"Children of Abraham"?

"You Are I Am" by Mercy Me

Exodus 3:14-15, "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."' God, furthermore, said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.'"

Isaiah 48:12, "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called;
            I am He, I am the first, I am also the last."

"Abraham"--in the New Testament there is another wealth of verses wherein this name appears. I cannot, right now, look at them all with the length they deserve. But let me see what I find. What came to mind when people in the New Testament wrote or spoke of Abraham?

• Matthew 1:1-17, "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers . . . Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations."
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the genealogical list remains identical in the New Testament.
• How could the Messiah, Jesus, be the descendant of Abraham, if Abraham was only figurative/imaginary/theological?
• Why would the historical deportation/exile of the Israelite people be noted in a merely figurative genealogy?
• Why would the generations be counted, if some of the individuals were simply figurative? Who would count a figurative generation?
• John 8:37-40, "'I know that you [Jews] are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.' They answered and said to Him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.'"
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why would Jesus contradict Himself by saying that these Jews were figurative descendants of Abraham, but did not act as his children/descendants?
• Why would Jesus tell the Jews to "do the deeds" of an imaginary man, whom they might object was too idealized to imitate?
• How would the Jews feel rebuked by being called antagonists toward the truth in a manner that their merely figurative forefather never was?
• When you say someone doesn't follow in their parents' footsteps, you are talking about their real-life parents--in the Jews case, this was a well-remembered ancestor.
• John 8:52-59, "The Jews said to Him, 'Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, "If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death." Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?' Jesus answered, 'If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, "He is our God"; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.' So the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.' Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple."
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• The Jews believed Abraham died/tasted death. How could a merely figurative man die?
• Why would the Jews respect the name of Abraham if they believed the stories about him were made up?
• How could a figurative man rejoice to foresee the real coming of Christ?
• Why would the Jews point out Jesus' apparently young age in arguing that he couldn't have lived during the time of a figurative Abraham?
• How could a figurative person be born?
• Why would Jesus claim to be in existence before a figurative ancestor?
• Acts 7:2-8, "And he [Stephen, defending himself before the Jewish Council] said, 'Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, "LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU." Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM. But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. "AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE," said God, "AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE." And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.'"
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why would Stephen say that the real God appeared to a figurative man living in a real land?
• How could a figurative man move to the real land in which the Jews of Stephen's day were living?
• Why would Stephen take note of promises to a figurative ancestor--as if these promises were somehow translated into reality and passed onto the people of Israel?
• Why would Stephen and the Jewish people revere the God of a figurative ancestor?
• Romans 9:3-8, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren . . . who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons . . . and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: 'THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.' That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants."
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why would Abraham's descendants be called "children of the flesh"/natural birth if Abraham was merely figurative?
• Why would one say that the descendants of a figurative Abraham were not really all figurative children of Abraham? How can you contrast figurative with figurative?
• What meaning is there in saying that the children of God are children of a figurative promise (i.e. a promise to a figurative Abraham about his descendants being named through Isaac)?