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Covenant of Works

Rebuttal of Conclusion #2: 1 of 14

Analysis of “Eternal Life Can Be Earned”​

Step 1: Is This Summation, “Eternal Life Can Be Earned,” Accurately Stated? “Adam, by the Covenant of Works, could earn perfect righteousness which creates an obligation (or a “debt”) of God to reward the successful works of Adam with the promised eternal life.”

We start by documenting that theologians who are credible apologists for the Covenant of Works make these statements and reach this conclusion that God promised that a person could earn eternal life by perfect obedience – or as theologians state, the first Adam or the second Adam (Jesus) could earn eternal life by personal, perfect and perpetual obedience to God. After a life of perfect righteousness during the time of probation, the person would have earned or merited by their works eternal life – essentially creating a debt or obligation by God that He pays with the reward of eternal life.

Can Perfect Obedience Earn Eternal Life?

Fesko, as he recounts the historical development of Covenant Theology, notes several theologians who support the doctrine that perfect obedience to the law would earn or merit eternal life:

In agreement with Calvin, Vermigli, and Willet, exegetes and theologians such as Petrus de Witte (1622-1669) and John Davenant (1572-1641) cite Leviticus 18:5 when they explain the differences between the law and the gospel. De Witte writes: ‘The Law promiseth eternal life to them, that are righteous in themselves, and keep the Commandments perfectly, by their own power. Lev. 18:5…’

… When Herman Witsius (1636-1708) or Francis Turretin (1623-1687) explained the covenant of works, they appealed to Leviticus 18:5 with its affixed promise of eternal life, which served as Adam’s moral standard.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 74, 75). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Grudem equates Paul’s citing of Lev. 18:5 as though Paul endorsed the idea that Lev. 18:5 was a promise of eternal life for perfect obedience.

Another evidence that the covenant relationship with God in the garden included a promise of eternal life if Adam and Eve had perfectly obeyed is the fact that even in the New Testament Paul speaks as though perfect obedience, if it were possible, would actually lead to life. He speaks of a “commandment which promised life” (Rom. 7:10; lit., “the commandment unto life”) and, in order to demonstrate that the
law does not rest on faith, he quotes Leviticus 18:5 to say, about the provisions of the law, “He who does them shall live by them” (Gal. 3:12; cf. Rom. 10:5).

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, page 448, Copyright © 1994 by Wayne Grudem, Zondervan Publishing House.

Clearly, Calvin is not alone in asserting that Lev. 18:5 refers not – or not only – to Israel living long in the land, but specifically to the Covenant of Works and perfect obedience earning eternal life.

So, in this section we have two assertions that need to be tested:
  • Are there one or more Bible texts that prove the assertion that “personal, perfect and perpetual obedience” earns perfect righteousness necessary to merit eternal life?
  • Does the Bible teach that eternal life is a debt for God to pay for perfect obedience?
Step 2: – Are There Positive Bible Affirmations that “Eternal Life Can Be Earned?” “Adam, by the Covenant of Works, could earn perfect righteousness which creates an obligation (or a “debt”) of God to reward the successful work of Adam with the promised eternal life.”

Let’s do some basic homework.

First, pause for a moment to remember the link between the Covenant of Works to the doctrine of Original Sin:

Both these doctrines state that “naturally generated” persons, meaning all descendants from Adam, except Jesus, could never be perfectly obedient because, from their conception/birth, they are guilty of sin inherited from Adam. That guilt from Adam’s original sin makes it impossible, according to both the Covenant of Works and Original Sin doctrines, for any descendant of Adam who is humanly conceived, to be perfectly obedient – or to fulfill any supposed promise of perfect obedience earning, meriting or incurring a debt by God to fulfill a promise of eternal life.

So, as we move forward, remember that the doctrines of the Covenant of Works and Original Sin are interdependent. They do not exist in separate theological worlds but are inextricably linked.

Now to the proof text for “Eternal Life Can Be Earned.”

Lev. 18:5 is the pivotal passage when it comes to efforts to find some text that can support the teaching that eternal life is the reward for perfect obedience to God. It, and places where theologians believe it is referenced or repeated, constitute the bulk of textual evidence given for perfect obedience earning eternal life.

There are two dominant paths that theologians take:
  • The first is to claim outright that Lev. 18:5 explicitly says obedience earns eternal life.
  • The second path is a more nuanced approach that uses type and antitype to build a bridge from Lev. 18:5 which refers to the terms and conditions of the “Mosaic Covenant” to also include the concept of obedience leading to eternal life – creating a “works principle.”
 
Rebuttal of Conclusion #2: 2 of 14

Examining the First Path: The outright claim that Lev. 18:5 explicitly says obedience earns eternal life.

John Calvin, the famous Protestant reformer from the 1500’s, is said to take both paths: the direct path of claiming outright that Lev. 18:5 says perfect obedience earns eternal life, and that of a type/antitype treatment of Lev. 18:5.

Speaking of the direct approach, Fesko writes:

Despite some initial similarities between them, Calvin radically departs from Aquinas when he claims: ‘The passage is taken from Lev. 18:5, where the Lord promises eternal life to those who will keep his law.’

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 62). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition. (This citation by Fesko is from Calvin’s commentary on Romans.)

NOTE: Here Calvin minces no words when he asserts Lev. 18:5 is the definitive text proving perfect obedience earns eternal life. He states that Lev. 18:5 is an explicit promise to the Israelites that their perfect obedience to the law would earn them eternal life.

Let’s restate this again: When Calvin says “The passage is taken from Lev. 18:5, where the Lord promises eternal life to those who will keep his law” that means God is promising Israelites that they – those listening to the words of the Lord God – could earn eternal life upon perfect obedience.

Unfortunately, according to both the Covenant of Works and Original Sin doctrines, this promise of eternal life to any naturally generated descendant of Adam who keeps God’s law is absolutely impossible.

