The heirs.
"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Mark how the apostle moves from point to point.
I. BELIEVERS ARE CHRIST'S POSSESSION. They are so:
1. By gift. "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me" (John 17:6).
2. By purchase. "Ye are bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20).
3. By conquest. "The people shall be willing in the day of thy power" (Psalms 110:3).
4. By their own self-surrender. They are "a living sacrifice." They have "committed themselves to him" (2 Timothy 1:12).
II. CHRIST'S PEOPLE ARE ABRAHAM'S SEED. Christ himself is Abraham's Seed (verse 16), and therefore they, as one with him in the mystical union, are Abraham's seed.
III. THE HEIRSHIP OF PROMISE. They became heirs, not by any legal observances, but according to the promise made to Abraham.
1. The inheritance is the only one worth having.
2. It is the only one that can be kept for ever.
3. It is, unlike earthly riches or honours, within everybody's reach.
4. It is the duty of heirs to live according to their prospects, to walk worthy of a Father's house, and to behave like a brother to brethren.
HOMILIES BY R.M. EDGAR