Covenants Lesson 2: The Adamic Covenant

This is Lesson 2 of a series...
http://drytheology.blogspot.com/2011/03/covenants.html

Intro

Last lesson we talked about the nature of covenants in general. Recall that “covenant” is a biblical term referring to a relationship between two people. Covenants have promises, stipulations, relationship, representative headship, signs, and seals. Covenants can be between man and man, God and God (i.e. between persons of the Trinity), or between God and man. This lesson will focus on the aspect of covenant between God and man, particularly, the first covenant between God and man.

The First Covenant

When we think about a covenant between God and man, what do we think of? Recall that last lesson we talked about the distance between God and his creatures being so great that there’s nothing necessitating Him to enter into covenant with them. God could have created man and never offered anything higher than enjoyment of what God had made. In free grace God did enter into a covenant with man and he did so with the first man, Adam.

Adam’s First Nature

How was Adam different from us in the way he was created? There are many ways! Two ways in particular are critical to understanding the first covenant between God and Man. The shorter catechism helps identify them:

WSC Q. 10. How did God create man?
A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.
Gen. 1:26-28; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24.

• Scripture teaches us that God made Adam (and all things) very good. Adam was sinless. He retained the fullness of God’s image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Put it this way, if God commanded Adam, “Be righteous”, Adam had ability to do it. If God instructed Adam, “Be holy”, Adam would be able to; he was already both righteous and holy! Contrast that with us, if God told us, “be perfect”... can we? No!

WSC Q. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?
A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression.
Gen. 2:16-17; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21-22.

• Adam was a representative head. Consider that if the King of Spain entered into a treaty with the Emperor of China, the King’s actions would have implications for all the subjects of Spain. In the same way, what Adam did in this covenant had implications for everyone who he represented.
  

Covenant Entered

So, we’ve established that Adam is able to do what God might command of him and that whatever he does he does for all of his natural descendants after him. So, does God in fact enter into covenant with Adam? Yes!

Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17
8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

What is the significance of God’s placing Adam in the garden with the two trees? What should we notice about the specific command God had given Adam?

WCF 7.2. The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.
Rom. 5:12-20; Gen. 2:17

WSC Q. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created?
A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death.

What would be Adam’s reward if he kept the covenant? Life abundantly for himself and all mankind (Symbolized in the tree of life).
What would be Adam’s curse if he broke the covenant? Death for himself and all mankind.
The difference between the reward and curse was Adam’s work. That is why this first covenant is referred to as the covenant of works. Recall that Adam was fully capable (due to his pristine, unfallen nature) of keeping the command. Did he do so? What was the result? Read Genesis 3.

Covenant Broken

Adam broke the covenant God had made with him by eating the forbidden fruit. So doing he earned death for himself and all of his descendants. Paul tells us this in Romans 5.
Romans 5:12-14,17-19
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
...17 ... because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man...
18 ... one trespass led to condemnation for all men, ... 19 ...by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, ...

Recall also WSC Q. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?

The situation following Genesis 3:6 is incredibly bleak. Because of what Adam had done he would die. Not only that but Eve would die, Seth, Cain, and Abel would die. This continues today: our parents will die or may have died already, each of us will someday die. Why do we all die? It is because we are descended from Adam - who broke the covenant! If Adam is our covenant head and he merited death, we too will die!

The problem is twofold. First, Adam’s sin alone was enough to condemn the whole human race. Furthermore, every natural descendant of Adam’s has inherited the inability to not sin. Man’s whole nature is no longer righteous and holy but corrupt (this is called original sin).

Hosea 6:7
But like Adam [or a man] they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

A Covenant Promised

Is that the end of the story? We’re all doomed to die; no hope in the world? No. NO! That’s not the end.

Genesis 3:15
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, ...
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [seed] and her offspring [seed]; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

In the middle of pronouncing judgment, God speaks of redemption. Note these 2 things:

• “I will put enmity...” God will change the disposition of the heart. He will change their affections from serving Satan to serving God.
• “he shall bruise your head...” The promised seed would strike Satan in the head... he would give Satan a mortal wound. This is the promise of a coming savior: Jesus Christ.

Look back at Romans 5:12-20. Adam’s role as representative head is typological of Christ. Adam merited death for himself and all his natural descendants. Christ, on the other hand, merited forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, adoption as sons, and eternal life for all his spiritual descendants.

The question that we all must ask ourselves: who is my representative head? Am I under Adam or under Christ? Is my representative before God the one who was disobedient or obedient? The difference is to be under the covenant of works (which was broken and cannot be kept by us) or the covenant of grace (which is fulfilled in Christ).