The inherited guilt and condemnation from Adam’s sin prevents perfect, personal and perpetual obedience. EVERY naturally generated descendant is a guilty sinner from conception.

Here are three obvious, flaws in this interpretation by Calvin and many other theologians. It seems that these contradictions are often ignored in the writings by the apologists for the Covenant of Works who advocate Lev. 18:5 is a proof text where God promises eternal life for perfect obedience to His law:

  • This interpretation of Lev. 18:5 as a proof text for earning eternal life by perfect obedience makes the God of Israel a liar by saying He knowingly promises – and requires – the impossible: no Israelite – ever – could earn eternal life by perfect obedience because every one of them was guilty of Adam’s Original Sin.
  • This interpretation of Lev 18:5 means that Jesus lied by knowingly promising – and requiring – the impossible: no Jew (or Gentile) in the time of Jesus could earn eternal life by perfect obedience because every one of them was guilty of Adam’s Original Sin,
  • Calvin – and other theologians as well – presume that they can rewrite the Mosaic Covenant by inserting a promise of eternal life of their own invention into the fabric of the original covenant God made with Israel. They need to insert this new promise so that Lev. 18:5 can be shaped to support their doctrinal conclusions.
Detailed Examination of Lev. 18:5 Exegetical Shortcomings:

This interpretation of Lev. 18:5 makes the God of Israel a liar by saying He knowingly promises – and requires – the impossible:

Ignoring a conflicting fact does not make it go away. The reluctance of apologists to consider or address these contradictions suggests repetition of what has already been noted is in order.

Under the doctrines of the Covenant of Works and Original Sin, not a single Israelite could, at any time, perfectly obey God and earn eternal life. It was impossible. If every Israelite was guilty of Adam’s original sin from conception, then the Lord is knowingly making a false promise to them – a lie. Calvin and other theologians are asserting that God is making a promise to do something – give eternal life – when it is impossible. Knowingly making a false promise is the act of a liar. Saying God knowingly made this false promise makes God out to be a liar.

It is a colossal internal contradiction and massive failure in reasoning for Calvin and other theologians to asset Lev. 18:5, and any other text conveying the desired conclusion of “obey and live (forever),” to mean that a single naturally generated descendant of Adam could ever be perfectly obedient, thereby earn perfect righteousness and merit eternal life.

Unless the Covenant of Works and Original Sin are wrong.

Calvin and others are confident that ALL naturally generated descendants are disqualified – fail to perfectly obey God – because they are guilty as sinners from conception. No matter how well they obey – even perfectly from birth – the doctrines of the Covenant of Works and of Original Sin mean not one of the Israelites hearing Lev. 18:5 could ever earn eternal life by perfect obedience.

How did Calvin and other theologians to the modern day “square the circle” of this massive internal contradiction. Their doctrines teach that every Israelite alive was guilty of Adam’s sin from conception, as was every Jew and Gentile that Jesus met.

Following their teachings, after Adam’s sin, only Jesus, who was not “naturally generated” could possibly earn perfect righteousness and merit eternal life.

This special role that Jesus, the only one not born from human insemination, is stated by Pat Abendroth, who is the Senior Pastor of Omaha Bible Church where he has served since 1998. Pat has degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The Master’s Seminary, and the Ligonier Academy. In his book” Covenant Theology” he states this regarding this role, as the one man not naturally generated, Jesus played in fulfilling the Covenant of Works:

Classic covenant theology teaches that sinners are justified by faith alone in Jesus alone because He perfectly obeyed the divine law and thereby fulfilled the obligation known as the covenant of works so that all who experience salvation do so by grace alone and all of this according to the predetermined purpose of the triune God before the foundation of the world as per Ephesians 1.

Pat Abendroth, Patrick. Covenant Theology (p. 7). Pactum Publishing. Kindle Edition
 
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To say it would be possible for a “naturally generated” person who was guilty of Original Sin to still fulfill the Covenant of Works is a fatal internal contradiction within and between the two doctrines. Would any theologian who advocates the Covenant of Works declare the doctrine of Original Sin to be a heresy in order to make the argument that perfect obedience by Israelites could earn eternal life?

Let’s explore further how theological reasoning ends up with “God being a Liar”

Of course, God is no lair. But by his own words, doesn’t Calvin, and those theologians who follow his lead, make God into a liar?

The reasoning is simple and explicit. Calvin and his acolytes state that God, speaking to the audience of Israel after the establishing of the covenant at Mt. Sinai, said “the Lord promises eternal life to those who will keep his law.”

Remember, the audience for Lev. 18:5 is made up entirely of Israelites who, according to the doctrine of the Covenant of Works and Original Sin, as “naturally generated” descendants of Adam are guilty, judged, and condemned as sinners from conception. Not one of them could possibly fulfill the Covenant of Works. No amount of obedience by any Israelite could constitute perfect obedience and thereby earn eternal life.

Even apologists for the Covenant of Works have to admit that Israel was incapable of fulfilling the Covenant of Works and earn eternal life by perfect obedience. As Fesko writes:

Leviticus 18:5 appears in the gospels, specifically when a lawyer asked Christ, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ (Luke 10:25). Jesus asked the lawyer, ‘What is written in the Law?’ to which the lawyer responded: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself’ (Luke 10:27). How did Jesus respond? He quotes Leviticus 18:5: ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live’ (Luke 10:28; cf. Lev. 18:5 LXX). That the totality of the law is in view is evident by the lawyer’s quotation of Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18; but Christ’s response also holds out eternal life as the goal of obedience to the law. Key in this exchange is what follows, in that the lawyer, ‘desiring to justify himself’ (v. 29), asked Jesus who his neighbor was. In other words, this exchange demonstrates that a person can either be justified by works or by faith in Christ, though the former is now impossible in a post-fall world. Christ’s use of Leviticus 18:5 also illustrates that, taken by itself, the verse sets forth the principle of the covenant of works – obedience yields eternal life.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 285). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Note: Fesko completely sidesteps the fact Jesus agreed with the lawyer’s summation that obedience was necessary – not to “earn” salvation by perfect obedience, but rather to “inherit” salvation. Fesko goes on to validate the impossibility of either audience – Israel or Jew – to earn eternal life by perfect obedience:

