A covenant is a binding relationship with blessings and obligations.
That is not a complete definition of the concept of “covenant”, but it stresses that a covenant is a special kind of binding relationship. And in a religious context, of course, it is a saving relationship. Furthermore, it is a relationship that involves both blessing and obligation, both promises and responsibilities. And low and behold, as we look at Genesis 1:26 and following, that is precisely the pattern we see there of the relationship that is described between God and Adam.
Why am I mentioning this? Because you will have noticed that nowhere in Genesis 1 and 2 is the term “covenant” used. In fact, that term “covenant” will not occur until Genesis 6:18.
In the Reformed tradition, we have always believed that everything in Scripture is true and authoritative and it is our only rule in faith and practice, not only in what it says explicitly, but what it says implicitly by good and necessary consequence. That is a very important doctrine not only in the Reformed faith, but in Christendom. If you reject that hermeneutic, you reject all manner of Orthodox Christian teaching.
The authority of Scripture extends not simply to what it explicitly says but also to what can be deduced from Scripture legitimately.
- For example, just because the word “trinity” is not found in the Bible does not mean that it is not taught in Scripture. And also doesn’t mean that it is not important to understanding all of the rest of our theology. So just because something is implicit, it is no less explicitly God’s Word for us. It is no less truth. It just means that there may not be one verse that you can turn to seal the particular issue.
What about the word “covenant” (berith)? It isn’t found in Genesis until chapter 6.
- There are two ways of speaking about the making of a covenant in the Pentateuch and elsewhere in the Old Testament.
-
“cutting a covenant” = refers to the initiation of a covenant
- “establishing a covenant” = refers to the confirming of an already established covenant relationship, to make that covenant firm.
- Now look closely at Genesis 6:18; the passage says that the covenant was made firm? Now it’s true that this is the first usage of “Covenant” (berith) in the Bible. But the very language forces you to understand that there was a covenant before it was mentioned.And in II Samuel 7 there is a covenant established between God and David but the word is not used. But we know that there was a covenant made because of the contents of the narrative and the confirmation of Psalm 89.
- Furthermore, an argument can be made that when Moses wrote the Book of Adam (note Genesis 5:1) that he did not use the term berith because it wasn’t a common word in Adam’s generation.
- So just because the word covenant isn’t used during the inaugeration phase doesn’t always mean that there wasn’t a covenant made. And in Genesis the elements of a covenant between God and Adam are present as seen below:
The Elements of the Covenant between God and Adam
- Notice in Genesis 1:26 that God creates man in His own image and designs him as the vice-ruler over His creation. Linguistically Moses distinguishes man from the rest of God’s creation. We are in God’s image, and we must reflect that image in our actions.
- In Genesis 1:26 and 1:28, we see that God established certain blessings and obligations for man at the very outset of his relationship with man. God has endowed Man with a responsibility that He has not given to any other part of His creation. And then, in verses 27 and 28, we see both blessings and obligations, prohibitions and judgments attached to that particular relationship from the very outset.
This is clearly a covenant relationship that both parties understood and one party is sovereignly initiating. God also sovereignly initiated the Covenant of Grace and our Redemption.
Also, read Gene M. Bridges article for more information on the Covenant in Genesis 2.
Tweet
Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his the Church with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He founded Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
You can hear his sermons and read his manuscripts on sermonaudio.com. Just follow the link to "sermons" at the top of this page.
Thanks for the link and the comments on my article Jason. I’d like to add that I didn’t invoke “covenantal hermeneutics” in order to arrive at my own conclusion on this. I just listed the named covenants and then put them in parallel to see what they all had in common.
There’s a tent of meeting, parties, a premable, commands, signs/sacrifices, lawsuits ensue (which presume a covenant), a concept of inheritance, etc. If these are all in the named covenants, and they are here too, why not say that there is a covenant pre-Fall? We can talk about whether it is rightly called “Covenant of Creation” or “Covenant of Works,” because one is broader than the other in its meaning, but you’d have to have some serious precommitments not to acknowledge these. My interlocuter responded by saying the images between the Edenic environnment, the tabernacle, and the scene in Rev. 22 are “imaginary” and just “inferences.” Wow…I mean, the end of Rev. is drawing directly on Eden and Solomon’s Temple is even decorated to represent the Garden! Oh well. Some dispensationalists just won’t give an inch.
Very nice Jason you keep this up there are going to be more who leave behind Dispensational thought and come to the truth.
Gene there is none so blind (and I am speaking of myself in a former time) as those who are convinced of dispensational thought to the denial of everything else. I recall conversation I had with a follower of Cornelius R. Stam after I came to the truth of Reformed Theology. I have found it is better sometimes to shake the dust off your feet than continue.
Well Jason, I don’t know about this post, but I know that your link to Fide-o’s Evil Twin and reading those facts on Chuck have all but put me in the hospital. That is some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. I have been crying for 10 minutes trying NOT to think about it. Thanks for the laugh!
Gene, are you back from vacation?
Did I ever really leave?
Was the word vacation present or the concept or was the word present but not the concept?
Nice Post. Thank you for your comment of clarification at my blog. Very gracious of you.
Jason
Thank you brother for this entire series. It is one of the best treatments I have seen on this… I appreciate the hours of careful study and biblical research you have invested. I am so grateful for the Lord’s unfolding plan of salvation from the very beginning pages of Scriptures.
Grace and peace to you,
Steve
Col. 1:9-14