III — The Confirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant
The most important covenant contained in the Bible is undoubtedly that which the Almighty made with Abraham. Its purport is contained in the words spoken to Abraham, when, after leaving his father’s home and country, he had arrived in the land of Canaan: — “Unto thy seed will I give this land” — (Gen. 12: 7).
But this was not all: the covenant was of such a nature as to give to Abraham a personal interest in its fulfilment; for the “land”, which was defined as extending “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” – (Gen. 15: 18), was also promised to Abraham as a possession: “All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever” — (Gen. 13: 15).
In a subsequent reference to it, the Lord spoke of these promises as “a covenant”, saying, “I will establish my covenant between me and thee” — (Gen. 17: 7).
An Ancient Ceremony
It was the custom in ancient times for a covenant to be confirmed by cutting an animal into two, and the parties thereto passing between the halves; an instance of which will be found in Jer. 34: 18-19. A similar ceremony was enacted in connection with the Abrahamic covenant. In answer to Abraham’s question, “Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? (the land)”, the Lord God commanded him to take a heifer, a she-goat, and a ram, and divide them in the midst. “And it came to pass that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between those pieces”; a miraculous confirmation of the covenant which assured Abraham that it should duly be fulfilled — (Gen. 15: 8-17).
That Abraham has never yet enjoyed possession of the land covenanted to him is clearly and unmistakably proved by subsequent references to him and to the covenant. He did not have possession of it during his lifetime, because, when desiring to bury Sarah in it, he had to purchase from one of its occupiers a portion called “the field of Ephron” for that purpose — (Gen. 23: 17); an incident which forcibly illustrates Stephen’s statement that God “gave him (Abraham) none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on” — (Acts 7: 5). It was not possessed by Isaac and Jacob, because they were only “heirs with him of the same promise”; and if only heirs, they could not be actual inheritors; it is also recorded of the three that “these all died in faith, not having received the promises”, that is, not having received their fulfilment — (Heb. 11: 9-13).
It could not have been fulfilled in the children of Israel being allowed temporarily to occupy it, because, upwards of a thousand years afterwards, and when the children of Israel had been dwelling thereon for several centuries, the prophet Micah made the following prediction respecting it: “Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old” — (Mic. 7: 20).
It was quite distinct from the Mosaic covenant, and its blessings were never promised to the Jews by virtue of being under that law; “For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect” — (Rom. 4: 13-14).
Not Yet Fulfilled
No one understanding and believing these statements would for a moment entertain such an absurd notion as that the covenant with Abraham has already been fulfilled in any sense whatever. Therefore all who possess the faith of Abraham, who was “fully persuaded that what He (God) had promised He was able also to perform” — (Rom. 4: 21), believe that Abraham will yet, at some future day, possess the land of Canaan for an inheritance.
He is now dead, lying in the dust of the ground; for he was told that he — not a part of him — should “be buried in a good old age”; and further that he should at the same time go to his “fathers in peace” — (Gen. 15 : 15). Now “Terah, the father of Abraham”, was among those who “served other gods” (Josh. 24: 2) — an offence against the Almighty which would certainly preclude him from entrance into heaven at death; and as Abraham went to his “fathers” when he died, it is obvious that he neither went to heaven nor any other place of reward. Before Abraham can enjoy the inheritance promised to him, he must be raised from the dead. The covenant, therefore, in its necessary results, was a promise to him of a resurrection and a future life.
Not Many, but One
The general impression respecting the “seed” mentioned in the covenant with Abraham is that it is a multitude of individuals consisting of the fleshly descendants of Abraham. Not only is this idea contrary to the evidence already adduced, but it is inconsistent with what was said to Abraham on one occasion: “Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies” — (Gen. 22: 17); a statement which clearly proves that the “seed” was a certain personage who should descend from Abraham.
All doubt on this point is removed by Paul’s positive definition: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ” — (Gal. 3: 16). Interpreted in the light of the New Testament, the covenant with Abraham was therefore a promise that he and Jesus Christ should possess the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. Jesus has not yet enjoyed this inheritance; for, during the only time when he lived upon it he was an outcast from society, and he himself declared that he had “not where to lay his head” — (Matt. 8: 20). It remains, therefore, yet to be fulfilled, and before this can take place Jesus must appear on the earth a second time.
