pilgrim people

Covenant of Works (con't)

(Aren't these sunset pics great? Almost all of them are sunsets in America's Finest City [That's San Diego, for all you poor souls suffering a Mid-Western winter!]. This was taken from Sunset Cliffs, where Christ URC deacon Randy Shamoun once almost drowned surfing double-overhead waves!)

One more Pauline text that should be mentioned when thinking about the original covenant of works (CoW) is Galatians 3.10. For an excellent treatment of this verse, see Bryan Estelle's essay, "The Covenant of Works in Moses and Paul" in CJPM. Dr. Estelle says, "My thesis is that this verse teaches the necessity of perfect obedience to the law, albeit only hypothetical, since all mankind descending from Adam by ordinary generation is under its curse and unable to keep the law."

Estelle solidly defends his thesis by pointing out that in Gal 3.10 Paul expresses himself in a common rhetorical practice of his day. "In short, all, according to Paul, are under a curse because they have not kept the law. This verse, along with many others in Paul, teaches the necessity of perfect obedience, albeit hypothetical this side of the fall."

While Gal 3.10 is primarily linked to the Mosaic Covenant as a republishment of the CoW, it presupposes an original CoW with Adam in the Garden.