R.C. Sproul

Now I am guilty of subverting the very law of God."

And that's why this is very delicate when we come to these things, and it's not always easy to discern the difference between principle and custom, and the debates rage endlessly about it.

But again, if we find something that is rooted in creation,

That's the last thing that we should treat as a custom because if anything transcends local considerations, it is that principle that is established in creation because those principles are binding as long as creation is binding.

And when we get to the Noahic covenant, we'll spell out some more of the details that relate to that concept of the creation covenant.

because it spells out specifically some things that are only implied in the original covenant of creation.

Alright, then I said that there's a third designation, and of these three designations for the first covenant that was made between God and man, this one is by far the most controversial.

And this is the designation of the first covenant that God makes with man as the covenant

of works, the covenant of works.

Now very briefly, in historic Reformed theology particularly, a distinction is made between what is called the covenant of works and the covenant of grace.

Just as a reference to that, let me read a quick portion from the 17th century Reformed document, the Westminster Confession of Faith.

where in chapter 7, entitled of God's Covenant with Man, the first section of this chapter reads as follows.

The distance between God and the creature is so great that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto Him as their Creator,

yet they could never have any fruition of him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.

And then section 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.

Now here's where the confusion comes in.

In the very first section, the idea that the Westminster divines are expressing here is that by nature we don't have a creational entitlement program.

When God makes us out of the dust, He's under no obligation to give us prosperity, good health, eternal life.

because the creature cannot say to the Creator, you must do this for me or you must do that for me.

Any benefit that we receive from the Creator comes not out of some divine necessity or some kind of external law that is opposed upon God by the nature of things, but any benefit that we get as creatures comes