Covenant of Works

[Guy Swenson]

While people have disagreed with the statements of the sources I have used - objections with which I often agree, it is becoming more and more evident that they are accurately conveying the C.O.W. teaching - at least from their perspective. I just reread some of R.C. Sproul’s writings … he was in line with perfect, personal and perpetual obedience. Speaking of Jesus:

“That is, Christ’s redeeming work includes not only His death, but His life. His life of perfect obedience becomes the sole ground of our justification. It is His perfect righteousness, gained via His perfect obedience, that is imputed to all who put their trust in Him.”

Fesko is speaking of the Adamic covenant. He later uses Lev. 18:5 from the Mosaic covenant as proof that the Adamic Covenant of Works was still in existence.

Unless you were referring to Sproul?

 

[Eleanor]

You don't think God's glory is seen when we mirror His character?

His character is sufficient to glorify him without our "help."
His goodness, his power, his wisdom, his faithfulness speak for themselves.

We glorify God in transformed hearts of submission, obedience and gratefulness. God is neither submissive, obedient nor grateful.

 

[Guy Swenson]

Unless you were referring to Sproul?

Here is the link:

The Covenant of Works by R.C. Sproul

Covenant theology is important for many reasons. Though covenant theology has been around for millennia, it finds its more refined and systematic formulation in

www.ligonier.org

 

[ReverendRV]

While people have disagreed with the statements of the sources I have used - objections with which I often agree, it is becoming more and more evident that they are accurately conveying the C.O.W. teaching - at least from their perspective. I just reread some of R.C. Sproul’s writings … he was in line with perfect, personal and perpetual obedience. Speaking of Jesus:

“That is, Christ’s redeeming work includes not only His death, but His life. His life of perfect obedience becomes the sole ground of our justification. It is His perfect righteousness, gained via His perfect obedience, that is imputed to all who put their trust in Him.”

Fesko is speaking of the Adamic covenant. He later uses Lev. 18:5 from the Mosaic covenant as proof that the Adamic Covenant of Works was still in existence.

Per Romans 5, the Adamic Covenant of Works is still in existence under Adam, resulting in Condemnation to All; and the Second Adam's Covenant of Works is still in existence, resulting in Justification to All...

But why in the world would Fesko say Leviticus 18:5 is about the Edenic Covenant, when it directly refers to the Mosaic Covenant in Context? Are you sure you got that right? Perhaps you should Link the Source...

 

[Guy Swenson]

The Adamic Covenant of Works is still in existence under Adam, resulting in Condemnation to All; and the Second Adam's Covenant of Works is still in existence, resulting in Justification to All...

But why in the world would Fesko say Leviticus 18:5 is about the Edenic Covenant, when it directly refers to the Mosaic Covenant in Context? Are you sure you got that right? Perhaps you should Link the Source...

I have an entire section on it … in Conclusion #2. Calvin says it. Fesko runs with it. Big hole.

 

[ReverendRV]

I have an entire section on it … in Conclusion #2. Calvin says it. Fesko runs with it. Big hole.

I haven't gotten to it yet...

Yes, that's a big hole; in Presbyterian Covenant Theology...

 

[Guy Swenson]

I haven't gotten to it yet...

Yes, that's a big hole; in Presbyterian Covenant Theology...

I haven’t posted Conclusion #2 yet.

 

[Guy Swenson]

I haven’t posted Conclusion #2 yet.

Sproul was a Presbyterian...

 

[ReverendRV]

I have an entire section on it … in Conclusion #2. Calvin says it. Fesko runs with it. Big hole.

I read your #2 from the Forum page 10, but didn't see any quote on Leviticus 18:5 being about the Edenic Covenant of Works. Can you Link me to the Post on this Forum, where you quote Fesko and Calvin teaching that the Verse is meant to be true of the Edenic Covenant of Works?

 

[Guy Swenson]

I read your #2 from the Forum page 10, but didn't see any quote on Leviticus 18:5 being about the Edenic Covenant of Works. Can you Link me to the Post on this Forum, where you quote Fesko and Calvin teaching that the Verse is meant to be true of the Edenic Covenant of Works?

I will post an entire response for Conclusion #2 as I did for #1. It is 3 times as long. Lev 18:5 and the earning righteousness/eternal life by Adam or Jesus has a lot of threads/concepts that are assumed to be true but are in fact, contradicted by internal Calvinist doctrine and more importantly, by explicit Scripture.

 

[ReverendRV]

I will post an entire response for Conclusion #2 as I did for #1. It is 3 times as long. Lev 18:5 and the earning righteousness/eternal life by Adam or Jesus has a lot of threads/concepts that are assumed to be true but are in fact, contradicted by internal Calvinist doctrine and more importantly, by explicit Scripture.

Oh I see, you've a long way to go...

This will be a HUGE thread; like a Civic or Seth Thread...

 

[Guy Swenson]

Oh I see, you've a long way to go...

This will be a HUGE thread; like a Civic or Seth Thread...