He [Calvin] rejected the notion that Leviticus 18:5 referred to temporal life. The prophet Ezekiel simply holds forth the twofold path of justification, law or faith, as Paul does in Romans 10:5-6. Calvin writes: ‘We see, therefore, although God promised salvation to his ancient people, if they only kept the law, yet that promise was useless, since no one could satisfy the law and perform God’s commands.’ Within this context Calvin connects Ezekiel 20:11 both to Romans 10:5 and Leviticus 18:5, but also to Deuteronomy 30:15.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 66). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Calvin’s explanation of Matthew 19:16-17 also parallels his exegesis of Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:10. The rich young ruler had too much confidence in his ability to fulfill the law. Christ therefore confronted him with the demands of the law. The law requires perfect obedience, and hence Calvin quotes two texts, Leviticus 18:5, ‘He that does these things shall live by them,’ and Deuteronomy 30:19, ‘I call heaven and earth to witness that I have this day showed you life.’ Unlike Aquinas, Calvin believed that Paul and Jesus spoke with one voice. The law rewards perfect obedience with eternal life.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 65). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Aren’t these interpretations by Calvin and other theologians of Lev 18:5 actually an assertion that Jesus lied by knowingly promising – and requiring – the impossible? Or saying the impossible was possible? Remember this as we move to the next matter of Jesus and Paul quoting Lev. 18:5.

So, let’s examine Lev. 18:5 as theologians state it is cited or referred to obliquely elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments. Theologians see this as repeated evidence reinforcing their claim of a “works principle” of earning eternal life by perfect obedience.
 
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There are four New Testament passages where Jesus is alleged to repeat the Lev. 18:5 promise of perfect obedience earning eternal life.
  • The first the three separate accounts of the encounter with the rich young man in Matthew 19, Mark 10 and Luke 18.
  • The fourth is the answers given to the lawyer in Luke 10.
The answer by Jesus to the rich young man and the lawyer are essential proof texts offered as strong evidence that the “perfect obedience earns eternal life” promise was alive, well and available to these men.

First, let’s examine the three accounts of the young rich man in Mark 10:17-22, and Luke 18:18-26 and Matthew 19:6-26. Our focus is this: Do these passages support the statement that in these instances Jesus was saying, unequivocally, that eternal life could be earned by these men upon perfect obedience?

Assertions by theologians to be examined are:

Were they asking what they could do to earn eternal life?

Was Jesus telling them that perfect obedience could earn eternal life?

The Stories of the Rich Young Ruler:

“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:17)

“Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ... (Luke 18:18)

“Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16)

The question in the first two accounts is identical – “what shall I do to inherit eternal life,” with Matt. 19:16 having on slight difference (having vs inheriting eternal live.)

Finally, the lawyer who asks the same question:

“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29)

Were they asking what they could do to earn eternal life?

In order to prove the narrative they put forward, it would seem that theologians want to change the question being asked to “What good thing must I do to earn eternal life?”

In the four accounts, the phrase used 3 times “what shall I do to inherit eternal life.” The fourth is what good thing … that I may have eternal life.

At no point in any of the four accounts was the question asked, “What must I do to earn eternal life?”

Inherit – yes – have or possess – yes. But earn eternal life by perfect obedience?

No. Never. Not once.

When reading the works by theologians, I was struck at how often they ignore the fact that inheriting is very different from earning. They are nothing like each other. Their dogma requires earning eternal life by perfect obedience. Inheriting takes no work. No perfection in behavior. It is the result of choices totally out of our control.

Inheriting is a concept deeply embedded in God’s dealing with mankind. Having or possessing eternal life is consistent with receiving an inheritance. Inheriting or coming to possess eternal life as the gift of God based on faith are completely different from earning eternal life by works of perfect obedience.

Here are some Biblical examples:

Abraham was to inherit the promised land:

“Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” (Genesis 15:7)

Israel actually did inherit the promised land:

“Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” (Exodus 32:13)

Israel is even spoken of as being God’s inheritance.

“Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.” (Exodus 34:9)

“For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.” (Deut. 32:9)
 
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What about the principle of earning eternal life by works?

“… being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. (Romans 3:24-28)

What does the apostle Paul say about any difference between inheriting by a promise and belief or earning by works? Is any of the promise of eternal life through the law of God?

Gal. 3:17-18 “And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

Let’s Summarize:
  • According to the Covenant of Works and Original Sin, no Israelite or Jew could earn eternal life by perfect obedience because of inherited sin.
  • Lev. 18:5 presents a massive and fatal internal contradiction when labeled as a promise of eternal life.
  • Israel was never in a covenant that promised eternal life – by perfect obedience or any other means of achieving it. No theologian should attempt to insinuate eternal life into the Old Covenant with Israel.
  • Paul says justification is impossible by obedience to, or performing deeds of, the law.
  • Teaching the idea that Lev. 18:5 is a promise of eternal life for perfect obedience makes the God of Israel and Jesus into liars.
Can You Change the Covenant God Made with Israel?

Now we need to address the efforts by Calvin – and other theologians to the modern day as well – who presume that they can rewrite the Mosaic Covenant to so their interpretation of Lev. 18:5 fits what they need to support their doctrinal conclusion of perfect obedience earns eternal life.

Some Old Covenant Basics:
  • The promises and actual terms, conditions and promises of the Old Covenant or Mosaic Covenant are detailed in the book of Exodus, chapters 19-24.
  • In chapter 24 there is the sealing of the covenant with blood. Remember that covenants, once made, are not changed. As Paul writes of God’s covenant with Abraham in Gal. 3:15 “Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.”
  • Nowhere in the Old Covenant/Mosaic Covenant is eternal life promised. Not one time and not in any place.
Can Calvin, or any other theologian, rewrite the terms, conditions and what God promised to Israel? What theologian has the authority to add the promise of eternal life when God chose not to do so? Again, how many times does Calvin and other theologians say Lev. 18:5 promised eternal life for perfect obedience? Every time they say or suggest that, are the not rewording the covenant God made with Israel to suit their own doctrinal desires?