1 Corinthians 15:21-22
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Theology of Twilight - Implications on Purity

So, while we're on the subject of Theology... let's talk about vampires. I'm referring to a recent collection of novels which center around the life of a high school aged girl who falls in love with a vampire: Twilight. I've read them. I'm admitting it to the world, "I'm a man in his twenties who has read and enjoyed the Twilight saga." While I realize the books have been most popular with teenage girls, the reason I started reading them is a theological one. Let me explain.

I started by going to watch the movie "Twilight" with my wife. I started to get nervous when we were in the ticket line with what looked like a sorority recruitment camp. Nevertheless, we took our seats and were thrilled to enjoy a great movie (and an additional soundtrack from the audience). As I mentioned above, the movie (and books) are about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. The girl is named Bella (which, itself, means "beautiful", and comes from Isabella, which means "My God is bountiful. God of plenty. Devoted to God", made popular by queens of Spain) and the vampire is named Edward (which means "wealthy guard", made popular by kings of England). The two fall in love, of course, but the nature of their relationship is ever determined by the facts of their natures. Bella is human, young, in many ways weak, and very clumsy. Edward is a vampire, and due to that nature is incredibly attractive: has fantastic bronze hair, bright amber eyes, and stone skin (which sparkles in sunlight). Also, as a vampire, he has nearly limitless strength and speed and thirsts for human blood. Of course this last attribute is the most critical source of tension in the entire series. If he were like every other vampire the book would have been very short. Bella would have taken her first steps into biology class and been met by brilliant white teeth... the story would have been over. What makes this love story possible is that Edward is not like all other vampires.

Edward is different from others of his kind because he is a follower of Carlisle Cullen, the first vampire who has denied his thirst for human blood, choosing, instead, to drink the blood of lesser creatures. Edward has decided to not give into his natural desire to drink the blood his body desires. Edward can also read minds, which is a gift unique to him, but I don't think that's why Bella (and every teenage girl) loves him.

Let me give away my main point: The real reason Edward is amazing is not the bronze hair, amber eyes, or stone skin, it is because he desires to be righteous. When Edward and Bella fall in love, he is hesitant to even kiss her for fear that he would lose control. Edward firmly states (in the book) that he will not have sex until marriage. Edward won't have sex with Bella for the same reason he won't drink her blood: to do either would kill her and reveal the monster that is his nature. He is incredible because he loves her and loves her righteously. The hair, eyes, skin are products of his vampiric nature... and those alone would leave Bella dead. He needed to also be upright.

What I saw in the movie, and saw again when I later read the books, was a metaphor for the life of a Christian. Edward had a nature which made him a monster. All mankind has a nature which makes them monsters: a sinful nature which is opposed to God and opposed to His law. Edward has been changed by his relationship to Carlisle, who, though a vampire himself, has never (ever!) given into his vampiric nature. Christians have been changed by our relationship to Jesus Christ, who, though a human himself, has never (ever!) sinned.

I also see a parallel for a specific scenario that I've dealt with in my own life and I'd imagine most teenagers themselves are or will soon deal with: purity. Take a situation where a girl and guy fall in love. They probably will have a desire to elevate the relationship physically. To elevate the physical intimacy to inappropriate levels is against God's law. God has a context for intimacy, and it is within a covenant relationship called marriage. To have sex before marriage is immoral. God calls it sin:

1 Corinthians 6:

18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

I bring this up because I see a parallel between the natural desires of unmarried couples and Edward's thirst. Consider with me for a moment that Edward thirsts for Bella. Part of his desire for her is good and right and true, but it is always stained to some degree by his inner urges. So it is with a young man who has met a young woman he loves. He longs for her, and this can be a good longing, yet part of him desires to take things beyond the appropriate boundaries. It is a constant struggle for a Christian.

Consider next that if Edward were to, even for a few moments, give in to his pressing thirst. It would literally kill Bella. If you've read Midnight Sun, you'll know that it would kill Edward, too. He would forever live with the monster that he had become. When unmarried people perform acts that were intended for marriage, it kills them. Please don't think I'm being over dramatic here. Consider what God tells us in the book of James:

James 1:

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Please understand, I am not saying that sex is wrong. Sex is wonderful. It is a gift from God for mankind. It has a right context, though. The right context for sexual intimacy is marriage. Bella calls Edward "old fashioned" when he wants to wait until marriage (Eclipse). Sadly, it is seen as "old fashioned" by much of the world, today. The way God intended things, though, should not be considered "old fashioned" as if not relevant today, at least by those who are called by God to be His own. God holds marriage in such high regard that he wants us to protect it:

Hebrews 13:

4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Marriage in this life is not the final end, though. Marriage, like so many parts of this life, is intended to give us a picture of that which is to come. Marriage is the most intimate relationship for a human to have with another. What is amazing is that God has decreed that his people will one day be united to Jesus Christ. He describes this union as a marriage.

