When Abraham was ninety-nine years
old, at least fifteen years after God had entered into covenant with him, He
again appeared unto him and gave him the Covenant of Circumcision. Under this
covenant Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, for he was to become the father
of many nations. The promise of the land of Canaan was confirmed and the rite of
circumcision was imposed upon all of his male descendants, with the stipulation
that an uncircumcised man would be cut off from God’s people, for he had
broken the covenant (Gen. 17:14).
In Romans Four Paul distinguishes
between Abram in uncircumcision and Abraham in circumcision. In this two-fold
relationship Abraham became the father or leader of two different groups of God’s
people. He was first of all the father of the uncircumcision, that is, of the
Gentiles who were to be saved or justified by faith alone apart from
circumcision and the law. For this reason Paul called his Gospel the Gospel
of the uncircumcision (Gal. 2:7). Abraham then became the father of the
circumcision, that is, of the natural descendants of Abraham who would inherit
the specific blessings of the covenant.
For this reason Peter’s message
is called the Gospel of the circumcision. The word gospel does not simply
mean salvation from sin: it includes salvation unto something. Paul’s Gospel
of the uncircumcision was a salvation unto membership in the Body of Christ.
Peter’s Gospel of the circumcision was salvation unto the promised spiritual
and temporal blessings of the Messianic Kingdom. All of God’s good news is
based upon faith in the work of Christ on the Cross, so that there is no
difference between these two Gospels in this respect, but there is a difference
between them in regard to nationality, ceremonies, dispensational program, and
ultimate destination.
Covenant Theology by its
spiritualizing of the Old Testament promises, denies that there will ever be a
literal fulfillment of the covenants, and therefore denies that Christ will ever
establish a universal kingdom of peace and righteousness upon the earth at His
second coming. It claims that the present dispensation is the final one and that
all of the covenants are being fulfilled now in a spiritual sense.
Theologians of this school can
hardly deny that Paul teaches a future conversion of Israel: "and so all
Israel shall be saved" (Rom. 11:26); but how is this to be accomplished?
By
making this the final dispensation, they are forced to place this conversion of
Israel in the present and here they run into unsuperable difficulties. Therefore
Charles Hodge, in his Systematic Theology, II, pp. 808-811, gives six
extended arguments to try to prove that the land of Canaan promised to Abraham
will never be restored to Israel and that the salvation of all Israel probably
means no more than a revival among the Jews.
But the Scripture teaches the
conversion of Israel after this present dispensation following the Second Coming
of Christ. As James states it, it is: "after this I will return, and will
build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down" (Acts 15:16).
The Gospel of the circumcision began in Genesis
17 and was proclaimed by Christ in His earthly ministry and was continued by
Peter and the other apostles at Pentecost. Later God called Paul and committed
to him a new, unprophesied dispensation. Peter had the Gospel of the
circumcision committed to him in the beginning, but this does not mean that he
continued that ministry indefinitely. It was evidently God’s will that Peter
conform to Paul’s new message, since God sent Paul up to Jerusalem by special
revelation to communicate the Gospel of the uncircumcision to the other Apostles
(Gal. 2:2). — Selected