Are Genesis 15 and 17 two different covenants with Abram/Abraham?

Does God give the Abrahamic blessings in varying measures to Christians?

Click to join the conversation with over 500,000 Pentecostal believers and scholars

Click to get our FREE MOBILE APP and stay connected

| PentecostalTheology.com

               

God made a covenant with Abram in Genesis 15, specifically Verse 18

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: […]

This covenant is usually said to be bound to no condition on Abram’s part, meaning, that God will bring the descendants of Abram into the promised land no matter their performance.

In chapter 17, there’s again a covenant between God and Abram (soon to be called Abraham)

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

(Gen 17:1)

I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
(Gen 17:8)

Since it’s about Abraham’s descendants and their inhabiting a promised land, it seems as though God is referring to the same covenant of chapter 15.

Yet, later, there is a condition:

God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
(Gen 17:9-10)

This leaves me with two possibilities. 1) There are in fact two covenants or 2) This is the same covenant but chapter 17 explains the details of the covenant in chapter 15.

Both explanations are somewhat dissatisfying, at least for me.

So, are there in fact two covenants or is it just one?

Be first to comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.