To understand the law and its relation to the gospel, we must begin by examining the law as it was given to mankind in its original form, a covenant of works. This covenant was established between God and Adam, the representative of all humanity, in the state of innocence. It is crucial to grasp this foundational truth to fully appreciate the glory of the gospel.
The Law as a Covenant
The moral law, in its original form, was given to Adam as a covenant of works. In this covenant, God required perfect, personal, and perpetual obedience from Adam. He promised eternal life as the reward for obedience and threatened death as the punishment for disobedience. This arrangement is clearly reflected in God’s command:
“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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” (Genesis 2:16–17).
This command encapsulated Adam’s obligation to obey God entirely, both in outward actions and inward dispositions. It was not a burdensome requirement, for Adam was created upright, with the law of God written on his heart (Ecclesiastes 7:29, Romans 2:14–15).
The Terms of the Covenant
The terms of the covenant were clear:
Obedience Required
Adam was required to render perfect and sinless obedience to God in thought, word, and deed.
A Representative Role
As the representative head of the human race, Adam’s obedience or disobedience would determine the fate of all his descendants (Romans 5:12, 19).
Blessing Promised
The promise attached to obedience was eternal life, symbolized by the Tree of Life in the Garden (Genesis 2:9).
Curse Threatened
The penalty for disobedience was death, encompassing both physical and spiritual death (Romans 6:23).
In this covenant, Adam and his posterity were under the law not merely as a rule of duty but as a covenant, with life or death depending on its fulfillment.
The Righteousness Required
The righteousness demanded by the law as a covenant of works was perfect. It required entire conformity to the will of God. Every thought, desire, and action was to be holy, without flaw or failure. As the apostle Paul declares, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Galatians 3:10). Any deviation from this standard would bring condemnation, for “whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2:10).
The Covenant Broken
Tragically, Adam transgressed the covenant by eating the forbidden fruit, bringing sin and death into the world. This breach plunged all his descendants into a state of guilt and corruption, as they were united to him in his representative capacity. The apostle testifies, “Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
Conclusion
The moral law as a covenant of works reveals the holiness, justice, and goodness of God. It shows that eternal life is reserved for those who obey God perfectly. Yet, it also demonstrates humanity’s inability to attain righteousness through the law due to Adam’s fall and our sinful nature. This prepares the way for the glorious truth of the gospel, where God provides a righteousness apart from the law, through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21–22).
In the chapters that follow, we will explore the law’s continuing relevance, its relationship to the gospel, and how Christ has fulfilled its demands on behalf of His people.
This has been a summary of John Colquhoun’s A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, chapter 1.
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