Is this how sound doctrine is developed?

Why is there such a pressing need for Calvin, and the other apologists, to rewrite history, change the terms of God’s covenant with Israel and invent a “works principle” interpretation of what God meant concerning obedience in Lev 18:5?
  • Is it because there is no other text where their axiom of “perfect obedience earns eternal life” is explicitly given in the Bible?
  • Is it because since there is no passage that says what they need it to say, Lev. 18:5 comes the closest?
How Does the Bible Interpret Lev. 18:5?

In Lev. 18:1-5 there was a very specific promise made for obedience, and it is in contrast to the “doings” of Egypt and Canaan. The promise is based on the covenant God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai:

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”

First, what was the consequence of disobedience? It was being ejected from the land – vomited out. Their life in the land would be cut short. (Cutting short their life in the land of inheritance is the opposite of the promises for obedience – as in the Old Covenant command in Ex. 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”)
 
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As you can see, the length of life in the land of inheritance is at risk by disobedience. Here are a few examples:

“‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore, I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people, lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” (Leviticus 18:24-28)

The promised reward for obedience is repeatedly tied to their life in the land of their inheritance. Leviticus 20:22 reveals this:

“You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.”

Everything in Leviticus is based on the covenant God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. Is the interpretation for the rewards for obedience to the laws of God mentioned in that covenant?

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Ex. 19:5)

For obedience, Israel was promised to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Never were they promised eternal life.

Further, Israel was promised to inherit the land:

“Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.” (Ex. 23:30)

The land was not earned by them. It was not merited by perfect obedience. It was an inheritance from Abraham that they, as his descendants through Isaac, were given.

Nowhere in the Old Covenant is eternal life the promised reward for obedience. It is not that there are no specified promises of blessings for obedience – there are many. Eternal life is never one of the promised God made to Israel for obedience.

So, when it comes to Lev. 18:5 and God’s explanation of what “rewards” there are for obedience – and disobedience, we see “rewards” for obedience are specified. We see “rewards” for disobedience are also specified.

Calvin’s problem – and that of the other theologians – is that none of the “rewards” for obedience by Israel included eternal life. Even in other passages which have the phrase “if a man does, he shall live by them,” the consequence for disobedience is either not inheriting the land (the first generation of Israelites at the time of the Exodus) or being vomited out of the land.
  • Obedience => long life in the land and temporal blessings.
  • Disobedience => vomited out of the land and temporal curses.
  • Never obedience => eternal life.
Never.

There are only two possibilities here:
  • This text really does mean that the people of Israel could earn righteousness and eternal life by their perfect, personal and perpetual obedience. In which case, there are a number of colossal – and fatal – internal contradictions and fallacies created:
    • If Israel could earn righteousness and eternal life, then the Covenant of Works is false, there was no inherited or imputed guilt and condemnation from the Original Sin, Adam was not a federal head, and his decision had no impact on his descendants.
    • For the same reason, the doctrine of Original Sin is proven to be false. As naturally generated descendants, Israelites would have inherited guilt and condemnation and all of them would be unable to earn eternal life by perfect obedience.
  • If one wanted to preserve the doctrines of Original Sin and the Covenant of Works from fatal internal contradictions, Lev. 18:5 could not possibly mean the audience of Israel could ever earn eternal life through personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience.
Though they may bristle at the challenge, theologians must choose between preserving the Covenant of Works and Original Sin – or Israel being offered the chance to earn eternal life by perfect obedience in Lev. 18:5 – but they cannot have both.

Thus, within the framework of the Covenant of Works and Original sin, the statement “he shall live by them” must have nothing to do with eternal life.
 
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Then, to what does Lev 18:5 “which if a man does, he shall live by them” refer?

Certainly, that the days of the Israelites would be extended in the land, they would not be vomited out or cut off from Israel, their lives would be enriched by blessings, they would avoid the consequences – and curses – of sin, and the penalties of death for sins/crimes for which death is the punishment.

  • Days long in the land:
  • “Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12, Deut. 5:16)
  • “You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them. But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples.” (Lev. 20:22-24)
  • Receiving the blessings of obedience:
  • “My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.” (Prov. 3:1-2)
  • Avoiding death – the death penalty – as the consequence of sin. Ex. 21, for example:
  • :12-17 “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die. And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death. And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
  • :23 “But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, …”
  • God as Israel’s advocate and defender:
  • “But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.” (Ex. 23:22)
  • Long life in the land:
  • “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” (Deut. 30:19-20)
  • Fertility, safety and abundance and more:
  • “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (Deut. 28:1-9)
There is no shortage of specific results promised for obedience. They are many and detailed. They are repeated in many places.

Not one of the promises for obedience by the Israelites is eternal life.
 
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Not one single promise. Not one single time. Yet that does not stop theologians attempting to insert “earning eternal life by perfect obedience” into Lev. 18:5 – and perhaps hope that no one notices the contradiction it creates with Original Sin?

Could Lev. 18:5, in any way, refer to Israelites earning eternal life by perfect obedience? That is impossible for those who believe the doctrines of the Covenant of Works and Original Sin. Either Israel had no Original Sin or they were sinners from conception and incapable of the perfect obedience necessary to earn eternal life.

In fact, the clear and explicit testimony of Scripture is that eternal life was never offered to Israel in their covenant with God. Saying such a thing, absent any Biblical evidence, is hardly competent scholarship.

The Second Path: Type and Antitype

Here many theologians attempt to use a more “nuanced” approach of Lev. 18:5 by inventing temporal life in the land with eternal life – creating a “type/antitype” relationship.

