Introduction
This study seeks to present differing theologies at a high level, and what hermeneutic they come from.
From a broad point of view, a consistent literal grammatical and historical method of interpretation results fundamentally in a Dispensational theological view of scripture, and an allegorical or spiritualized method of interpretation results fundamentally in Covenant theological view of scripture.
A Dispensational view of scripture is one in which the coming of Christ in relation to the Millennial Kingdom is a futurist Pre-Millennial viewpoint of eschatology that maintains an Israel / Church distinction, and see's much of prophecy yet to be fulfilled in the future.
A Covenant view of scripture is one in which the coming of Christ in relation to the Millennial Kingdom is either a historicist Pre-Millennial, Post-Millennial or A-Millennial viewpoint of eschatology that conflates Israel and the Church, and see's much of prophecy as already fulfilled in the past.
A-Millennialism can be further broken down into subgroups including Preterism and Partial Preterism, which teach that all prophecy was fulfilled by 70AD (Preterist), or that all prophecy except the last two or three chapters of Revelation have been fulfilled in the past.
Post-Millennialism can be broken down into two subgroups. Dominionist and Pentecostal Charasmatics.
Specific beliefs of movements and individuals break down into a complex spectrum, and it is beyond the high level purpose of this study to get into that level.
Literal, Grammatical, Historical --> Dispensational Theology --> Pre-Millennialism
Allegorical or Spiritualization --> Covenant Theology --> A-Millennialism, Post-Millennialism, historicist Pre-Millennialism.
Dispensational Theology
A consistent literal, grammatical and historical interpretation of scripture provides an understanding that there are differing administrations or periods of history in which God dealt with mankind, and in particular, Israel. The purpose behind these differing administrations was for God to reveal Himself to man a little at a time, and in stages. This is called "Progressive Revelation".
Progressive Revelation
Examples of progressive revelation are seen in the difference in the way God relates to man from Adam until the flood, from the flood to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, and from Moses until Christ, from the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Millennium, and from the Millennium to the Eternal State.
In each of these time periods, there are commands, requirements, warnings and promises that are new, that end, and that continue. For example:
Adam was told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That is a command that is no longer applicable.
Before the flood, God had provided the plants of the earth for food, but Noah was told after the flood that he could eat meat.
Abraham was the progenitor of the Israelites through Issac and Jacob. That was new.
430 years after Abraham, the Israelites were given the Law of Moses. This law only applied to Israel, and it only applied for a specific period of time, until Christ came. This period of time also saw the distinction between the Old (Mosaic) and the New Covenants.
And so we can see that some things had beginning points, and some of those things came to and end while others continued. One thing that has continued, for example, is the command not to kill other human beings. So each of these differing period of time in which God was advancing the revelation of Himself are called "dispensations", hence, Dispensationalism.
Where Covenant Theology, to be discussed next, is seeking uniformity in the written word, I.E. "one people of God", Dispensationalist are noticing discontinuity, or differences in the way God relates to people.
Israel and the Church
The principle of discontinuity in the way God relates to people through the ages carries through to the identities of Israel and the Church. A literal reading of scripture reveals that Israel and the Church are treated as to distinct groups. Israel is an ethnic national group, while the Church is a multi-ethnic and has no national identity.
When Jesus spoke of the church, he said, "I will build my church" (Mat 16:18). The "will" in the Greek is in the future tense. Jesus did not ever address the church in the past tense, to Him it was a future work. It would also be known as "the body of Christ", and would be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who had not yet been sent. The start of the Church was at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came in power.
Additionally there are many passages of scripture that speak of Israel as a unique entity, such as 2Sa 7:10-16, Eze 36:22-24, Eze 37:1, Jer 31:33, Jer 31:36, etc.
Dispensations in Progressive Revelation
Although differing theologians see differing numbers of dispensations, the seven basic dispensations are listed here:
Dispensation
of Innocence
- This period was marked from the creation of Adam and Eve until the
fall. Until they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,
they were innocent. Their innocence ended when they ate the forbidden
fruit (Gen 1:28-30,
Gen 2:15-17).
Dispensation
of Conscience
- Lasting 1656 years, this period was marked from the expulsion of
Adam and Eve from the Garden until the flood. This period was marked
by the revelation of what mankind would do if left to their own
conscience when tainted by sin (Gen 3:8
to Gen 8:22).
5
Major aspects of this dispensation are:
Curse on the serpent
Change in womanhood and childbearing
Curse on nature
Work to produce food became difficult
5. Christ was promised as the seed who would bruise the serpent's head.
Dispensation
of Human Government
- Lasting 325 years, after God destroyed life on earth with a flood,
it made the following promises and commands:
God would not curse the earth again.
