Genesis 2:15-17

The Covenant of Works

Introduction

Covenant name of Lord

Elements of covenant here

Fesko analogy, wedding phone

Text

v. 15

Two actions of the Lord (Parties)

“took”

God is placing Adam in Garden Himself

Extension of grace

Lord not obligated to place Adam

Representative of communion with God

Holy of Holies

“put” or “rested” Adam

Same word for Noah (rest)

Causative stem, Lord caused it to happen

Adam is completely passive

God’s intention in placing Adam

Sabbath-like rest

Eternal bliss in partaking of tree of life

Two actions required of Adam (Parties, precept)

Both words are identical to function of a priest in temple

Work

Root is “serve” or “slave”

Labor in the garden required “work”

CW allusion

“keep” or better “guard”

Priestly function of Adam

Refers to also “to be on guard”

To be Holy, protect

Also refers to “sticking to an agreement”

Same word used with covenant w/ Abraham

Genesis 17:9–10 “And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.”

Exodus 19:5 “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;”

Different administration in CW

Adam was obligated to obey

Abraham is given grace and obeys

Adam in is purpose of being set in the Garden was naturally given by way of his vocation an obligation to act as a priest and also to stick to the agreement/covenant that God makes with him

Humanity is obligated to function the same way

v. 16

“commanded” (Precept)

Word always used w/r/t God’s commands

Same word used in creational command

Psalm 78:23 “Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,”

Psalm 148:5 “Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.”

Psalm 33:9 “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”

God’s sovereignty on display in creation

Secondary effects of His commands

Eternal/unchangeable

Creation continues in existence

Moral Law is commanded

“surely eat”

Same format in v. 17 “surely die”

Absolute freedom to partake of anything

Fully equipped for obedience

v. 17 (prohibition, penalty, implicit - promise)

“tree of knowledge of good and evil”

“God’s appointed instrument to lead man through probation to that state of religious and moral maturity wherewith his highest blessedness is connected” (Vos, BT 31)

Tree equated with cursing

“shall not”

Negative of permanence in Heb.

Absolute prohibition

“die die”

Guaranteed

Death occurred in Garden and curses followed

Adam died spiritually, instantly

God allowed him to live graciously

Animal was killed/sacrificed to cover Adam and Eve

What about the promise?

Genesis 3:22 “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—””

Doctrine: Covenant of Works

Elements: Parties, precepts, promise, penalty, probation (testing)

All elements are in Gen 2.15-17.

WSC 12

“When”

Temporal, happened in time

“God”

one who initiated

“had created man”

At this very moment of being created

Owed perfect/perpetual obedience whether or not God gave verbal command

God not obligated to give command

“covenant of life” also “covenant of works”

“condition of perfect obedience”

Creation and covenant obedience are synced with each other

However, God’s special act of providence was the verbal command

In creation = natural obedience, no pos. verbal precept to guarantee eternal life

In covenant = covenantal obedience, pos. verbal precept

“If Adam is to have life, it must come by way of creation and if that life is to be advance it must come by way of covenant”

Only way we can advance life is through perfect/perpetual obedience to the Law

See just how extreme Adam’s failure as PPK

Priest - guarding Eden

Prophet - proclaiming God’s word to Eve

King - subduing serpent

Just how extreme Christ’s fulfillment as PPK

Priest - atonement

Prophet - faithfully proclaiming God’s word

King - ruling our enemies and His

Theology of Romans 5.12-21.

Inescapable w/r/t CW

Application

Meditate on these truths, because Christ fulfilled the covenant of works.

Use 1. Live comfortably in the inestimable blessings of salvation you have received from God

You do not have to bear the law’s penalty

Tree of Know Good Evil

Represented the covenant curses

Leviticus 18:5 “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”

Opposite is true, if you do not do them, you die

Imputation of Adam’s sin

All have died in Adam

Hosea 6:7 “But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.”

Romans 3:10 “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;” Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Galatians 3:10 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.””

Galatians 3:13–14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Totality of redemption accomplished by Christ, bearing the penalty of the covenant curses

Use 2. Live comfortably in assurance of God’s justifying grace

Justification is objective, legal declaration

Objective undergirds subjective

Assurance is subjective but is grounded on objective promise of God

Romans 8:29–30 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Use 3. Live comfortably in communion with God

Adam’s sin separated him from God

Expulsion from Garden to wilderness

Union with Christ

Expulsion from wilderness to Garden

Use 4. Live comfortably in conformity to God’s covenant.

Carefulness

Not becoming legalistic toward others

or to ourselves

Romans 8:13–14 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Not becoming antinomian either

Psalm 19:7–11 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

Applying the law as a rule of life in the hands of the Redeemer

Use 5. Live comfortably in the display of God’s unchangeable love

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Use 6. Live comfortably in the unchangeable promises of God

you will not be liable to “die, die”

It is appointed for all mankind to die once

Given newness of life in Christ

If Christ gives, then only He could take away

But he promises to never take away the gift

Instead, you have died to sin and been made alive to Christ Jesus

Use 7. Live comfortably in the promise of eternal rest

Tree of Life represented eternal life

Because of Christ, you get those promises

Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”

Revelation 22:2 “through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”