When the Covenant Was Brought into Force
Necessary, however, as that event is, his first appearance was equally essential to the covenant being brought into force. The confirmation already described was but typical. A covenant which ensures a future life to human beings needs to be confirmed by something superior to heifers or rams. This requirement is found in the person of the “Lamb without blemish and without spot” — (I Peter 1: 19). The confirmation which Abraham witnessed bears the same relation to that effected by Jesus that the Mosaic sacrifices bear to “the offering of the body of Jesus Christ”, on the cross — (Heb. 10: 10).
Writing on this subject, the apostle Paul says — “The covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect” — (Gal. 3 : 17). The parenthetic allusion to the law being “four hundred and thirty years after” this covenant, identifies it as the one given to Abraham — a conclusion which is supported by its being described as “the promise”. In another epistle the apostle speaks of the covenant as ” the promises to the fathers” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, each of whom were parties thereto: — “Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision, for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” — (Rom. 15: 8).
These promises not having been confirmed until the crucifixion, it is obvious that they could not have been fulfilled previously. Hence, that is a very erroneous system of theology which teaches that the patriarchs and other Old Testament saints entered at death upon the inheritance covenanted to them. The “land of promise” is not in the skies, but on earth; and, therefore, they have not even yet obtained possession of it: nor, indeed, can they until “the mediator of the new testament” — (Heb. 9: 15) returns from heaven to “perform the mercy promised to the fathers” of the Jewish people — (Luke 1: 72).
Why Jesus Died
It was for the purpose of completely blotting out the transgressions of such as these, that Jesus, as the covenant-sacrifice, suffered death: “He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” — (Heb. 9: 15). By “first testament” is meant the Mosaic covenant, and by “new testament” the Abrahamic. The former, although given subsequently to the latter, is called “first”, because it was the first to come into operation; and the latter is called “new” because it does not come into force until after the abolition of the former. It was not for the transgressions of all Jews under the first or Mosaic covenant, that Jesus died: “For they are not all Israel which are of Israel” — (Rom. 9: 6). It will only prove efficacious for those who, like Abraham, were faithful to the “new” covenant; for “all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant” — (Ps. 25: 10) and to such only.
After enumerating a number of these Old Testament worthies who had kept the Abrahamic covenant, Paul declares that “These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” — (Heb. 11: 39-40). They will be made perfect when the “seed to whom the promise was made” — (Gal. 3 : 19) comes to take possession of his inheritance; for the heirs thereto are all to be “glorified together” — (Rom. 8: 17).
The Lord’s Supper
Just before confirming the Abrahamic covenant by means of his death, Jesus instituted a supper to commemorate that event, at the same time saying, “This is my blood of the new Testament (or covenant), which is shed for many for the remission of sins” — (Matt. 26: 28). The “blood of the new covenant”, being that by which sins are remitted, is, as a consequence, spoken of as the means by which those who participate in that remission will be released from death. Thus Zechariah, speaking prophetically, says, “By the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water” — (Zech. 9: 11); a figurative description of “the resurrection of life” — (John 5: 29).
The apostolic Christians placed far more importance upon the commemoration of their Lord’s death and resurrection than do those who, in the present day, falsely pretend to be their successors. This arose from their having a better understanding of its significance. They did not view the Lord’s supper as memorialising an event by which their “immortal souls” might be delivered from eternal torments and translated at death to “mansions in the skies”: they were not content with attending to it monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annually; neither did they believe the bread and the wine to be the real body and blood of the Lord. The gross manner in which this ordinance is perverted, and the indifference with which it is regarded in modern times, are but indications of the widespread ignorance and misconception, among both Roman Catholics and Protestants, in reference to the event it symbolises.
The early Christians viewed the Lord’s supper as commemorative of an event by which they might be released from death and endowed with immortality. They recognised in it not only a memorial of the past, but also a token of the future; for it was to be attended to “till he come” again, a feature which is seldom noticed in “orthodox” churches and chapels. It was therefore to them the connecting link between the two great epochs of the plan of salvation — the first and second appearings of Jesus Christ; between the time when he suffered on the cross, and the time when he will wear a crown; between his crucifixion for claiming to be King of the Jews, and his reigning as King over the whole earth; between the confirmation by him of the Abrahamic covenant and the bestowal by him of its blessings; between the abolition of the Mosaic covenant, and the establishing of a new covenant with the houses of Israel and Judah; between Jerusalem witnessing his humiliation, and the same city sharing in his glory; between his reception of immortality himself, and the bestowal of it upon his faithful followers: it was to them a token that the one set of events would as certainly be fulfilled as had the other.