Noah and family were to reproduce and replenish the earth.
Noah and family would have dominion over the animal creation.
They are allowed to eat meat.
Capital punishment is established.
God would never flood the earth again.
The sign of God's promise is the rainbow.
Unfortunately,
Noah and family did not scatter and fill the earth as commanded.
Instead, their descendants began to build the Tower of Babel 325
years after the flood (Gen 11:7-9).
Therefore, God scattered them and gave them different languages,
giving rise to different nations and cultures.
Dispensation
of Promise
- Lasting 430 years, this period started with the call of Abraham,
and continued through the patriarchs until the Exodus. The promises
given during this time were:
From Abraham would come a great nation that God would bless with natural and spiritual prosperity.
God would make Abraham's name great.
God would bless those that bless Israel, and curse those that curse Israel.
Through Abraham, all the families of earth would be blessed, fulfilled in Christ.
The sign of this Covenant with Israel was physical circumcision.
The covenant was confirmed through Isaac and Jacob, and was confined to Israel.
Dispensation
of Grace
- Lasting about 2,000 years so far, this is the current time period
we are now living in. It began with the coming of the Holy Spirit on
the Day of Pentecost and will end with the Rapture of the Church.
This dispensation includes Israel and Gentiles, and requires only
that we believe on Jesus Christ for salvation. The Holy Spirit
indwells believers during this time.
Millennial Kingdom of Christ - This period will last 1000 years (Rev 20:6), and is a period of time where Christ will reign on earth as King. Many prophecies regarding Israel and the earthly kingdom will be fulfilled during this time. Satan will be bound during this time. This period will end with the final judgment (Rev 20:11-14). The old world will be destroyed by fire, and a New Heaven and New Earth will begin.
Covenant Theology
Covenant Theology consists of basically two covenants, a Covenant of Works, and a Covenant of Grace. These "covenants" are inferred, as they are not found in scripture. Hodge, a Post-Millennialist, states regarding the "Covenant of Works" that "it does not rest upon any express declaration of the scriptures". In the meantime, the actual Covenants, such as Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, etc. are glossed over and minimized. As a result, all the explicit covenants become merely parts of "the covenant.
Covenant of Works
"The Covenant of Works" was made by God with Adam in the Garden. The agreement was that if Adam would obey God, follow Him, and resist eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the he would receive life.
Presumably there would have been a probationary period in which Adam was tested, and the life that was promised was not just physical life, but eternal life. Nevertheless, Adam ate from the tree, and forfeited this life.
Since this agreement was life for obedience, it is called a Covenant of Works. Even though Covenant Theologians agree this "Covenant" is not specifically stated, it is implied by the statement "If you eat of it you will die". Of course, according to Romans 5 we know that in Adam, all have sinned and are deserving of the same death.
Covenant of Grace
"The Covenant of Grace" was made by God with the elect (Calvinist, Reformed) or with all of mankind. So in order to save sinners then, God makes another agreement, called "The Covenant of Grace". God, knowing that another "works" type agreement would not work, because works would not be able to fully pay the grievous price for the sin, God determines to send His Son to redeem mankind from the penalty of Adam's sin. In exchange for Christ's death, sinners will receive the righteousness of Christ. Our sin in imputed to Christ, it is charged against Him, and He pays the cost. This Covenant of Grace covers from Gen 3 to Rev 22. It covers the sin of everyone from Adam onward, OT and NT.
Some Covenant theologians claim the Covenant of Grace started with Adam's fall, and others believe it was started with the start of the Abrahamic Covenant.
A Unifying View
This provides for a unifying view of the whole Bible, and adherents view the OT the same as the NT. For example, they see that the way we understand the Holy Spirit under the NT is the same understanding that people in the OT experienced Him, including His indwelling, sealing, and empowering.
When you ask what happened at Pentecost, or what is new in the New Covenant, the answer is that those events provided and extension, projecting the OT truths on into the future and to greater numbers of people. No longer for just Israel, but now for Gentiles as well. So in this way, the Mosaic, Davidic, New Covenants are just extensions of the Grace Covenant, not new covenants themselves.
Dispensationalism views it differently, not as the same things being extended or expanded, but that something new has come about. The Spirit was only sent after Christ's ascension as something new, or the Law of Moses was set aside as something new took it's place.
