Yesterday in Genesis 2:16–17 we came to another place in Genesis 2 where the concept is clearly present even when the word is not. Just as we’ve seen the Sabbath, the first Adam, and the temple emerge from the text and become clearer in later Scripture, so here we meet the covenant made with Adam—often called the covenant of works or the covenant of life. This is not an abstract theological detour; it is essential for understanding why Christ had to obey as well as die.
As Wilhelmus à Brakel noted:
Acquaintance with this covenant is of the greatest importance, for whoever errs here or denies the existence of the covenant of works, will not understand the covenant of grace, and will readily err concerning the mediatorship of the Lord Jesus. Such a person will very readily deny that Christ by His active obedience has merited a right to eternal life for the elect.
Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, ed. Joel R. Beeke, trans. Bartel Elshout (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 1992), 355.
Sermon recap — Genesis 2:16–17
1) The proof of the covenant
Though the word covenant does not appear in Genesis 2:16–17, the elements of a covenant are present: parties, privileges, prohibition, penalty, and promise. And later Scripture confirms it explicitly: “Like Adam, they transgressed the covenant” (Hosea 6:7).
2) The parties of the covenant
The covenant is made by the LORD God (YHWH Elohim)—the personal, covenant-making God who condescends to speak—and it is made with the man (Adam) as the federal head and representative of all humanity.
3) The privileges of the covenant
The command begins with generosity: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden.” God’s relationship with Adam is marked by abundant provision.
4) The prohibition of the covenant
One tree is withheld: “…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” The tree was not evil in itself; it was forbidden because God forbade it—an appointed test of obedience and trust.
5) The penalty of the covenant
“…for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” The covenant threatened death—spiritual separation from God immediately, and (apart from redemption) the full sweep of death’s curse.
6) The promise of the covenant
Though less explicit, the presence of the tree of life in the garden and the fact that the Second Adam secures eternal life by keeping the covenant point to a promised reward: had Adam obeyed, he would have been confirmed in righteousness and life. After the fall, God drives man from the garden lest he eat of the tree of life.
7) The posture of the covenant
Calling this the covenant of works highlights the real requirement of obedience, but we must not imagine grace was absent. God initiated the covenant freely and offered life by condescension and kindness. As Robert Letham noted in his Systematic Theology, the covenant was “established in grace while regulated by law.“
Looking ahead — next Lord’s Day
This coming Lord’s Day sermon text: Genesis 2:18–25Sermon title: Genesis 2:8–15 — The Genesis of Woman
Day 1 — The generosity and authority of God’s command
Read: Genesis 2:16–17; Psalm 119:68; James 1:17
Reflect (Adults)
- Why is it important that God’s command begins with generosity (“you may surely eat…”) before it states the prohibition?
- Where are you tempted to treat God’s authority as restrictive rather than good and wise?
Talk with Children
- What did God give Adam permission to do?
- Why are God’s rules good for us?
Day 2 — Covenant: a formal relationship with privileges and obligations
Read: Genesis 2:16–17; Exodus 19:4–6; Jeremiah 31:33
Reflect (Adults)
- What does it mean that Adam was created with knowledge, intelligence, and a moral compass, yet still needed God’s explicit command regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil?
- How does remembering God’s covenant-making kindness guard you from both pride and despair?
- How should the reality that we are all covenant breakers by nature shape our approach to evangelism and our interactions with unbelievers?
Talk with Children
- Who spoke to Adam in the garden?
- What does it mean to listen carefully when God speaks?
Day 3 — Adam as our representative (and why that matters)
Read: Romans 5:12–19; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22
Reflect (Adults)
- What does Romans 5 teach about the consequences of Adam’s disobedience for all humanity?
- How does this help you understand your need for a Savior outside of yourself?
Talk with Children
- Who was the first man?
- Who is the Savior God sent to help sinners?
Day 4 — The Second Adam: Christ’s obedience for us
Read: Romans 5:18–19; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 5:8–9
Reflect (Adults)
- Why did Christ need to live in perfect obedience, not only die on the cross?
- How does Christ’s “one act of righteousness” give you confidence before God today?
Talk with Children
- Did Jesus always obey His Father?
- Why is it good news that Jesus obeyed for us?
Day 5 — Grace that feels “unfair” (and why we need it)
Read: Ephesians 2:1–10; Titus 3:4–7
Reflect (Adults)
- Why is “fair” not what sinners ultimately need from God?
- Where do you need to stop arguing your case and start resting in Christ’s finished work?
- The sermon states that life is always a gift of grace, even in the covenant of works. How does this challenge common assumptions about earning or deserving God’s favor?
- In what practical ways can we cultivate gratitude for the unfairness of the gospel, where we receive life we did not earn through Christ’s obedience?
- Write down 1–2 questions you want to carry with you into Sunday’s sermon.
Talk with Children
- What do we deserve because of sin?
- What does God give us in Jesus that we do not deserve?
Brethren, may the Lord help us to see both the seriousness of God’s command and the sweetness of God’s grace—especially as we look to Christ, the Second Adam, who kept the covenant we broke and bore the penalty we deserved.
This coming Lord’s Day
Sermon
Genesis 2:18-25 — The Genesis of Woman
Hymns
- 223 Come, We That Love the Lord
- O Lord, Our Lord (Psalm 8) (Getty)
- 59 All Creatures of Our God and King
- 641 Immanuel’s Land
O Lord, Our Lord (YouTube): https://youtu.be/HEw6DPR53N8
In Christ,
Pastor Mike