Werkbund

Covenant of Works – Summary and Q&A

Overview

• Topic: The first covenant God made with Adam, called the covenant of works.

• Focus: Its definition, historical testimony, scriptural evidence (Genesis 1–3, Hosea 6:7, Romans 5), and theological framework (Adam’s federal headship, blessings and curses, parallels with Israel).

• Goal: Show that although the term “covenant” does not appear in Genesis 1–3, the elements of a covenant are present and later Scriptures confirm it.

Definition of the Covenant of Works

• Definition:

The first covenant God made with Adam wherein He promised him and his offspring eternal life upon the condition of perfect, perpetual, and personal obedience to His commands.

• Key components (lecture):

○ Blessing: Eternal life promised for obedience (Genesis 2:9; implied in Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12).

○ Curse: Death promised for disobedience (Genesis 2:17).

○ Federal Headship: Adam represents all humanity (Romans 5:12–19; 1 Corinthians 15:22).

Historical Testimony

• Apocryphal writings:

○ Wisdom of Ben Sirach 14:17 refers to Genesis 2:16–17 as a covenant (“you shall die the death”).

○ Though uninspired, shows earliest Jewish understanding of Adam in covenant.

• Church Fathers:

○ Augustine read Ben Sirach and Genesis together and affirmed God’s covenant with Adam.

• Reformation and Confessions:

○ Irish Articles (1615), Westminster Confession (1647), Savoy Declaration (1658), Second London Confession (1689) all affirm covenant of works.

○ But doctrine affirmed because it is scriptural, not just confessional.

Scriptural Evidence

1. Narrow Context: Genesis 1–3

• Commands:

○ Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28).

○ Do not eat from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 2:16–17).

• Blessing and curse:

○ Life implied in obedience; death explicitly stated for disobedience (Genesis 2:17).

○ Parallels with Deuteronomy 30:19 (life and death, blessing and curse).

• Covenant name of God:

○ “LORD God” (YHWH Elohim) appears 20 times in Genesis 2–3 (cf. Exodus 3:15).

• Covenant signs:

○ Tree of Life = sign of promised life.

○ Tree of Knowledge = sign of threatened death.

• Parallels with Mosaic Law:

○ “You shall not eat” mirrors “You shall not…” of Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).

○ Blessings/curses pattern also matches Mosaic covenant (Deuteronomy 28–30).

2. Wider Context: Pentateuch Bookends

• Parallels:

○ Adam in Eden vs. Israel in Promised Land.

○ Both placed in holy place, both given commands, both exiled for disobedience (Genesis 3; Deuteronomy 28–34; Ezekiel 37 valley of dry bones).

3. New Testament Confirmation

• Hosea 6:7:

“Like Adam, they transgressed the covenant” — explicit covenant reference.

• Romans 5:12–14, 19:

Adam’s one trespass brought death to all; Adam is “type” of Christ (federal headship).

Term parabasis = covenantal transgression.

• 1 Corinthians 15:22:

“As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Theological Framework

Covenant Parties

• Triune God and Adam (federal head of humanity).

Covenant Conditions

• Perfect, personal, perpetual obedience to God’s commands.

Covenant Blessings

• Eternal life for obedience (Genesis 2:9; Romans 10:5).

Covenant Curses

• Death for disobedience (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12).

Covenant Signs

• Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge (Genesis 2:9; 3:22).

Significance

• Adam as Federal Head:

His disobedience imputed to all humanity (Romans 5:19).

Christ as Last Adam obeys where Adam failed (Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:45).

• Works vs. Gospel:

Covenant of works shows one path to life (obedience).

Covenant of grace (through Christ) shows the other (faith).

• Parallels in Israel’s history:

Adam’s exile prefigures Israel’s exile; Adam’s failure anticipates Christ’s obedience.

Lesson 2 Questions and Answers

1. The word covenant does not appear in the opening chapters of the Bible. Does this mean we cannot talk about God making a covenant with Adam?

• No. Even without the term “covenant,” the elements of covenant (commands, blessings, curses, parties, signs) are present in Genesis 1–3.

• Later Scriptures (Hosea 6:7; Romans 5:14) explicitly call Adam’s act a covenant transgression.

2. What is the covenant of works?

• The first covenant God made with Adam:

○ Promise: Eternal life for Adam and his descendants.

○ Condition: Perfect, perpetual, personal obedience (Genesis 2:16–17; Galatians 3:12; Romans 10:5).

3. In what ways can apocryphal books be used in our study?

• Wisdom of Ben Sirach 14:17 calls Genesis 2:16–17 a covenant (“you shall die the death”).

• Though uninspired, shows early Jewish understanding and aids historical theology.

4. What features of the covenant are found in Genesis 1–3?

• Covenant parties (God and Adam).

• Covenant commands (Genesis 1:28; 2:16–17).

• Covenant blessings (Tree of Life).

• Covenant curses (Death for disobedience).

• Covenant signs (Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge).

• Covenant name of God (YHWH).

5. How do Hosea 6:7 and Romans 5:14 support the idea of a covenant between God and Adam?

• Hosea 6:7: “Like Adam, they transgressed the covenant.”

• Romans 5:14: Adam’s trespass is covenantal (parabasis = violation of known law).

6. How can one demonstrate that the blessing of life was offered to Adam for his obedience?

• Implied in Genesis 2:17 (curse = death → obedience = life).

• Confirmed by Paul: “The one who does them shall live by them” (Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12).

7. How does Jesus answer the lawyer’s question in Luke 10:25 concerning eternal life? Why is this important?

• Luke 10:28: “Do this and you will live.”

• Shows that perfect obedience was a valid path to life (covenant of works principle).

8. How is God’s covenant with Adam pictured in Israel’s history?

• Israel in Promised Land parallels Adam in Eden:

○ Both placed in holy place, given commands, exiled for disobedience (Genesis 3; Deuteronomy 28–34).

9. How does Deuteronomy 28–34 work with Genesis 1–3 to bookend the Pentateuch?

• Both sections describe blessings and curses:

○ Adam in Eden / Israel in Land.

○ Obedience = remain; disobedience = exile.

○ Similar language and structure connect creation/fall to covenantal life in the land.

10. Why is affirming Adam’s federal headship important?

• Explains original sin: Adam’s guilt imputed to all humanity (Romans 5:12–19).

• Foundation for Christ’s federal headship: His obedience imputed to believers.

11. What is not one of the key words describing the obedience required in the definition for the covenant of works?

• Partial (required obedience is perfect, perpetual, personal).

12. Which uninspired book mentions the concept of a covenant related to Genesis 2:16–17?

• Wisdom of Ben Sirach (14:17).

13. Which is not one of the features of a covenant present in Genesis 1–3?

• Covenant mediator (there is no mediator; parties are God and Adam directly).

14. Numerous confessional documents of the seventeenth century, including the Irish Articles of 1615, affirm the covenant of works. True or False?

• True

15. How does Hosea 6:7 support the concept of a covenant in the early chapters of Genesis?

• Compares Israel’s transgression to Adam’s transgression of a covenant (explicit wording).

16. What New Testament chapter teaches the federal headship of Adam?

Romans 5