Problem: Amillennial interpreters argue that the church fulfills God’s covenant with Abraham.
Solution: The church is a partial fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, but it isn’t a complete fulfillment. The Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12:1-3) consisted of three major promises:
[1] land,
[2] many descendants,
[3] and his offspring would bless the world.
While the church does partially fulfill number two and three, it doesn’t fully fulfill the entire promise. God was clear that this promise was an eternal promise that would be fulfilled in Israel. In Romans 4, it seems that Paul is not saying that the church fulfills this promise given to Israel. Instead, it seems that Paul is simply saying that faith is the key to God’s blessing. The purpose of Romans 4 is justification in the past, rather than prophetic fulfillment in the future (4:2). Paul’s burden in Romans 4 is to show how men were justified by Christ’s first coming, rather than how Jews are included in his second coming. At this point in the letter, Paul is just trying to get his readers to understand justification at the Cross.
Later in the letter (Rom. 9-11), Paul will bring up the subject of God’s promises to Israel. At this point in Romans, Paul is simply trying to show that faith is the key to God’s blessing; he is not making a statement about the OT promises to Abraham being fulfilled in the church. For Paul’s discourse on the OT promises to Israel, flip forward to Romans 11. For further reading on this topic, see “Articles on Eschatology.”
“Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. (Rom 4:9-12)