This approach is no longer an outright denial of the immediate application of “live” or life referring to long life in the land. Perhaps it is an attempt to circumvent the obvious contradiction we just reviewed of the impossibility due to Original Sin for Israel to fulfill the alleged promise and earn eternal life by perfect obedience.

Fesko writes in several places of the immediate context of Lev.18:5 and the invention of a type/antitype relationship with the “works principle” in the Covenant of Works:

Now in its immediate context, Leviticus 18:5 presented the prospects of long life in the land, but the ultimate referent was to eternal life; long life in the land was typical of the antitypical reality of eschatological life.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (pp. 287-288). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Next Fesko admits that Israel could never have merited eternal life through perfect obedience:

In the Mosaic covenant, Israel’s obedience would have secured long life in the land, which finds its antitypical reality in eternal life. This is not to say that Israel could have merited eternal life through their good works – far from it. Rather, it showed that the Adamic path was still open should one be able to render perfect obedience to the law.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 290). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Do you see the difficulty theologians have with Lev. 18:5? Fesko contradicts Calvin and a host of other theologians who are adamant that Lev. 18:5 is the promised land of “earn eternal life through perfect obedience” texts. He readily admits what a catastrophic conflict exists between the two doctrines of the Covenant of Works/Original Sin and the failed expository efforts of Calvin and others who yearn to paint Lev. 18:5 as the continuation of the promise they say was made to Adam of perfect obedience earning eternal life.

Fesko says that Calvin’s statement “the Lord promises eternal life to those who will keep his law” cannot be true: “This is not to say that Israel could have merited eternal life through their good works – far from it.”

This leads us more deeply into the second path: This is the more nuanced approach that uses type and antitype to build a bridge from Lev.18:5 where it refers to the terms and conditions of the “Mosaic Covenant” to also include the concept of obedience leading to eternal life – creating a “works principle.” With a type/antitype relationship established, the idea that perfect obedience could earn eternal life might gain some footing.

Examining the Second Path: Lev. 18:5 is the type and the Covenant of Works “principle” of perfect obedience earning eternal life is the antitype.

Fesko writes in several places of this treatment of obedience & life texts:

Now in its immediate context, Leviticus 18:5 presented the prospects of long life in the land, but the ultimate referent was to eternal life; long life in the land was typical of the antitypical reality of eschatological life.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (pp. 287-288). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

In the Mosaic covenant, Israel’s obedience would have secured long life in the land, which finds its antitypical reality in eternal life. This is not to say that Israel could have merited eternal life through their good works – far from it. Rather, it showed that the Adamic path was still open should one be able to render perfect obedience to the law.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 290). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

For Calvin, Leviticus 18:5 holds forth the prospect of eternal life. In this vein, Calvin explicitly argues that the Mosaic covenant qua law promises eternal life to the obedient. In other words, Calvin believed that the Mosaic administration of the law sets forth a covenant governed by a works principle, eternal life through obedience: ‘Nor can it be denied, that the reward of eternal salvation, as promised by the Lord, awaits the perfect obedience of the Law (Deut. 30:19).’

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (pp. 64-65). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

NOTE: Calvin’s focus, as quoted by Fesko, is interpreting Deut. 30:19 to create a “works principle, eternal life through obedience.” Does the context support Calvin’s creation, or is Calvin making up a type/antitype relationship and reading into these passages what he desperately wants them to say?
 
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What Calvin wants to avoid is seen when reading the context of Deut. 30:19.

Deut. 30:15-20 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

There is no “principle of works” stated here. It is all about mortal life in the physical land of inheritance promised to Abraham.
  • “… live and multiply …” – procreation is a mortal act.
  • “… bless you in the land …” is a specific promise to Israel limited to the physical land of inheritance.
  • “… you shall surely perish … shall not prolong your days in the land …” – another promise limited to their existence in the promised land.
  • “… that both you and your descendants may live …” – another reference to mortal procreation.
  • “… for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers” – mortal life and physically dwelling in the land.
So, is Calvin is inventing – making stuff up – about a “works principle” in the Mosaic Covenant? Nothing in the verse he quoted, or the context, establishes a “works principle” of perfect obedience earning eternal life. The opposite is true.

Which leads us to a discussion about type and antitypes.

Calvin, like other theologians, invents type/antitype relationships and expects his stating of a type/antitype relationship to constitute definitive proof of his argument. Let’s look at two issues:
  • What is the type/antitype relationship?
  • Who is the author of the type/antitype, and does authorship create a difference in authority?
What is the type/antitype relationship?

In the Bible texts, the use of “AS/SO” creates a type/antitype or original/that which the original foreshadows. For example:
  • "AS in Adam all die, even SO in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:22)
  • "AS the days of Noah were, SO shall also the corning of the Son of Man be." (Matt. 24:37)
  • "AS Moses lifted up the serpent in the Wilderness, even SO must the Son of Man be lifted up." (John 3:14)
  • "AS Jonah was three days and three nights in the Whale's belly; SO shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:40)
Is there an “AS/SO” in Lev. 18 or Deut. 30? There is not.

Note that the type comes first, the antitype second. Theologians want the Israelites life in the land to be a type and the eternal life promised to Adam on condition of his perfect obedience thousands of years before to be the antitype.

A “typical” case of putting the cart (perfect works/eternal life) before the horse (long life by Israel in the land.)
 
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Now author can establish a type/antitype relationship directly, as Paul does in Rom. 5 and 1Cor 10 and Gal. 4:

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” (Rom. 5:14)

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” (1 Cor. 10:1-6)

“For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar — for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children — but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Gal 4:22-26)

This leads us to the next question:

Who is the author of the type/antitype, and does authorship create a difference in authority?
  • Paul: "AS in Adam all die, even SO in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. 15:22
  • Jesus: "AS the days of Noah were, SO shall also the corning of the Son of Man be." Matt. 24:37
  • Jesus: "AS Moses lifted up the serpent in the Wilderness, even SO must the Son of Man be lifted up." John 3:14
  • Jesus: "AS Jonah was three days and three nights in the Whale's belly; SO shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matt. 12:40
  • Paul: “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” (Rom. 5:14)
  • Paul: “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” (1 Cor. 10:6)
  • Paul: “… which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: …” (Gal 4:24)
(There is no type/antitype relationship stated in either Lev. 18 or Deut. 30.)

