known that the clause, "He descended into Hell ... Gentiles foolishness,
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power ...
/.../17 it is with no.htm

Whether Christ's Genealogy is Suitably Traced by the Evangelists?
... be called the son of Heli and of all those who were descended from David; as the
Apostle says (Rom.9:5): "Of whom" (viz. the Jews) "is Christ according to the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether christs genealogy is suitably.htm

About the Time of Christ, in Accordance with Prophecy, the Rulers ...
... the time of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. ... They were constant enemies of
the Jews, refused them ... flatterers of Herod that he was descended from Jewish ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter vi about the time of.htm

The Apostles Teach that it was Neither Christ nor the Saviour, but ...
... which is the Spirit of God, who descended upon the ... they teach that there was not
one Christ, but many. ... of the heathen world: for, among the Jews, Samaritan and ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xvii the apostles teach that.htm

"But that Certain Christians and all Jews Should Maintain...
... the former that there has already descended, the latter ... correctly regarding not
"certain" of the Jews, but all ... Scriptures that the advent of Christ has already ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter ii but that certain.htm

Argument. --Again He Proves from the Gospel that Christ is God.
... the flesh." As much they as the Jews, holding that the ... was the only one, believed
that Christ was nothing ... he might return thither, He who descended thence must ...
/.../chapter xv argument again he proves.htm

Reference to the History of Christ.
... speaks to you at variance with [788] Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was descended
from David ... incorporeal natures; by those on earth, the Jews and Romans ...
/.../chapter ix reference to the history.htm

On the States of Christ's Humiliation and Exaltation
... said to have been killed by the Jews; but death ... was denoted by the existence of Christ
among the ... the other of these expressions, either "He descended into hell ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation xxxviii on the states.htm

The Doctrine of Christ Soon Spread Throughout all the World.
... those whose minds, in consequence of errors which had descended to them ... by the heathen
of Antioch, not by the Jews, to whom the word "Christ" meant too ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter iii the doctrine of christ.htm