The Covenant of Works

What is it? What does the Bible say about it?

The Bible clearly teaches that God made a solemn arrangement with man in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. According to this arrangement, man had to follow God's commands perfectly, in order to obtain eternal life. Consider the following Scriptures:

• "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17) --- God gave Adam a direct command. Adam's intimate relationship with God depended upon obedience. And death was the sanction for disobedience.

• "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." (Genesis 3:6) --- Adam disobeyed God's direct command.

• Because Adam was the head of the human race, his sin was imputed to all his descendants:

  • Scripture says that "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men" (Romans 5:12).
  • The "offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation" (Romans 5:18).
  • Also speaking of Adam, Scripture says, "by man came death", and "in Adam all die" (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
  • (Also see the other curses God put upon mankind in Genesis 3:16-19.)

Now let's take a look at the Covenant of Redemption.

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