We should examine the oft-ignored issue of the authority of an author of scripture vs the authority of just a reader of scripture. As noted in the above examples, Paul and Jesus were the authors of the type/antitype relationships that they, as authors, explicitly state in the Bible texts. The existence of the type/antitype is clearly established by them as authors and is therefore the authoritative interpretation of the texts.

Sometimes a type/antitype relationship is used as an illustration of a theological idea. Theologians will use or suggest a type/antitype relationship as a way of explaining what they mean.

However, that is very different from when a theologian, as a reader of Scripture, makes up a type/antitype relationship of the Bible texts as contrasted with an author who creates the type/antitype relationship and writes it in Scripture.

Does making up a type/antitype relationship between Bible texts that is an invention by a reader of the text carry the same authority as one created by the author of the Bible text? For example, here Calvin, as a reader of the Biblical text – invents – makes up – a type/antitype relationship for Lev. 18:5 as proof of his thesis regarding obedience earning eternal life.

So, while Aquinas appealed to the spiritual sense of the law, Calvin instead argued that the relationship between temporal and eternal life was that of figures and shadows, or type and antitype – long life in the land foreshadowed eternal life.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 67). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Calvin is hardly alone when it comes to making stuff up as a reader of the text and then using his invention as proof of his thesis. It would seem that many other theologians believe that if they think a type/antitype relationship exists, then it actually does. They act as though these creations of their own minds are a legitimate method of reasoning and a source of proof even when they make up – out of thin air – a type/antitype relationship, then add it to their “proof texts.” It is as though their invented idea now enables them argue as though type/antitype relationship they just invented really exists – is true – and can justifiably be used to prove their point.

One who does so might be encouraged to take a step back and recognize there is a difference between being the author of a Bible text and a mere reader of those texts. When a mere reader of Bible texts assumes their invention of type/antitype relationships carries the same authority of an author of Scripture, might one have gone a step too far and presumed too much?
 
Guy Swenson said:
New forum member here.

I am writing on the Covenant of Works and distilled four conclusions about the C.O.W. from my reading. (Fesko/Abendroth/Grudem/Calvin and a some others.) I’m interested to see if my summaries are correct - or if in error, what is in error. One of the admins here saw my posts on another forum and thought I would get more feedback here.

Here is the first of the four conclusions. i appreciate your reviews, comments, observations and suggestions - it is important to me to understand and accurately represent the doctrine of the C.O.W.

Conclusion #1: Preconditions and Probation

“Adam had to, over a probationary period of time, perform “works” of righteousness by meeting the conditions of personal, perfect and perpetual obedience before God would allow Adam to eat from the tree of life.”

Sub Points:

1. Adam was given an undisclosed period of time (called “probation”) to prove whether he would demonstrate “personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience” to God – or disobey God and sin.

2. Only after the successful demonstration of these works of “personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience” during the time of his “probation,” would Adam have proven his perfect righteousness, earned eternal life, and be allowed to eat to the tree of life and thereby live forever.

is this correct?
Click to expand...
Excellent post BTW. You're missing the stipulations in the COW; 1) Blessings-eternal sabbath rest/union with God. 2) Curses-separation from God and plunged into eternal darkness, sin, death, condemnation, punishment.

But more importantly God was testing Adam's heart. The Law can only be fulfilled by a wholehearted love for it. With the whole mind, spirit and soul.

Read Kingdom Prologue by Meredith Kline (Excellent Read), though it's more academic. For a more easy read I strongly recommend Sacred Bond by Brown/Keele. Geerhardus Vos is another one to check out.

Also check out Covenant of Redemption that preceded the COW. I'll add more tomorrow a bit tired. Keep doing your homework, good job.​
 
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Summary:
  • There are author-defined type/antitype relationships which are authoritative.
  • Type/antitype relationships created by readers of the texts may be properly used to illustrate their ideas or a thesis, but it is improper to use those illustrations as any type of proof or as carrying any authority.
  • There are no author-defined type/antitype relationships that establish:
  • A “works principle” in the Mosaic Covenant that proves the thesis that “perfect obedience earns eternal life.”
  • A type/antitype between obedience extending life in the land of inheritance and obedience earning or meriting eternal life.
  • Reader-defined or invented type/antitype relationships prove nothing.
  • The type/antitype relationship of Lev. 18:5 is completely made up by theologians. As an invention of their mind, it proves nothing.
  • If Lev. 18:5 was to be a type of eternal life, then the antitype would follow. The theologians reverse the sequence so Adam’s covenant – which supposedly happened thousands of years before – becomes the antitype.
Assertion #2: Eternal Life as a Debt Paid for Perfect Obedience

From Hermann Witsius (1636 - 1708), a Dutch theologian, pastor and professor of divinity at the University of Franeker in 1675, the University of Utrecht in 1680 and the University of Leiden 1698. As a 17th Is this what theologians teach about what is due to the person who perfectly obeys?

theologian, Witsius is often cited by modern theologians as an authority on Reform Theology in general, and the Covenant of Works in particular.

“But man, upon his accepting the covenant, and performing the condition, does acquire some right to demand of God the promise. For God has, by his promises, made himself a debtor to man. Or, to speak in a manner more becoming God, he was pleased to make his performance of his promises a debt due to himself, to his goodness, justice, and veracity. And to man in covenant, and continuing stedfast to it, he granted the right of expecting and requiring, that God should satisfy the demands of his goodness, justice, and truth, by the performance of the promises.”

Also:

In the covenant of works, man is considered as working, and the reward to be given as of debt; and therefore, man’s glorying is not excluded, but he may glory, as a faithful servant may do, upon the right discharge of his duty, and may claim the reward promised to his working.