The Father’s House
Forming, as it does, an arch which bridges over the space between these two great pillars of the temple of salvation, it reminded them that as surely as “the author and finisher” of their “faith” (Heb. 12: 2) had laid the foundation of his Father’s house, so surely would he complete its erection. To Gentiles it is especially interesting, because it is ordained for that period of time during which God is taking “out of them a people for his name” — (Acts 15: 14); whereby an opportunity is afforded of ceasing to be “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise”, and of becoming “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God”, by being “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” — (Eph. 2: 12, 19, 20).
The truth declared by Paul, that Jesus is the “seed” referred to in the Abrahamic covenant, is of more importance to the believer than at first sight appears, having a direct reference to his future inheritance. On the principle that “the children of God” are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” — (Rom. 8: 17), it follows that whatever he is to inherit, they will inherit; he being heir to the land of Canaan, they also are heirs to the same inheritance. Before any can be “joint-heirs with Christ”, they must be introduced into his name, or united to him: to be “heirs of God through Christ” (Gal. 4: 7), they must be “the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” — (Gal. 3 : 26); they must “receive the adoption of sons” — (Gal. 4: 5) that they may become “faithful brethren in Christ” — (Col. 1: 2).
Baptism Essential
The ceremony by which this is effected is thus defined: — “As many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ” — (Gal. 3: 27); a passage which proves that only those who have been “baptised into Christ”, by immersion in water, “have put on Christ”: and, as a consequence, none others can share with Christ the inheritance covenanted to him and Abraham. This is, in effect, what the apostle immediately proceeds to say: — “If ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” — (Gal. 3: 29).
Baptism is the seal by which believers accept the Abrahamic covenant, and agree to abide by its conditions, in the sure and certain hope that by “patient continuance in well-doing” — (Rom. 2: 7) they will participate in its blessings. But in order that they may undergo this ceremony, they must have an intelligent acquaintance with the nature of that covenant. No sane man enters an agreement or contract without knowing what are the conditions he will have to comply with, and the blessings he will derive therefrom. The conditions imposed upon Abraham were faith and obedience: he had to believe God’s promise that he and his future “seed”, the Saviour of the world, should possess the land of Canaan, and he had to do what God commanded him. These conditions he fully complied with: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith”; “therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness” — (Rom. 4: 20-22): furthermore, “faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect” — (Jas. 2: 22); in other words his faith was manifested in obedience. Similar conditions are required from all others who become parties to the same covenant. Though different in detail, they are identical in principle; for “without faith it is impossible to please God” — (Heb. 11: 6), and only “he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” — (I John 2: 17).
The Conditions
If any one knew that under some particular will or covenant certain property and advantages were obtainable by a compliance with the conditions specified therein, such individual would anxiously and carefully examine each clause of it to ascertain the nature and extent of the property, and the conditions necessary to be complied with. And if so in the case of present possessions, how much more so should this be the case in regard to the covenant which God has made known to mankind, pertaining, as it does, to a future life! And yet how apathetic and ignorant are the majority of people respecting this covenant, although it is in almost everybody’s hands!
The great majority of Protestants in the present day hold that faith alone, without works, is sufficient for salvation. On the other hand, Roman Catholics and Unitarians assert that works alone, without faith, will suffice. The former class, in support of their view, adduce passages from the writings of Paul and others, to the effect that salvation is bestowed in consequence of faith; while the latter class quote certain passages from the writings of James, such as, “By works a man is justified” — (James 2: 24), to show that salvation is merely the reward of works: both these views are extremes or half-truths, neither of them being wholly correct.
