The Doctrine of God in Relation to man (5)

Man In the Covenant of Works notes from Summary of Christian Doctrine by L. Berkhof

In Genesis God at once entered into a Covenant relationship with man. The Original Covenant wa called the Covenant of Works.

Memorize :1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive.

1. Scriptural Proof of the Covenant of Works.

1. Paul draws a Parallel between Adam and Christ

Rom 5:12  Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed on all men inasmuch as all sinned:

Rom 5:13  for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Rom 5:14  But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is the type of Him who was to come;

Rom 5:15  but the free gift shall not be also like the offense. For if by the offense of the one many died, much more the grace of God, and the gift in grace; which is of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.

Rom 5:16  And the free gift shall not be as by one having sinned; (for indeed the judgment was of one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses to justification.

Rom 5:17  For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.)

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by one offense sentence came on all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came to all men to justification of life.

Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.

Rom 5:20  But the Law entered so that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,

Rom 5:21  so that as sin has reigned to death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

In Adam all Men died, but in Christ all those who are His are made alive. This means that Adam was the representative head of all men, just as now Christ has become the representative head of all those who are His.

2.  In Hosea 6:7 we read: “But they like Adam have transgressed the Covenant.” Adam's sin is called a transgression of the Covenant.

b. The Elements of the Covenant of Works.

1. The Parties. A covenant is always a Compact between two parties. This this case they are the Triune God, the Sovereign Lord of the Universe, and Adam as Representative of the Human Race. Since these parties are very unequal, the covenant naturally partakes of the nature of an arrangement imposed on man.
2. The Promise. The Promise of the Covenant was the Promise of life in the highest sense, life raised above the possibility of death. This is what has been restored to believers through Christ, the Last Adam.
3. The Condition. The condition was absolute obedience. The Positive Command  not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil was clearly a test of pure obedience.
4. The Penalty. This was death in the most inclusive sense of the word, Physical, spiritual, and eternal. This consists not only of the separation of the body and the soul, but more fundamentally in a separation of the soul from God.
5. The Symbols of the Covenant. There was the Tree of life as a sign and seal of the Covenant.
6. The Present validity of the Covenant of Works. Arminians hold that this covenant was wholly set aside. But this is not correct. The demand of perfect obedience still stands for thise who do not accept the righteousness of Christ. Lev 18:5  And you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Jehovah.  Gal 3:11  But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, "The just shall live by faith."

Gal 3:12  But the Law is not of faith; but, "The man who does these things shall live in them."                                                                                                                                Though they cannot meet the requirement, for the unbeliever the condition still stands.  It holds no more for those who are in Christ, since He met the demands of the Law for them. It ceased to be a way of life for them, for as such it is powerless after the fall.

Questions for Revision.

1. What Bible proof have we of the Covenant of Works?
2. What are the Promise, the condition, the penalty and the Synbol of the Covenant of works?
3. In what sense does this covenant still hold?
4. In what sense was it abolished?

Theopedia.com  “the Covenant of Works is the second of three theological covenants. It is that pre-Fall agreement between God and Adam in which Adam was promised blessing and life upon obedience to the terms of the covenant and cursing and death should he disobey the terms of the covenant. Covenant theologians maintain that the requirements of the covenant relationship are clearly defined in the commands that God gave to Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28-30; cf 2:15) and in the direct command to Adam, 'You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die' (Gen. 2:16–17).

The Bible teaches that in Adam, all broke the covenant (Hos. 6:7) and so, in Adam all die (1 Cor. 15:22). Within covenant theology, the Covenant of Grace is God's covenant designed to bring humanity into a restored covenant relationship with him, through the death of Christ.”