In the course of exhortation, every so often it is good to review the first principles of the Truth — the things we were taught, believed and accepted that brought us into the Truth. Such a review of first principles confirms our faith, and the confirmation of our faith is edifying.
As we have done before, our review this time will center on the Abrahamic covenant, but from a different perspective than we considered the last time (“Tidings,” Oct., ’89).
A vital covenant
Abraham was an important man in God’s plan of salvation. The greatest man mentioned in scripture was the Lord Jesus himself. But God has used many other great men and Abraham certainly stands high among the great men of the Bible.
As I pointed out in a former exhortation, Abraham and his seed were promised the inheritance of the earth with blessings to all families of the earth. Paul says that the seed was Christ. The importance of this promise is stressed by the fact that God added His oath to the promise that by two immutable things we might have a “strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Heb. 6:18). Further, Paul told the Ephesians that to be a stranger to that promise was being without hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12). These facts are the fundamentals of scripture and we feel that our faith is well beyond the reach of contradiction.
Some do not believe
Yet many religious groups around us claim we are completely mistaken in expecting a literal, physical fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. They have educated and learned learners among them and they are familiar with the scriptures we use. But by using other scripture, they claim the literal fulfillment happened long ago when Israel inherited the land of Palestine, became a great nation and reached a period of national glory during the reign of Solomon.
These folk are expecting what they call a spiritual fulfillment. They say Christ has gone to heaven to reign on David’s throne. They hope to go to heaven when they die and expect God to burn up the earth with all the evil in it.
Misunderstood verses
The verses used to prove that the promises are already fulfilled are unfamiliar to many of us. In fact, I know of one case where two young brethren introduced the Truth to a man who happened to be well informed in his opposing point of view. He presented them with Joshua 21:43-45. They were completely unable to answer him. They had to leave with the Truth discredited and the opposition feeling victorious that he had put the Christadelphians to silence. Here is the passage that stumped them:
“And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to that he sware unto their fathers…There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.”
Another passage quoted to oppose our Christadelphian view is Nehemiah 9:7-9:
“Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gayest him the name of Abraham; and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous…”
The key to right understanding
The confidence we have in the coming literal fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant is in no way thrown in doubt by these passages. The complete answer to the apparent dilemma is found in Galatians 4.
The Galatians were primarily Gentiles who had accepted Christ but their ecclesias were having a lot of trouble and discord. Jews who had influence in the ecclesia were advocating the virtues of keeping the law of Moses. They were convincing many in the ecclesias that the law should be observed along with the faith in Christ. But Paul would have none of this and forcefully put the issue in clear terms starting at verse 21:
“Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond maid, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all…Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise…Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman” (Gal. 4:21-30).
Two separate covenants
The two sons of Abraham were two “seeds” related to two separate covenants which were not interchangeable and which had two different inheritances for the heirs.
With Paul’s remarks before us, consider the wording of Gen. 21:9-13 which the apostle certainly had in mind when writing Gal. 4:
“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac…And God said…in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”
Consider, as well, Gen. 17:18 where the “two sons,” the two seeds and the two separate and distinct covenants are plainly defined.
“And Abraham said unto God, 0 that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thus shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him (the covenant of the gospel of grace is termed the everlasting covenant. Then the separate covenant with Ishmael comes in v.20.)…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, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.”
The Old Testament is a history of the nation of Israel. We read more about the covenant of Sinai represented by Ishmael and the bondwoman than we do about the everlasting covenant made with Abraham, Christ and those called in Isaac.
Two sons, two covenants
With the words of Gal. 4 in mind, consider again Joshua 21: “there failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” This was the covenant of Sinai represented by the bondwoman and Ishmael. The house of Israel was not in existence when the everlasting covenant was given to Abraham.
Then note I Kings 8:56 which is an amplicfication of Joshua 21:45:
“Blessed be the LORD that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.”
This plainly refers to Ishmael’s seed and the bondwoman covenant at Sinai. Moses was not born until some 300 years after the covenant was made with Abraham. The promise referred to was one repeated through Moses — the Sinai covenant.
The everlasting covenant
The everlasting covenant to Abraham, Christ and those called in Isaac comes to full light in the New Testament. Righteousness was imputed to Abraham because he firmly believed the promise. Righteousness is also imputed to all those who believe the promise and walk in the steps of faithful Abraham. Therefore, Abraham is the “father of all them that believe…now it was not written for his (Abraham’s) sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe…” (Rom. 4:11,23-24).
Brethren and sister, we have a great faith; it is great because it is true. It can be plainly defined in scriptural terms and phrases. Let us rededicate ourselves to it with a heart full of thanksgiving.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One