[Articles in the Multiple Views series are intended to present various views held by Christians, in an objective and unbiased manner]
What were God’s promises to Abraham?
- To make a great nation from Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 12:1-3)
- To give to Abraham’s descendants all the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:18-21)
- To make Abraham a father of many nations (Genesis 17:2-9)
Perspective | |
A) Dispensational | i) Quick Summary: God has two plans with two people, the church and Israel. God will fulfill His promises to Abraham and Israel by giving to ethnic Jews the land that He promised to Abraham
“Throughout the ages God is pursuing two distinct purposes: one related to the earth with earthly people and earthly objectives involved, which is Judaism; while the other is related to heaven with heavenly people and heavenly objectives involved, which is Christianity.” [1] ii) Specifics
iii) Different ways someone can be a child of Abraham [2]
The offer of grace to Gentiles was “an unexpected and unpredicted” spiritual parenthesis within God’s work with the physical descendants of Abraham. [3] |
B) Covenantal | i) Quick Summary: God has one plan with one people, with one covenant of grace which extends from the fall of humanity to the end of time. God’s work with Israel was preparatory for His work with the church
ii) Differing opinions amongst covenantal theologians on the specifics:
Because the Jewish people had not turned to Jesus, “God changed his covenant – that is, he bestowed the inheritance of eternal life on foreign nations – and collected to himself a more faithful people.” [4] |
C) New Covenantal | i) Quick Summary: God has one purpose that He has worked out through multiple covenants. God’s work with Abraham and Israel was a temporary picture of what God has already purposed to do in Jesus. God’s promises to Abraham find their fulfillment in Jesus
“The [Old Testament] law was a parable, a sketch. The gospel became the explanation of the law and its fulfillment.” [5] ii) Specifics
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[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Dispensationalism (1951), p.107
[2] John F. Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom (2010), p.145
[3] John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question (2010)
[4] Lactanius, Divinarum Institutionum, 4:11
[5] Melito of Sardis, Peri Pascha, pp. 39-45
Source: Rose Guide to End-Times Prophecy (2011), pp.54, 57-63
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