From: Witsius, Herman. Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, 2 Vols. (p. 41 & 42). Ravenio Books. Kindle Edition.

Dr. John Fesko, in his book “Adam and the Covenant of Works’ quotes Witsius and cites the idea of eternal life being a debt owed by God in the Covenant of Works. Here Fesko creates a chart summarizing the writings of Witsius on this subject:

“Witsius opts for foedus operum because the apostle Paul mentions the legem operum, & legem fidei (‘the law of works, and the law of faith’) in Romans 3:27. By these principles the apostle identifies that a person can attain salvation by means of works or faith. Witsius compares and contrasts the two covenants to demonstrate where they agree and disagree. They agree in terms of their contracting parties (God and man), the promise of eternal life, the requirement of perfect obedience, and the same final cause, namely, the glory of God. They differ, however, in the following ways:

Fesko, J. V. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 47). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

Let’s focus on this idea that God established a “trade” - perfect obedience would incur the debt of eternal life:

  • Assume that the instruction to obey means personal, perfect and perpetual obedience per the Covenant of Works – not that with faith and belief in Jesus, there is an expectation that Christians to repent from sin and learn to obey God – as in John 14:15 – “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
  • This is not to say that a Christian would lose the promise of eternal life if they sinned, but that belief, faith and a professed commitment to Jesus should lead a Christian to behave in a righteous or obedient manner.
  • Of course, believers are expected to resist sinning – Jesus taught us that sin was awful and Paul makes it clear that the wages of sin is death.
  • Assume that the fact that the actual people hearing the cited Biblical proof texts were under the Covenant of Works and disregard the fact that Original Sin would prevent them from every earning eternal life by obedience.
  • The concept of God owing man a debt, or a debt being owed to man is directly addressed by the Apostle Paul. In one, the concept of wages and payment owed due to sin is negative.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

In another, Paul scoffs at the idea of eternal life being paid as a wage of righteousness:

Romans 4:1-6 “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: …”

And so, by all accounts Adam chose badly, disobeyed, ate from the forbidden tree, thus sinned and was removed from the Garden of Eden. In the parlance of modern theology, it was “the fall of man” and theologians refer to the consequences that follow Adam’s “Original Sin.”
 
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While there are variations of this doctrine of “Original Sin”, essentially mankind’s human nature became corrupted from conception, and every “naturally generated” descendant inherited, or had the sin, guilt, condemnation and punishment of Adam imputed to them.

So from Adam on, everyone, even babies, are born with a corrupted nature, guilty of Adam’s Original Sin and as such, unable to participate in the “personal, perfect and perpetual obedience” of the Covenant of Works. Every “naturally generated” person is therefore disqualified from birth and cannot ever be perfectly, personally and perpetually righteous. Until Jesus, no one could remotely fulfill the “Covenant of Works.”

(As previously noted, “naturally generated” is theological jargon for conception by human insemination. Jesus was not conceived by human insemination, so according to these doctrines, Jesus did not inherit a corrupted nature or the guilt, condemnation and punishment because of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. The doctrine of “Original Sin” will be addressed in full later.)

So, is there at least one Bible text that says eternal life can be earned by works of righteousness by personal, perfect and perpetual obedience?

The brief answer is “No”. There is no text that remotely indicates an “If you obey God and His laws perfectly you can earn righteousness so God will give you eternal life.”

After building a complex scaffolding of inferences, conjecture, type/antitype and bold assertions to define Lev. 18:5 as the desired “perfect obedience earns eternal life” proof text, theologians then feel confident to add Old and New Testament passages that reference – directly or obliquely, Lev. 18:5 to support their idea that perfect obedience earns eternal life.

Here is a list of passages that theologians say support their idea that Lev. 18:5 states that if you live in personal, perfect and perpetual obedience you earn righteousness by your works and qualify for eternal life for you and your descendants.

Gal. 3:12 “Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’”

This is again, a gross case of eisegesis, for these reasons:
  • As previously noted, this text supposedly equating perfect obedience to earning eternal life is written to people who, according to these two doctrines, are guilty of Original Sin. In no possible way could the audience – either historically or at the time of Paul writing this, could have earned eternal life by perfect obedience as demanded by the Covenant of Works and Original Sin.
  • Reading the context of the verse, Paul says the opposite of the intended interpretation – the law was never intended to be the vehicle for justification. Belief and faith were always the means by which one is justified. Note verse 11:
“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” (Gal. 3:11)
  • As already noted, obedience has its place in the life of the faithful: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) While obedience has its purpose, that purpose was, is not and never has been to earn eternal life.
  • Paul reinforces this truth that faith – and belief – are what God uses to justify us. It was the case before Jesus and remains the means of justification now. How do theologians justify making eternal life a debt when Paul is so clear? Again:
“What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.” (Rom. 4:1-4)

Belief and faith in God are now, and have always been, the only means of justification for eternal life. This is true even for Adam. As already demonstrated, all Adam had to do was to believe God about two things: DON’T eat from the forbidden tree and DO follow God’s explicit permission to eat from the tree of life. Instead, Adam believed Satan and DISbelieved God – the first recorded case of unbelief. For Adam, it was never about perfect obedience. Rather, it was the same for Adam as it was for Abraham: believe God and act on that belief. Abraham believed that God would grant him a son through Sarah and, in plain terms, had sex with her to conceive a baby. That was counted as righteousness.

Continuing in Rom. 4, Paul goes into somewhat graphic detail of Abraham acting on his belief – doing something based on his belief in God.

Rom. 4:18-22 “… who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Again, from the explicit Old and New Testament texts, righteousness and justification before God – are ALWAYS is based on belief, faith and acting on that belief.
 