The truth lies in a combination of the two. Paul does not contradict James, neither does James say anything in opposition to Paul: the writings of the two can be easily reconciled. Paul brings out more prominently one aspect of the truth, and James dwells more upon the other. This arose out of the necessities of the case — the different objects they had in writing their several epistles. Paul wrote to a great extent to those who denied the doctrine of justification by faith, and James wrote to those who denied the necessity of faith being made perfect by works; and so the tone of their epistles was such as suited the special circumstances which gave rise to them. But in neither of them is the truth ignored at the expense of the other. Paul believed in the necessity of works equally with James (Rom. 2: 7; 6: 19; Phil. 2: 12), and James believed in the necessity of faith as much as did Paul (James 2: 22-24). It is an axiom, as applicable to this as to any other Scriptural doctrine, that a view which sets one inspired writer against another must be a false one; and therefore the only true doctrine on this point is that which recognises the necessity of both faith and works, and that either, without the other, is imperfect and insufficient.
What the Faith is
The “faith” to be manifested is defined as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” — (Heb. 11: 1): before faith can be directed towards something “hoped for”, there must be a belief in that which is promised; to hope for that which is not promised is “a mockery, a delusion, and a snare”. God has not promised that Abraham or anyone else shall go to heaven; but He has promised that the father of the faithful, and all who, like him, are “strong in faith” and believe the promises of God, shall inherit the land of promise; “for the promise . . . to Abraham”, and “to his seed”, was “through the righteousness of faith. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” — (Rom. 4: 13-16).
To possess the faith of Abraham is to believe “the promises to the fathers”, together with what has since been revealed in connection with them. In consequence of heirship to the land depending on faith, and not on subjection to the Mosaic law, Gentiles can become heirs now, and inheritors hereafter. All Gentiles who have not manifested the faith of Abraham are in the condition of the Ephesian Christians before conversion, which Paul describes in the following language: — “At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” — (Eph. 2: 12). The Abrahamic covenant being comprised in “the covenant of promise”, to be ignorant of that covenant is to be “without Christ”, “without God”, and with “no hope”.
Universal Ignorance
The universal ignorance respecting “the covenants of promise” shows how widely applicable in the present day is Paul’s description of unbelieving Gentiles in his lifetime. Much is said about God’s covenants by the religious teachers of “Christendom”, but they seldom define what those covenants are. Definitions based on Scriptural evidence are very unfavourable to the theology of the twentieth century: hence its supporters do not like being brought to the test of “the law and the testimony”.
To believe the promises made to Abraham is to believe the gospel. Anyone ignorant of the former is necessarily ignorant of the latter; for “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed” — (Gal. 3: 8). From this we see that the gospel preached in subsequent times was not a different gospel from that preached to Abraham; it does not say a gospel was preached to Abraham, leaving it open for the suggestion that it was another gospel, but “the gospel” was preached to Abraham — i.e., the gospel preached by Paul, who wrote these words. The same writer declares that “the gospel” was preached to the children of Israel in the wilderness: — “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them” — (Heb. 4: 2). And, in writing to the Roman Christians, he defines “the gospel” to be something which God had “promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures” — (Rom. 1: 2).
Gospel Not Exclusive to New Testament
In the face of these testimonies, it is apparent that no more erroneous idea exists than that which supposes “the gospel” to pertain exclusively to that portion of the Bible called the New Testament. It is to be found in the writings of Moses and the prophets, as well as in the recorded teachings of Jesus and his apostles. Anyone who cannot point out “the gospel” in the former, cannot understand it as expounded in the latter. There is but one gospel by which a man can be saved; and therefore not to understand or believe “the gospel” preached to Abraham is to be deficient in a vital element of the faith which justifies. The promise that Abraham and Jesus should possess the land of Canaan is the basis or germ of all subsequent revelation; upon its fulfilment depends the completion of the scheme of redemption. It is on that territory that “the kingdom of God” which Jesus preached is to be established; and that great work can only be accomplished by Jesus having entire control and possession of that land.
