A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, on condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil on penalty of death.[a]
[a] Genesis 2:16-17
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
16 And God commanded to him and said, Eat thou of each tree of paradise; (And God commanded to him and said, Thou can eat of every tree in the garden;)
17 forsooth eat thou not of the tree of knowing of good and of evil; for in whatever day thou shalt eat thereof, thou shalt die by death. (but thou shalt not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for on the day that thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die.)
James 2:10
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
10 And whoever keepeth all the law, but offendeth in one [Forsooth whoever shall keep all the law, soothly offend in one], he is made guilty of all.
Comment on Q. 12
A covenant is a solemn agreement. We call the agreement God made with Adam a covenant of life because if it had been kept by man a higher form of life from which he could never fall would have resulted. The threat of death was conditional and implied the promise of 'life' if he did not disobey, not just continued existence but immortal glory. The other special tree in the garden, the tree of life, was a symbol of this. By the law of nature written on his heart at creation, man was bound to give perfect obedience to God. This special covenant would show if man was willing to take the word of his Maker or to please himself.
The word 'covenant' is not mentioned in Scripture in connection with Adam (unless Hosea 6:7 is an exception) but the elements of a covenant (parties, promise, condition, penalty) are present and an original creation covenant is implied in Genesis 6:18. The parallel with the covenant of grace and Christ's position of headship as 'the last Adam' (1 Cor 15:45 cf. Rom 5:12 ff) requires the covenant arrangement with Adam.
The word 'covenant' is not mentioned in Scripture in connection with Adam (unless Hosea 6:7 is an exception) but the elements of a covenant (parties, promise, condition, penalty) are present and an original creation covenant is implied in Genesis 6:18. The parallel with the covenant of grace and Christ's position of headship as 'the last Adam' (1 Cor 15:45 cf. Rom 5:12 ff) requires the covenant arrangement with Adam.
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