I only came to the conviction of Covenant Theology a couple years ago, and before that I was a Reformed Baptist. Since I still am finding remnants of Baptist theology in my thinking, I need some help/thoughts on some questions I still haven't fully worked out in my thinking.
As a Baptist, I looked at Israel as mostly a carnal people with a remnant of regenerate members. I didn't see the covenant as being a spiritual thing, but moreso a carnal one. The typical Baptist thinking.
(1) Provide some thoughts and Scripture showing how Israel was also a spiritual people. (Such as Hebrews 11 shows the faith of OT saints, etc)
(2) If "I will be their God" in Genesis 17 doesn't just mean "I'll give you a land and watch out for your backs as long as you outwardly obey these rules", then what does that phrase mean?
(3) When circumcision was first given, did they know then that it pointed to a spiritual reality or was that revealed later in redemptive history?
(4) What do people mean when they say there isn't a wedge between a sign and the thing signified? (For example, circumcision and a circumcised heart)
Thanks, everyone!
As a Baptist, I looked at Israel as mostly a carnal people with a remnant of regenerate members. I didn't see the covenant as being a spiritual thing, but moreso a carnal one. The typical Baptist thinking.
(1) Provide some thoughts and Scripture showing how Israel was also a spiritual people. (Such as Hebrews 11 shows the faith of OT saints, etc)
(2) If "I will be their God" in Genesis 17 doesn't just mean "I'll give you a land and watch out for your backs as long as you outwardly obey these rules", then what does that phrase mean?
(3) When circumcision was first given, did they know then that it pointed to a spiritual reality or was that revealed later in redemptive history?
(4) What do people mean when they say there isn't a wedge between a sign and the thing signified? (For example, circumcision and a circumcised heart)
Thanks, everyone!