As “the messenger of the covenant” — (Mal. 3: 1), made with Abraham, Jesus appeared among “the lost sheep of Israel”, to remind them of that covenant, and to proclaim a message of peace inviting them individually to share in its blessings. That his advent was looked upon by faithful Jews as a token that the Abrahamic covenant would be duly fulfilled, is evident from what was uttered by Zacharias, the father of John: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people . . . to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he sware to our father Abraham” — (Luke 1: 68-73). Although they were mistaken in supposing that the blessings of the covenant would be immediately bestowed, they were not mistaken in believing that the covenant with Abraham had never been fulfilled, and that when it was, they would be delivered from the hand of all their enemies, that they might serve Jehovah without fear. Jesus undeceived them on the former point by simply preaching about the covenant; this he did whenever he preached about the kingdom of God.
The “gospel of the kingdom” is but the promise to Abraham in a more amplified form. The latter bears the same relation to the former that the outline of a picture bears to the picture when filled up in detail. Nothing was said to Abraham about the kingdom of God; but inasmuch as he was promised an inheritance of the land on which the kingdom is to be established, he will necessarily be in the kingdom. Hence Jesus referred to him in the following terms: — “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out” — (Luke 13: 28).
God’s Kingdom Will Be on Earth
If the kingdom of God were a kingdom in the skies, this prediction could not come to pass, because Abraham’s promised inheritance is on the earth. The fact that Abraham is to have a place in the kingdom of God is therefore another proof that that kingdom is to be established upon the earth; and, as none but those included in that kingdom will enjoy salvation, it follows that this earth is the future abode of all who believe and obey the Gospel. Consequently they are called “Heirs of the kingdom which he (God) hath promised to them that love him” — (Jas. 2: 5); a truth which is stated in another form by the Psalmist, when he says, “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever”; “Wait on the Lord and keep his way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it” — (Ps. 37: 29-34).
The earth will not always be in the possession of wicked men, as at present, neither is it destined to be burnt up; for it has been decreed that “The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” — (Ps. 37: 11); a promise which Jesus repeated in his sermon on the mount, when he said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” — (Matt. 5: 5). Abraham being the “heir of the world”, and his “seed” also being heir to the same inheritance (Rom. 4: 13), all who become children of Abraham by being incorporated into his “seed”, the Christ, are necessarily heirs of the same extended inheritance. Thus Paul, in writing to the heirs residing at Corinth, says, “All things are yours, whether . . . the world, or life, or death . . . or things to come” (I Cor. 3: 21-22).
The New Order
In addition to the everlasting inheritance of the earth to be obtained through means of the Abrahamic covenant by those who, in past and present dispensations, are “heirs according to the promise”, there are other blessings to be derived from it by mankind generally. These are comprised in the statement God made to Abraham, “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” — (Gen. 12: 3); or, as given by Paul, “In thee shall all nations be blessed” — (Gal. 3: 8).
Anyone looking abroad on the surface of society, and witnessing the immense amount of suffering, privation, poverty, ignorance, intolerance, injustice, despotism, cruelty, crime, and superstition, which exist in the world, must perceive at a glance that the above prediction has not yet been fulfilled. Nor, indeed, can it be until the other parts of the covenant have come into operation: until Abraham has been raised from the dead; his “seed” the Christ, returned from heaven; and they, with all the righteous, have taken possession of the land promised to them. They will then use that territory as a basis of operations by which to gain possession of the whole earth, in order that the promise made by God to his Son Jesus may be realised: “Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen (or nations) for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” — (Ps. 2: 8).
The power thus gained will not be used for the mere personal gratification of the future inheritors of the earth, as is, for the most part, the case with its present possessors. It will be exercised for the benefit of all the human race then living. It will end in that “good time corning”, for which mankind is longing; when war shall cease, and unprecedented peace be established (Isa. 2: 2-4); when the proud “shall be humbled”, and the “Lord alone exalted” — (Isa. 2: 11); when the “mighty” shall be “put down” from their seats, and those of “low degree” exalted (Luke 1: 52); when the present inequalities of society will be levelled; when the Jews, instead of rejecting Jesus, will acknowledge him as their King (Hos. 3: 5; Zech. 12: 10); when the Gentiles will no longer believe “lies” (Jer. 16: 19), but will worship and fear the true God (Mal. 1: 11); when wild beasts will be tamed (Isa. 65: 25), death greatly diminished (Isa. 65: 22); when the golden rule (Matt. 7: 12) will be universally acted upon, and God’s will be done on earth even as it is done in heaven (Matt. 6: 10); so that “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” — (Heb. 2: 14).