Israel and the Church
An important area to consider regarding Covenant Theology is Israel and the church. CT adherents, with their uniformity view between the OT and the NT sees Israel as the people of God, and the church as the people of God. So this results in them seeing each as the same people. So there is really only one people of God in both testaments, both saved by faith, both serving the same God, both special objects of God's saving love. So the people of God becomes a spiritual people, and the physical differences are not considered, such as ethnicity.
Unfulfilled Promises
But that leaves the question of the promises to Israel in the OT that are yet unfulfilled. The answer to that is these promises are to be fulfilled in the church, and Israel has no special place in the plans of God for their future. This leads to spiritualization of the text, in that the promises of a land and a kingdom for the Jews in the future really means a spiritual kingdom that applies to the church, both Jews and Gentiles.
Promises of Israel's Land
Literal promises to the Jews as offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have been forfeited due to their rejection of Christ and have been reapplied to the church. The Land accordingly now belongs to the church.
Some examples of spiritualizing the text to deny Israel's Land.
Gen 13:14-16
The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Look
around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and
west. (15) All the land that you see I will give to you and your
offspring forever. (16) I will make your offspring like the dust of
the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your
offspring could be counted.
Gen 15:18-21
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To
your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the
great river, the Euphrates-- (19) the land of the Kenites,
Kenizzites, Kadmonites, (20) Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, (21)
Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
Gen 17:7-8
I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me
and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (8) The
whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will
give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after
you; and I will be their God."
Exo 23:31
"I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the
Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will
give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will
drive them out before you.
Lev 26:40-46
"'But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their
ancestors--their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, (41)
which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land
of their enemies--then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled
and they pay for their sin, (42) I will remember my covenant with
Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I
will remember the land. (43) For the land will be deserted by them
and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They
will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my
decrees. (44) Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of
their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy
them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their
God. (45) But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their
ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to
be their God. I am the LORD.'" (46) These are the decrees, the
laws and the regulations that the LORD established at Mount Sinai
between himself and the Israelites through Moses.
Num 34:2-15
"Command the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter Canaan,
the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have
these boundaries: (3) "'Your southern side will include some of
the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary
will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, (4)
cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of
Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, (5)
where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the
Mediterranean Sea. (6) "'Your western boundary will be the coast
of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be your boundary on the west. (7)
"'For your northern boundary, run a line from the Mediterranean
Sea to Mount Hor (8) and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the
boundary will go to Zedad, (9) continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar
Enan. This will be your boundary on the north. (10) "'For your
eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. (11) The
boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain
and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. (12) Then
the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea.
"'This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.'"
(13) Moses commanded the Israelites: "Assign this land by lot as
an inheritance. The LORD has ordered that it be given to the nine and
a half tribes, (14) because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the
tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their
inheritance. (15) These two and a half tribes have received their
inheritance east of the Jordan across from Jericho, toward the
sunrise."
Deu 1:7-8
Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to
all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the
western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of
the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the
Euphrates. (8) See, I have given you this land. Go in and take
possession of the land the LORD swore he would give to your
fathers--to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--and to their descendants after
them."
Deu 11:24
Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory
will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River
to the Mediterranean Sea.
Deu 34:1-4
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of
Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole
land--from Gilead to Dan, (2) all of Naphtali, the territory of
Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the
Mediterranean Sea, (3) the Negev and the whole region from the Valley
of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. (4) Then the LORD said
to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have
let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."
Jos 1:2-3
"Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people,
get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give
to them--to the Israelites. (3) I will give you every place where you
set your foot, as I promised Moses.
Jos 13:6-8
"As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon
to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive
them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to
Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, (7) and divide
it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of
Manasseh." (8) The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and
the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them
east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the LORD, had assigned it
to them.
1Ch 5:9
To the east they occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that
extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased
in Gilead.
Psa 105:8-11
He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a
thousand generations, (9) the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath
he swore to Isaac. (10) He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to
Israel as an everlasting covenant: (11) "To you I will give the
land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."
Jer 3:14-18
"Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I
am your husband. I will choose you--one from a town and two from a
clan--and bring you to Zion. (15) Then I will give you shepherds
after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and
understanding. (16) In those days, when your numbers have increased
greatly in the land," declares the LORD, "people will no
longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will never
enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will
another one be made. (17) At that time they will call Jerusalem The
Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor
the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of
their evil hearts. (18) In those days the people of Judah will join
the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern
land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
Jer 32:37
I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in
my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this
place and let them live in safety.
Eze 37:14
I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you
in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and
I have done it, declares the LORD.'"
Eze 37:25
They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where
your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children's
children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their
prince forever.