It has grown into a small book …

 

[Eleanor]

That was a one and done. The gate is closed, angels stand guard.

It is the results of the disobedience that are being dealt with. It is still a covenant of works. Jesus is the life, the only way to eternal life and
He kept the covenant of works for us because we cannot do it.

That assumes Ge 2:17 was a covenant of works, whereas the NT presents it simply as law/command (Ro 4:15, 5:12-14).

All righteousness is a gift of God (Ge 15:6, Ro 1:17, 3:21, 4:1-11, Php 3:9), either imputed by faith (justification) or imparted through obedience (sanctification), it is never generated by man.
Adam was created with it, Jesus was born with it.
The man Jesus, like the man Adam, did not have to earn his righteousness. Both had only to preserve the gift they were given.
It is the righteousness of Jesus with which he was born, and which he did not lose by disobedience, that is credited/imputed to those in Christ.
He came, not to earn righteousness, but to remain righteous in obedience in order to meet the requirement of perfection for an acceptable sacrifice.

The NT does not present a works righteousness, ever. . .even for the OT (Ro 3:20), for righteousness has always been by faith, never by law-keeping:
Gal 3:10-12 - "Clearly no one is justified before God by the law because 'The righteous will live by faith' (Hab 2:4), and the law is not of faith, it is of works ('the man who does these things will live by them,' Lev 18:5)"

Note that the reason no one will be justified by the law is not because no one can keep it perfectly, but is because righteousness is not by, and has never been, by law keeping,

And that includes the man Christ's righteousness.

Believers now eat of the tree of life. John 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
John 6:32-32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly. I say to you, it was not MOses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven." 35. Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 48-51.
It was a tree in Eden in the covenant of works, bread in the expanded covenant of works in the Exodus, a tree again in Rev 22:1-5 at the fullness of days. Creation began with a covenant of works with man, remained a covenant of works with man, the works fulfilled by a Man. All to bring in the covenant grace and carry it to it's fullness, that covenant of grace that also began in the Garden in Gen 3.

 

[Arial]

His character is sufficient to glorify him without our "help."
His goodness, his power, his wisdom, his faithfulness speak for themselves.

We glorify God in transformed hearts of submission, obedience and gratefulness. God is neither submissive, obedient nor grateful.

Mankind is the crowning glory of His creation. Have you never read and understood "His glory is over all the earth." His glory is expressed in everything He creates. There is a little book called "More Than Meets the Eye" by Richard Swenson and Richard A. Swenson M.D. that will knock your socks off. I read it a long time ago but it still sticks with me. You can find it on Amazon.

 

[Eleanor]

While people have disagreed with the statements of the sources I have used - objections with which I often agree, it is becoming more and more evident that they are accurately conveying the C.O.W. teaching - at least from their perspective. I just reread some of R.C. Sproul’s writings … he was in line with perfect, personal and perpetual obedience. Speaking of Jesus:

“That is, Christ’s redeeming work includes not only His death, but His life. His life of perfect obedience becomes the sole ground of our justification. It is His perfect righteousness, gained via His perfect obedience, that is imputed to all who put their trust in Him.”

Fesko is speaking of the Adamic covenant. He later uses Lev. 18:5 from the Mosaic covenant as proof that the Adamic Covenant of Works was still in existence.

Not according to Gal 3:10-12.

Feel free to correct me.

 

[Guy Swenson]

Covenants aren't offered. They are made.

If I am understanding you to say that God’s covenants are unilateral instead of both parties agreeing, I think you are mistaken. God has a history of making covenants where both parties understand the terms and conditions of the covenant and agree. Ex. 24 is an explicit example of this.

 

[Arial]

Note that the reason no one will be justified by the law is not because no one can keep it perfectly, but is because righteousness is not by, and has never been, by law keeping,

Then why did Christ keep it? What purpose did His keeping it serve? It relates profoundly with our justification.

 

[Eleanor]

Per Romans 5, the Adamic Covenant of Works is still in existence under Adam, resulting in Condemnation to All;

Isn't the condemnation to all the result of the imputation of Adam's sin to all (Ro 5:12-14)?

and the Second Adam's Covenant of Works is still in existence, resulting in Justification to All...

But why in the world would Fesko say Leviticus 18:5 is about the Edenic Covenant, when it directly refers to the Mosaic Covenant in Context? Are you sure you got that right? Perhaps you should Link the Source...

 

[Guy Swenson]

Not according to Gal 3:10-12.

Feel free to correct me.

Hi Eleanor!

Not sure what you are asking. My statement about what Fesko says is accurate, but I am not advocating that he is correct. Fesko would say the C.O.W. ended with the death of Jesus.

Help me understand what you are asking.

 

[ReverendRV]

If I am understanding you to say that God’s covenants are unilateral instead of both parties agreeing, I think you are mistaken. God has a history of making covenants where both parties understand the terms and conditions of the covenant and agree. Ex. 24 is an explicit example of this.

Covenants of Works are Synergistic...