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Romans 10:5 is another passage cited as a definitive proof text of the alleged works principle “perfect obedience earns eternal life. Again, we cite Fesko:

Other portions of Scripture confirm this as the Adamic works-principle surfaces in the midst of the Mosaic covenant (Lev. 18:5) and in Christ’s and Paul’s teaching: perfect obedience secures eschatological life (cf. Luke 10:28; Gal. 3:12; Rom. 10:5). Moreover, Paul succinctly states that Christ was born ‘under the law’ (Gal. 4:4), which corroborates the conclusion that the terms of the Adamic covenant still persist.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 309). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

The favored selection is “For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” To the theologian, this is New Testament proof of the “perfect obedience earns eternal life” trope.

But the context says just the opposite.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:1-12)

Let’s take a moment and break this down:
  • The theologians assert that when Paul says “The man who does those things shall live by them,” what he really means is that eternal life can be earned by perfect obedience. By the Jews of his day. Instead, Paul says:
  • Of Israel and the Jews: “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”
  • Refer back to where Fesko was just quoted:
Other portions of Scripture confirm this as the Adamic works-principle surfaces in the midst of the Mosaic covenant (Lev. 18:5) and in Christ’s and Paul’s teaching: perfect obedience secures eschatological life (cf. Luke 10:28; Gal. 3:12; Rom. 10:5). Moreover, Paul succinctly states that Christ was born ‘under the law’ (Gal. 4:4), which corroborates the conclusion that the terms of the Adamic covenant still persist.

Fesko, J. V.. Adam and the Covenant of Works (Divine Covenants Book 1) (p. 309). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.

(The “secures eschatological life” is a classed-up way of saying “earning eternal life.”)

Rather than giving credence to a restatement of Lev. 18:5 applying to earning eternal life, Paul says the opposite: “For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them” as the example of Israel and the Jews being ignorant and mislead:

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” (Rom. 10:3)

  • What better definition of Israel ignorantly and foolishly seeking to establish their own righteousness could there be than “perfect obedience earns eternal life?”
  • Paul makes it abundantly clear that at his time, for the audience of both Jews and Gentiles, the path to eternal life has nothing to do with “perfect righteousness earning eternal life. Instead it is
“… that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation…” (Rom. 10:9-10)
 
14 of 14:
Let’s summarize:
  • So, once again context refutes Calvin and the other theologians who want Lev. 18:5 to say what it does not.
  • Regarding salvation and eternal life, Paul speaks only of belief, confession and faith – never of works of perfect obedience.
  • Theologians and apologists for the Covenant of Works (and Original Sin) are comfortable with creating catastrophic conflicts between their ideas of complete and total condemnation to the eternal fires of hell due to inherited sin from Adam on the one hand and then promising those impossibly compromised people that it really is possible for them to earn eternal life by perfect obedience.
  • Perfect obedience – the works of the law – justifies no one. There was no promise of such a thing. There was no possibility of such a thing. The doctrine that teaches perfect obedience earns eternal life is contrary to how God has worked with mankind. It has always been based on belief.
  • Paul said that earning eternal life by works was not possible at the time he wrote his letter to the Romans and makes it clear that this was never possible nor was it part of God’s plan for salvation. Earning eternal life by obedience to the law – perfect obedience or otherwise – was a false errand that impaired the Jews in his day and continues to obscure the truth to this day.
  • For Paul – and the other apostles – the Adamic Covenant of Works never existed. It contradicts how God has always worked with mankind: through belief being counted as righteousness.
  • So, we see from these passages that belief is the requirement for eternal life. It always has been the case that God imputes righteousness upon belief. Salvation and eternal life are not earned by the perfection of behavior – perfect obedience – but rather belief and faith.
“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” (Gen.15:6)

“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)

“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6)

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23)

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” (John 1:12)

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:14-17)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)
 
Guy Swenson said:
New forum member here.

I am writing on the Covenant of Works and distilled four conclusions about the C.O.W. from my reading. (Fesko/Abendroth/Grudem/Calvin and a some others.) I’m interested to see if my summaries are correct - or if in error, what is in error. One of the admins here saw my posts on another forum and thought I would get more feedback here.

Here is the first of the four conclusions. i appreciate your reviews, comments, observations and suggestions - it is important to me to understand and accurately represent the doctrine of the C.O.W.

Conclusion #1: Preconditions and Probation

“Adam had to, over a probationary period of time, perform “works” of righteousness by meeting the conditions of personal, perfect and perpetual obedience before God would allow Adam to eat from the tree of life.”

Sub Points:

1. Adam was given an undisclosed period of time (called “probation”) to prove whether he would demonstrate “personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience” to God – or disobey God and sin.

2. Only after the successful demonstration of these works of “personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience” during the time of his “probation,” would Adam have proven his perfect righteousness, earned eternal life, and be allowed to eat to the tree of life and thereby live forever.

is this correct?
Click to expand...
Something to contemplate is Jesus was called the Last Adam, who was born under the Law in the likeness of sinful flesh to fulfill the Law with perfect Obedience even unto death on the Cross for the ungodly.

The juxaposition Paul makes in Romans 5 (1 Cor. 15) points to the Adam (Christ) who did fulfill God's COW.
 
Ladodgers6 said:
Excellent post BTW. You're missing the stipulations in the COW; 1) Blessings-eternal sabbath rest/union with God. 2) Curses-separation from God and plunged into eternal darkness, sin, death, condemnation, punishment.

But more importantly God was testing Adam's heart. The Law can only be fulfilled by a wholehearted love for it. With the whole mind, spirit and soul.

Read Kingdom Prologue by Meredith Kline (Excellent Read), though it's more academic. For a more easy read I strongly recommend Sacred Bond by Brown/Keele. Geerhardus Vos is another one to check out.

Also check out Covenant of Redemption that preceded the COW. I'll add more tomorrow a bit tired. Keep doing your homework, good job.​
Click to expand...
Thank you, and you are of course correct that there are other C.O.W. stipulations, and I appreciate the recommendations. My focus in this material is on the parts of the C.O.W. that relate specifically to salvation. I have had my horizons broadened by comments made here.
 
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