The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum WCF 28

I would basically agree with you, Robin. But my understanding is that the "Covenant of Works" (misnomer ala John Murray) which began with Adam & Eve ended after their Fall. The "Covenant of Grace" began after the Fall; cf. Genesis 3:8-24:

Genesis 3:8-24 (ASV) 8 And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And the man called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 And Jehovah God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever- 23 therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

This, to me, is the first revelation of the Gospel and the promise of the Messiah Who would redeem them from their sins along with their spiritual children by the shedding of blood and with giving them a covering (cf. Zechariah 3). This covenant made in the Garden of Eden was iterated with Abraham and brought to fruition and its fullness in Jesus Christ through His life, death and resurrection. Thus the "sign" of the Covenant as it was in the OT is retained but changed in form to express the progressiveness of the Covenant in the NT from circumcism to baptism. It signified then and now NOT that the person circumcised nor baptized IS SAVED, but rather set apart (Grk agios, holy). They are given the MEANS OF GRACE, through which the Spirit works in the elect. To the ones given the sign, IF THEY HAVE BEEN regenerated and believe upon Christ, what the sign SIGNIFIED is true of them and them only. As it was in the OT that the vast majority of those circumcised perished in unbelief, so it is in the NT those who have been baptized will likely perish in unbelief, for it is God's chosen REMNANT who shall be saved to whom the Spirit has given them true saving faith and a new heart of flesh.