Even Abraham had to be circumsized or he would be cut off from God's covenant.

"You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. ...Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." (Gen 17:11,14).

The early reformers spoke of conditions in the covenant, but, as Bavinck, notes, they backed away from that language as they fought with Lutherans, Catholics and Remonstrants (Arminians).

That is why Bavinck describes the covenant of grace as unilateral, but it comes to us in bilateral terms so we can respond to it.

I posted about that on my blog vanallsblog: The Covenant of Grace: Both Unilateral and Bilateral?

__________________
sincerely,
mark
member 1st Christian Reformed Church (don't freak out on me, now)
Grand Haven, MI
www.vanallsblog.blogspot.com
Question: How do you know which eye of John Murray's was the glass eye?
Answer: It was the one with the most compassion.