Abrahamic Covenant
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Keywords: Replacement
Theology * Supersessionism * Christian Zionism * non-biblical *
false doctrine * Israel * Church and Israel
Abrahamic
Covenant
"The Abrahamic Covenant"
by Mikael Knighton
Christians Standing with Israel
The Abrahamic
Covenant Defined
The LORD made a covenant with Abraham and his
descendants consisting of three components:
God promised Abraham personal blessings:
"As for Me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you will be the
father of a multitude of nations"
[Gen 17:4] "I will
establish my covenant between Me and you, and your descendants after
you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be
God to you and to your descendants after you." [Gen 17:7]
"And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be
a blessing;" [Gen 12:2]
God promised Abraham and his descendants
a great land and to make him a "great nation.":
"I will make you a great nation." [Gen 12:1]
"On that day the Lord made a covenant with
Abram, saying 'To your descendants I have given this land, From the
river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates."
[Gen 15:18]
God promised to
bless others through Abraham.
"And I will bless those who bless you, and
the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of
the earth shall be blessed." [Gen 12:3]
The Abrahamic Covenant exists as an
unconditional promise from
God to Abraham and his descendants. In chapters 12-15 of Genesis,
the dynamics of the Abrahamic Covenant--in particular its
unconditional attributes--are specifically stated. Beware of false
teachers, such as the Anglican Stephen Sizer, who seek to advance a
non-biblical doctrine that would place conditions upon this literal
covenant for the purposes of rendering its promises into the hands
of the Christian Church. Believe this: God will demand an accounting
of all of us, but He will not forget the Church leaders who sought
to deceive His flock.
The following article was borrowed from the
Ankerberg Theological Research Institute, and provides a
biblically-sound examination of the dynamics surrounding the
Abrahamic Covenant. Is the Abrahamic Covenant truly "everlasting"?
Or, as those from the Supersessionist camp would argue, is the
Abrahamic Covenant "conditional" and based on Israel's relationship
with God? At this point, you should be well aware of our position
regarding these questions. However, for those who still struggle
with biblical discernment regarding this subject, the article below
will afford you an even broader understanding of the Abrahamic
Covenant and God's faithfulness to Israel. The Christian Zionist
ministry of Christians Standing with Israel neither accepts nor
claims credit for its authorship. The following information appears
here for educational purposes only.
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The Abrahamic Covenant
by Dr. Renald Showers
Preliminary
Considerations
Two major systems of theology (Dispensational Theology and Covenant
Theology) often differ from each other in their approaches to the
major biblical covenants. These differences are significant, because
they lead to contrasting views concerning the Millennium or future
Kingdom of God foretold in the Bible. These differences are
significant for another reason: they lead to contrasting views
regarding the permanent existence of Israel as a nation and Israel’s
permanent ownership of the promised land. Has God promised Israel
permanent existence as a nation? Has He guaranteed Israel permanent
ownership of the promised land and, therefore, the right to possess
that land?
A number of the biblical covenants will determine the final outcome
of these important issues. Therefore, the approach that a person
takes to these covenants is most crucial. Because that is so, this
and future articles will examine the biblical covenants which relate
to these issues.
Major Issues Related to the Abrahamic
Covenant
The Abrahamic Covenant involves three major issues. First, does it
promise Israel permanent existence as a nation? Second, does it
promise Israel permanent ownership of the promised land? Third, is
the covenant conditional or unconditional in nature? If it is
conditional, then the fulfillment of its promises is dependent upon
the obedience of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their physical
descendants, the people of Israel. If the Abrahamic Covenant is
unconditional, then the fulfillment of its promises is dependent
upon the faithfulness of God to His word, not upon human obedience.
The Parties of the Abrahamic Covenant
The Abrahamic Covenant was established by God with Abraham and his
physical descendants, Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel.
Genesis 15:18 states, "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with
Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river
of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." In Genesis
17:4, 6-7 God said to Abraham, "As for me, behold, my covenant is
with thee… and I will make thee exceedingly fruitful,… And I will
establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in
their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto
thee, and to thy seed after thee."
The fact that God established the Abrahamic Covenant with the
physical descendants of Abraham, the people of Israel, is made even
more clear in several Genesis passages. In Genesis 17:19-21 God said
to Abraham, "Sarah, thy wife, shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou
shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him
for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for
Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will
make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes
shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant
will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee." When
Isaac became an adult God established the Abrahamic Covenant with
him (Genesis 26:1-4). Later God established the covenant with
Abraham’s physical grandson, Jacob (Genesis 28:10-14; 35:9-12;
48:3-4). The instructions which Joseph, Abraham’s great-grandson,
gave at the end of his life clearly indicate that he understood the
Abrahamic Covenant to have been made with Abraham and his physical
descendants, the people of Israel (Genesis 50:24-25).
The Historical Establishment of the Abrahamic
Covenant
Although some of the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant were given
by God in Genesis 12:2-3 and 13:14-17, the covenant was not formally
established until Genesis 15:7-21. Genesis 15:18 specifically states
that "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram." God
formally established the covenant in the following manner: while
Abraham slept a deep sleep, God (represented by a smoking oven and a
flaming torch) moved between the pieces of animals which He had
commanded Abraham to cut into two halves. Jeremiah 34:18 indicates
that this procedure of passing between the halves of animals was a
common way of establishing covenants in Old Testament times.
The Promises of the Abrahamic Covenant
God made three major kinds of promises in the Abrahamic Covenant.
First, there were personal promises to Abraham. God promised to
bless Abraham and to make him a blessing to others (Genesis 12:2),
to make his name great (Genesis 12:2), to give him many physical
descendants (Genesis 13:16; 15:4-5; 17:6), to make him the father of
a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4-5), to give him the land of
Canaan for an everlasting possession (Genesis 13:14-15, 17; 15:7;
17:8), and to bless those who blessed Abraham and curse those who
cursed him (Genesis 12:3).
Second, God made national promises concerning Israel. God promised
to make a great nation of Abraham’s physical descendants (Genesis
12:2), to give the land of Canaan from the river of Egypt to the
Euphrates River to Abraham’s physical descendants forever (Genesis
12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21; 17:8), and to give the Abrahamic Covenant
to his descendants for an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:7, 19).
The Genesis 17:19 passage indicates that God intended the covenant
to continue on through Isaac, Abraham’s biological son, and Isaac’s
descendants—thus, through Abraham’s physical seed. The fact that God
promised to give Abraham’s physical descendants the land of Canaan
forever and the covenant for an everlasting covenant demands that
Israel never perish as a people. Should Israel ever perish as a
nation, it could not possess the land forever, and its Abrahamic
Covenant could not be everlasting.
Third, God made universal promises which would affect all peoples of
the world. God vowed that all families of the earth would be blessed
through Abraham’s physical line of descent (Genesis 12:3; 22:18;
28:14). Later we shall see that great spiritual blessing has been
made available to all peoples through Jesus Christ and the Jews.
In addition, Jesus’ statements in Matthew 25:31-46 (especially
verses 40 and 45) seem to indicate that, when God promised to bless
those who blessed Abraham and to curse those who cursed him, He
intended this to be applicable, not only to Abraham, but also to
Israel. In other words, God’s blessing or cursing of the peoples of
the world would be determined to a large extent by their blessing or
cursing of Israel. Jesus’ statements in Matthew 25 promise blessing
to saved Gentiles who will aid persecuted Jews of the future
Tribulation period and judgment to unsaved Gentiles who will not aid
them.
Source:
The Ankerberg Theological Research Institute
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