The Covenant of Works

We discuss the doctrine of the covenant of works, including its biblical basis as well as common objections to it. The Reformed tradition has spoken of the relationship between God and Adam as a covenantal relationship. Without the covenant of works, we cannot rightly understand man’s relationship to God in the garden. Neither can we understand the gospel, for the work of our Lord Jesus Christ was a redeeming work necessitated by the Fall into sin.
This is Christ the Center episode 652 (www.reformedfo...)

[@jesus_saves_from_hell_]

Grace and peace! ✌😎✌

[@retrograd332]

To be fair to MacArthur, he does subscribe to federal headship. He just doesn't follow that all the way to CoW. He's Romans commentary makes this pretty clear.

[@stephenjackson4012]

Excellent presentation of the Covenant of Works. It seems likely to me that Dr. Murray's view on remaining in the Covenant of Grace is the reason for his resistance to calling God,s relationship with Adam a Covenant.Certainly some of his students developed the notion that evangelical obedience is a condition of remaining in a Covenant relationship with God rather than a fruit of our union with Christ by faith alone.

[@Tyreemorris68]

What is the name of the guy mentioned at 22:20 ?

[@ianleslie7424]

Francis Turretin

[@chancha807]

May you please recommend a good CT book .

[@arizonajr]

Works = Obedience? Jesus in the Upper Room said "do this" (luke 22), Paul in 1 Cor 11 harkens back to the Upper Room discussing the "New Covenant". Obedience is always required, as John the Baptist said at the end of John 3.
Covenant = Relationship, it's about God building a family, and obedience to the relationship is never removed.
Grace / The Call needs to be accepted. Accepting is Obedience.
What were laws to Moses, was Wisdom to David; the precepts or commandments.
6 biblical covenants w/ 6 mediators => Adam (Couple of God),
Noah (Family of God),
Abraham (Tribe of God),
Moses (Nation of God), David (Kingdom of God),
Jesus (Universal/Catholic Church of God)

[@carolinetrace894]

Murray was a concern troll. A sign of vanity in a theologian.

[@MrJohnmartin2009]

Calvinist claim - The covenant of works is the basis for the gospel fulfilled by Christ.
Response - the Calvinist covenant of works presumes a version of the penal substitution theory applied to account for the atonement, which is itself a theory containing much theological error and logical contradictions. Two examples of theological errors are the double imputation at the cross and the instrumentality of faith.
The initial covenant of works between God and Adam always collapses into a covenant of grace. For creation, and the covenant are both graces merited from the atonement applied to bind Adam to obedience. The conditions within the initial covenant are both a gift and therefore a grace and a requirement of obedience, involving works. And yet both grace and works are involved in virtually every other covenant including the new covenant.
Calvinist theology on the covenant of works -
1) inevitably affirms and denies grace applied to all covenants including any stipulation of obedience and the resulting rewards for laws obeyed.
2) ignores the role of grace in obedience. If Adam obeyed the divine commands he did so from grace merited by the atonement. Therefore the so called covenant of works is reducible to a covenant of grace empowered obedience.
3) Ignores the same or similar stipulations granted to the faithful in the new covenant, nominally termed a covenant of grace. The faithful are expected and commanded to keep the commandments, and love one another. Yet similar commandments are requested of Adam, presumed to be a work. If obedience, termed by St Paul as a paradox of grace acting with free will - the obedience (free will) of faith (grace) is framed by a covenant of grace, then Adam's covenant must also be another covenant of grace. The Calvinist theology of the covenant of works is therefore an arbitrary imposition upon the biblical text.