2834. 'And offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son' means their sanctification and adoption. This is clear from the meaning of 'offering as a burnt offering' as being sanctified, dealt with in 2776, and from the meaning of 'instead of his son' as being adopted, that is to say, by the Lord's Divine Human, meant here by 'Abraham', 2833. The adoption of those who were spiritual is described in John,

Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5.

'The vine' is the spiritual Church, see 1069.

2833. 'And Abraham went and took the ram' means their release effected by the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, here the Lord as to the Divine Human - for when Jehovah or the angel of Jehovah speaks to Abraham, Jehovah or the angel of Jehovah in that case means the Divine itself, and 'Abraham' the Divine Human; and from the meaning of 'a ram' as those who are spiritual, 2830. From this it is evident that 'Abraham went and took the ram caught in a thicket by its horns' means the release of those who are spiritual effected by the Lord's Divine Human. As regards the fact that but for the Lord's Coming into the world spiritual people could not possibly have been saved, see 2661, 2716, and that their salvation and release was effected by the Lord's Divine Human, 2716.