The covenant of works refers to the agreement that God made with Adam in the Garden of Eden before the fall into sin. Under this covenant, Adam was required to perfectly obey God’s law in order to remain in fellowship with God and earn eternal life (Genesis 2:15-17, Hosea 6:7). If Adam obeyed, he would be rewarded with life. If he disobeyed, he would be punished with death. Adam’s obedience was to be rewarded by life with God in the Garden, while disobedience would be punished by death. The covenant of works promised life for perfect obedience and death for disobedience.
The key elements of the covenant of works are as follows:
- God created Adam innocent and sinless with the ability to either obey God or disobey him.
- God entered into a covenant with Adam as the representative of the entire human race.
- God commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). This represented a test of Adam’s obedience to God’s law.
- If Adam passed the test by obeying God, he would retain his innocence and earn eternal life for himself and all his descendants. He would be confirmed in holiness and live forever in fellowship with God in the Garden.
- If Adam disobeyed God’s command and ate the forbidden fruit, he would be condemned as guilty and earn death for himself and all his descendants. He would break fellowship with God.
- Adam had the freedom to choose between obedience and disobedience. His choice would determining the destiny of the entire human race.
- The covenant of works was based solely on Adam’s obedience to the law of God. It did not depend on God’s grace but on Adam’s works.
In summary, the covenant of works was a conditional covenant made between God and Adam that promised life for obedience and death for disobedience. It required perfect obedience to God’s law. Adam was free to obey or disobey, but his choice would have consequences for all humanity. Had Adam obeyed, he would have earned eternal life. But Adam disobeyed God’s command and broke the covenant, resulting in sin, death, and condemnation for all people (Romans 5:12-14).
After Adam sinned, the covenant of works was revoked. No person can achieve righteousness by perfectly obeying the law due to our inherent sinful nature (Romans 3:20). People are now under the curse of the law, which can only condemn us because of our inability to keep the law perfectly. That is why God established a new covenant – the covenant of grace – by sending Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of his people. Unlike the covenant of works which was conditioned on Adam’s obedience, the covenant of grace is conditioned on Christ’s obedience alone. While Adam failed the test in the Garden, Christ succeeded in perfectly obeying the law and earning righteousness for his people. The good news of the gospel is that what Adam failed to achieve under the covenant of works, Christ achieved under the covenant of grace (Romans 5:12-21). Salvation is now by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
There are several key differences between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace:
- The covenant of works was made with Adam representing the entire human race, while the covenant of grace was made with Christ representing his people.
- The covenant of works promised life for obedience but cursed disobedience, while the covenant of grace provides salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
- The covenant of works required perfect obedience to the law, while the covenant of grace requires faith in Christ’s perfect obedience.
- The covenant of works was conditional on Adam’s obedience, while the covenant of grace is unconditional – Christ obeyed on behalf of his people.
- The covenant of works was based on works, while the covenant of grace is based on grace.
- The covenant of works resulted in condemnation and death, while the covenant of grace results in justification and life.
- The covenant of works was limited to Adam, while the covenant of grace extends to all who put their faith in Christ.
In summary, the covenant of works refers to God’s agreement with Adam to perfectly obey His law, promising life for obedience and death for disobedience. Adam broke this covenant, resulting in the condemnation of all humanity. God graciously established the covenant of grace in which salvation is offered as a gift to all who place their faith in Christ and his atoning sacrifice for sins. While Adam failed under the covenant of works, Christ succeeded under the covenant of grace for the benefit of his people.
The covenant of works and the covenant of grace form the basis for the unified plan of redemption in Scripture. The covenant of works explains where humanity has been – under the law, sin, condemnation, and death. The covenant of grace gives hope for where God is taking humanity through Christ – into grace, justification, and life. The law continues to reflect God’s high standard of moral conduct, but we are no longer under the law as a means to earn salvation. Instead, the law shows our need for a Savior and leads us to faith in Christ (Galatians 3:24).
The doctrine of the covenant of works originated in the writings of the Reformers in the sixteenth century who were recovering biblical teaching on salvation by grace alone through faith alone. Some of the key Scripture passages they used to develop this doctrine include:
- Genesis 1-3 – The creation and fall of humanity; God’s command and warning to Adam; the serpent’s temptation and the curse after the Fall indicate a covenant made with Adam.
- Hosea 6:7 – Suggests Adam violated a covenant God made with him.
- Romans 5:12-21 – Contrasts of Adam and Christ as representative heads; one transgressed God’s covenant bringing condemnation on all people while the other obeyed God perfectly to make many righteous.
- 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 – Explains the effects of Adam’s sin on all humanity.
- Romans 2:14-15 – Shows how the law’s requirements are written on our hearts and all are accountable before God, just as Adam was.
- Romans 7:7-11 – The law arouses sin and brings death, just as the Edenic law did for Adam.
While the term “covenant of works” is not explicitly stated in Scripture, Reformed theologians see this theology of Adam’s conditional covenant obligation implicitly taught in these and other passages. The covenant of works shows that salvation cannot be earned by good works or obedience to laws, but requires reliance on Christ’s perfect obedience and grace.
There are differing views about the covenants in Scripture among Christians. Here are some of the main views regarding the covenant of works:
- Reformed View – The covenant of works was an actual covenant conditional on Adam’s obedience. After the Fall, Christ fulfilled the covenant of works in the place of his people under the covenant of grace. This view sees continuity between the Edenic covenant with Adam and the new covenant in Christ.
- New Covenant View – There was no actual covenant made with Adam. The use of “covenant” language is metaphorical and emphasizes God’s relationship with humanity across different eras in redemptive history. Only the new covenant in Christ is a real covenant.
- Dispensationalist View – Adam’s situation involved a condition of obedience but no actual covenant. Each dispensation in the Bible stands alone and is not necessarily related. As such, no mediatorial work was needed after Adam’s fall.
- Roman Catholic View – The covenant with Adam was a conditional probation period after which further grace and glorification would have been given had he obeyed. Christ’s work restores this probationary opportunity for humanity.
So while all Christian views acknowledge Adam’s obligation to obey God perfectly, views differ on whether this constituted an actual covenant and how Adam relates to Christ. The Reformed perspective sees the most continuity between God’s purpose shown in the Edenic covenant and His ultimate redemptive plan fulfilled in Christ.
In conclusion, the covenant of works is a biblical doctrine that teaches:
- God made an agreement with Adam requiring his perfect obedience to His law in exchange for eternal life in fellowship with Him.
- Adam violated this covenant, plunging all humanity into sin, condemnation, and death.
- No person can achieve righteousness through perfect law-keeping due to our sinful nature.
- The covenant of grace accomplished through Christ what Adam failed to achieve – perfect obedience, righteousness, and life with God.
- Salvation is now through faith in Christ alone, by His grace alone, not our works.
- The law continues to reflect God’s high moral law but cannot save.
- The obedience of Christ is credited to all who trust Him for salvation.
While not all Christians hold to the language of a “covenant of works”, all affirm humanity’s fall into sin through Adam and our gracious salvation through faith in Christ. This fallen condition and promised redemption form the foundation on which the glorious gospel message of salvation by grace stands.
