Pilgrim and I agree 100% on what I am going to say. The covenant of grace is "established" with Christ and in him the elect. The promise of God is unconditional! The "administration" of the covenant pertains to all who qualify by profession (or birth with respect to baptism and infants born of professing believers). We treat those that make a credible profession of faith as being part of the household of God. No doubt, there is wheat among the tares with respect to the administration of the covenant.

In sum, only those who are elect are truly in the covenant. It is the children of the promise (i.e. the elect) who are counted by God as the true Israel of God.

P&I, also, agree that children are to be called to repentance and faith in Christ. We may even agree that we are to treat them as being in covenant, since Isaac as an infant could have broken covenant by his father's neglect. Where we differ is that since I would treat the infant as being covenant with God and since the covenant is unconditional, I would say to the infant that Christ died for him. Based upon this treatment, I would exhort the infant to repent and believe in order to receive the reconciliation. Again, we both agree that the infant may not be elect and, therefore, never truly repent.

In His Grace,

Ron