Ephesians 5:
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [1] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Revelation 21:
21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place [1] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, [2] and God himself will be with them as their God. [3] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Marriage is worth protecting, worth waiting for, because heaven is worth waiting for.

As I recall the teenage girls screaming when Edward first appeared on screen, I think to myself, why did they adore him? Why is Edward worth screaming for? I'll tell you that it is not because of the hair, the eyes, the skin... or even because he can read minds or is old-fashioned. Young women love Edward because he would protect their virtue in a society which wishes to exploit it. Edward is someone they can trust because he has shown himself to be trustworthy. As these young women look for someone love, I pray that they would find a man who is, in this sense, like Edward.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” The short laugh that escaped me was more shocked than amused. “You’re trying to protect your virtue!” I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle the giggle that followed. The words were so . . . old-fashioned.

“No, silly girl,” he muttered against my shoulder. “I’m trying to protect yours.”

-Eclipse (Book 3)

on the label "Creationist"

The label, "creationist", is usually used to denote opposition to another label, "evolutionist". The first believes that God created the world and sustains it. The latter believes that the world came to exist through millions of years of random chance occurances. There are also numerous hybrid views (i.e. that God started the world millions of years ago and has guided random chance). What I will describe in this post is a very conservative view of a "creationist" (as I happen to be).

The book of Genesis gives the bible's account for how the world came to be in its first few chapters. It says clearly that God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:
1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

If God created it, then the question comes, did it take millions of years? The bible talks about it taking God 6 days to create the world and all that is in it, and that he rested on the 7th.

[G 1:5b]...And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
[G 1:8b]...And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
[G 1:13]And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
[G 1:19]And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
[G 1:23]And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
[G 1:31b]...And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
[G 2:2]And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

Some take these days to be figurative... that they refer to longer periods of time than 1 day (like thousands or millions of years each). They might even cite the bible for this claim, using 2 Peter:

2 Peter 3:
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

My objection to such a claim is a logical argument as follows. I'll demonstrate by having a conversation between a young earth model creationist (YEM, who believes that God created the world about about 6000 years ago) and an old earth model creationist (OEM, who agrees that God created the world, yet believes the world is millions of years old).

YEM: Hey, how's it goin'?
OEM: Great!
YEM: So, what are the wages of sin?
OEM: That's an odd question to jump right into...
YEM: Well, I'm trying to prove a point for a blog post.
OEM: So this is a made up conversation? Why don't you just get to the point?
YEM: OK, answer my question, what are the wages of sin?
OEM: The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord - Romans 6:23.
YEM: So, death is a result of sin, correct?
OEM: Yes. That would make sense with the command of God to Adam in Eden. He commanded Adam to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because "in the day that you [Adam] eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17.
YEM: So, what was the first sin committed?
OEM: The very thing God commanded Adam not to do: he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He disobeyed God.
YEM: So, if the first sin committed was committed by Adam, and death is a result of sin, how could there be millions of years of organisms living, dying, and reproducing, if Adam had not yet sinned?
OEM: hmmm...

My objection to millions of years of evolution (even if guided by God) is that it assumes millions of years of organisms evolving into higher life forms. A basic premise of evolution is survival of the fittest... the weak/old organisms die off. If death was in the world before Adam sinned, then we have to really consider the justice of God. How could he kill millions of organisms if nothing had yet been done wrong in the world? After all, God looked at all that he had created and said that it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

I know that this biblical view of creation doesn't quite fit with all the claims of scientists. They point to the fossil record. I see the fossil record and point to a universal flood in which God saved Noah and his family and 2 of every species which would repopulate the earth. I'd much rather believe what God has written (even if it sounds crazy) than to follow the whim of smart guys in lab coats. In the end, I cling to:

1 Corinthians 1:
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Applying the Label
I am a Creationist. I believe that God created the world as he tells us. I believe that God didn't have to use death to create life.

If I just dogmatically believed this, it would be a dry theology.

It means something because it tells me that God created Earth without death. I can look forward to heaven without death because death is not the natural way of things, it is a consequence of sin. I believe that God has done things the way He says He has done them because it gives me assurance that He will do things which are to come in the way that He tells us.