Eze 47:13-23
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "These are the boundaries
of the land that you will divide among the twelve tribes of Israel as
their inheritance, with two portions for Joseph. (14) You are to
divide it equally among them. Because I swore with uplifted hand to
give it to your ancestors, this land will become your inheritance.
(15) "This is to be the boundary of the land: "On the north
side it will run from the Mediterranean Sea by the Hethlon road past
Lebo Hamath to Zedad, (16) Berothah and Sibraim (which lies on the
border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer Hattikon, which
is on the border of Hauran. (17) The boundary will extend from the
sea to Hazar Enan, along the northern border of Damascus, with the
border of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern boundary.
(18) "On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and
Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to
the Dead Sea and as far as Tamar. This will be the eastern boundary.
(19) "On the south side it will run from Tamar as far as the
waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Wadi of Egypt to the
Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern boundary. (20) "On
the west side, the Mediterranean Sea will be the boundary to a point
opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the western boundary. (21) "You
are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes
of Israel. (22) You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves
and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You
are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they
are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. (23) In
whatever tribe a foreigner resides, there you are to give them their
inheritance," declares the Sovereign LORD.
Promises of a Literal Throne of David in Israel's Land
Some
examples of spiritualizing the text to deny the Throne
of David.
The Throne of David accordingly is now understood as a
"spiritual concept" of blessing and possibly heavenly
destination as the church
2Sa 7:10-16
And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them
so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.
Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the
beginning (11) and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders
over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your
enemies. "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will
establish a house for you: (12) When your days are over and you rest
with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you,
your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. (13) He
is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish
the throne of his kingdom forever. (14) I will be his father, and he
will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod
wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. (15) But my
love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul,
whom I removed from before you. (16) Your house and your kingdom will
endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"
Mat 25:31-32
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, he will sit on his glorious throne. (32) All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Luk 1:32-33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (33) and he
will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never
end."
Rev 3:21
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on
my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on
his throne.
Promises of Israel's Continued Existence as a Nation
National Israel no longer exists and the Jews have been absorbed or will be absorbed into the church.
Jer 31:35-36
This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the
sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD Almighty is his name: (36)
"Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the
LORD, "will Israel ever cease being a nation before me."
Rom 11:25-26
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and
sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a
hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,
(26) and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: "The
deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from
Jacob.
Rom 11:1-2
I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite
myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. (2) God
did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what
Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God
against Israel:
Rom 11:28-29
As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake;
but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the
patriarchs, (29) for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit At Pentecost (Not Since Adam)
Another example of spiritualizing is in how they determine that the Holy Spirit was indwelling all of the people in the OT. They reason out that since the people in the OT had faith, and John 3 says the spirit gives birth to spirit, then they say the Israelites must have had the Holy Spirit or they wouldn't have been saved.
There is a general failure to associate the events of Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Num 11:16-17
The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who
are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them
come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. (17)
I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of
the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will
share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to
carry it alone.
Num 11:25-29
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took
some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the
seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied--but
did not do so again. (26) However, two men, whose names were Eldad
and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the
elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on
them, and they prophesied in the camp. (27) A young man ran and told
Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." (28)
Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and
said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!" (29) But Moses replied,
"Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people
were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"
Jer 31:31-33
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will
make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of
Judah. (32) It will not be like the covenant I made with their
ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD. (33) "This is the covenant I will make with
the people of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I
will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will
be their God, and they will be my people.
Eze 36:26-28
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will
remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
(27) And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my
decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (28) Then you will live in
the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be
your God.
Mat 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Joh 7:38-39
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water
will flow from within them." (39) By this he meant the Spirit,
whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time
the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been
glorified.
Joh 14:15-16
"If you love me, keep my commands. (16) And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with
you forever--
Joh 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I
have said to you.
Act 1:4-5
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this
command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my
Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. (5) For John
baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit."
Act 11:15-17 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. (16) Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' (17) So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God's way?"
Infant Baptism
One of the things that Covenant Theology followers do is baptize infants. The reason this is done is because in the OT, the sign of the Israelites being a part of the covenant was circumcision. Circumcision was administered to infants 8 days old. Now that Christ has come, we are all the "new" Israel, and they baptism infants as the mark of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Credits
Q137 : Covenant, Reformed, and Dispensational Theology
http://www.spiritandtruth.org/questions/137.htm?x=x
Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism
https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/covenant-theology-dispensationalism/systematic-theology-i/bruce-ware
What is the preterist view of the end times?
https://www.gotquestions.org/preterist.html
Is partial preterism biblical?
https://www.gotquestions.org/partial-preterism.html
What are the seven dispensations?
https://www.gotquestions.org/seven-dispensations.html
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