TIL- Reformed Covenant Theology part 2

Welcome to the truth in love podcast tonight is part two a reformed covenant theology

We're gonna be looking at the covenant works the covenant God made with Adam stick with us

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You have to pay to get the better voices How you doing, Dan? I'm I'm doing fantastic.

I'm glad we got to hear a British person. So now I can make fun of British people Beat now be easy easy.

We may have some audience, you know, this is a world wide web Those we don't have audience

Well, at least after this So, what's up with the

Brits man, so they are They are struggling. They are going to hit a heat wave this coming week the next few days

They're going to reach all the way up to 26 degrees Celsius Which for all of you

American flag -waving eagle screeching Red white and blue in Americans That is 78 degrees

Fahrenheit What a heat wave Brutal no, they are worried about the humidity, right?

They are however, um, I Was always under the impression that 82 and a little breeze at the beach was perfect weather however, they are looking for a for apocalyptic type type things going on so we will

What you're saying is pretty serious They are they are Also upstate

New York will be in the 90s the next few days so if you could Remember us as we we don't have air -conditioning in most places

Most houses. So I mean there's there is some potential for for some issues here in upstate,

New York I know people live in elderly folks who live up in third -floor Apartments and stuff like that where they can't get down them

It can get a little dangerous but Yeah, that's a concern wherever you are or yeah

Thing we make fun of 78 because I don't I grew up in Charlotte. So, you know 78 was my mom was barely what let me wear shorts at that point

But but yeah, there there are those who are weaker no health issues.

So we do want to If you see something if you see something sketchy with somebody older or somebody who's hurting give him a hand see what you

Bring him a room with a cold. Okay, bring him bring a British person that iced tea That's a good southern sweet tea, that's right, they'll they'll they'll they'll love you for it or Start a new war.

I really don't They're not It is funny to us because you know, we we live it every year but Yeah, it can be a concern for some folks.

Yeah covenant theology reform covenant theology part two We're looking at this book reform covenant theology

Harrison Perkins and we're on chapter 2 the covenant with Adam is the law and I was looking at dispensationalism and I brought this up last time because they're gonna have a different perspective new covenant theology gonna have a different perspective

We're kind of Dan has already dug into this book a little bit.

So he's he's also walking me through it. He's helping me learn From this book, but we're kind of coming at this from a baptistic reform baptistic perspective presbyterian perspective

But we also want to mention that you know, there are these other perspectives as well I was looking at the dispensational and where we are right now in this book.

I Think they would call this will be the first dispensation Way in God the way

God relates to man and he does it in dispensations This is the first one with with Adam and Eve and I think they called it the the dispensation of innocent

Of course, that's kind of self -explanatory Mm -hmm. Adam and Eve were with were without sin prior to the fall, right?

this is kind of where you get the the whole idea of a Dispensation being a period of time where there's a set of rules where there's a testing and we

Prove ourselves on on Unworthy or I don't know if that's the way they put it or not

Prove ourselves to be not not faithful in the way that we should And then

God changes things and glorifies himself in a different way by giving us a new Avenue of testing through a different time period so this is this is one of them where it's clearly laid out that there was there was a time of testing that we were supposed to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that we did so they'll take that idea of a dispensation and and kind of Pull it out through all the rest of them the other three to nine depending on I don't say it to be

Dismissive it's just that there's a variety of opinions Most folks go with seven, but there could be

I think some go Lowest three and some as high as I think nine or ten

But that's kind of where they see the structure Yeah I'm curious to know and of course

I need to I need to dig into dispensationalism a Little bit more myself just just to be knowledgeable and to understand where where they're coming from So I would like to know more about how how they see

Adam relating to God as a dispensationalist I Appreciate how how

Perkins here should I call him Perkins or yeah, this is last name Explains to us that that God created

Adam to have relationship with with him with his maker We have a comment.

I forgot to remind people the comment line is open You you know, you see

Becky right now is at the Word of Life camp in Scrooge Lake, New York her her and the and the kids

Ran out there with in -laws for for a week and they're gonna have a great time Word of Life is

Is Traditionally very dispensational and so they're at the camp They've got no solid

Bible teachers But a lot of them come from a dispensational perspective a lot of the folks who attend the camp come from a dispensational perspective

So yeah, go ahead and just put us on the the loudspeaker. Let everybody know. I think the first night at that particular camp

They have a softball game pipe us over the loudspeaker. Let them hear it at the softball game And you know, we'll just have fun with it

And now on third base Batting And that's not

John Calvin And I would say that's that's not us we're not throwing down we're not putting down other people

If it's if it's radical We're not even gonna throw down The the person we're gonna throw down the the heresy, but but when it comes to dispensationalism, you know

We're talking about brothers. We're talking about brothers and sisters in Christ Yeah, generally speaking it's a different point of view a different way of interpreting scripture a different way of understanding how

God relates with man but the Perkins here says that that God formed

Adam man with communion with his maker and and he says and he did that by covenant and He spends this chapter kind of Arguing his point or making making that point and he and he says he bases that covenant in love

Yep yeah, he brings up a point that there was a

There was basically two covenantal principles that that you could you could base a covenant on one being works and one being grace

So the one being based on on law and works Is basically saying that there's a standard

That's put in place a you know covenantal stipulations and then you have to live up to that standard in order to Be in right standing

Covenantally, so so it's an expression of love to say, you know We've come together said I'm gonna treat you like this and you're gonna treat me like that and this is how we're gonna act

So keeping that covenant is a means of expression of love so when when mankind fell into sin we're no longer capable of of Treating of approaching

God on that basis because we have sinned so we we have We cannot live up to the standard.

We can't express love through law keeping Alone which is why we we now are under a different principle of grace and promise that that God will make everything right and do so graciously through his son so When he specifically talking about Adam He gets to talking about how

Adams relationship with God in the garden was one based on law not not that we would think where he was he was running afoul of the law, but God had placed it in his heart saying that you know, this is how

I am. No reflect my moral character back to me And this is how we're going to show our love for each other that we will will live in in communion and an agreement on the way that things are supposed to be that I'm God and you were my

Creation and I'm in charge of things and you're gonna take care of the earth and be fruitful multiply it and Do all those other things it was an expression of love for him

Yeah, this this chapter was really really helpful for me when he was making the distinction between between law and and love where the the list of God's expectations, like you said the character nature of who

God is he he Created that with within Adam that that character nature that that knowledge of who

God is and and so his ability to express that or live that out in that relationship with God was was based on love and not

Not appeasement right, not not to not to try to please

God but because he loved God and it made even more sense when he used the illustration of marriage and he talked about his wife and it just it made so much more sense with that illustration of marriage because we as As a

Christian Ivan and we have understood marriage as a covenant relationship And so I I do things for my spouse.

I do things for my wife Not to try to please her but based on the covenant and the covenant promises that we you know

We made previously You know, I do these things even if it's even if she gives me a list, you know, we we make fun

And we talk about well, I got a honey -do list but you know, but that honey -do list is is not a set of rules so that I can complete them and then

To make sure that I'm pleasing her trying to win her favor No, it's based on that the covenant that we made in those covenant promise that we made and so therefore that list is now

Done based on love and Not law -keeping to appease, you know your spouse, right?

Right? Yeah, we're in we're in proper relationship with our spouse So we want to do those things

Adam Before the fall he had proper relationship with God. So He wanted to do the things that he was created to do and that all remained the same until he fell and Took took us with him

No I'm just I'm trying to look over my underlying sections here.

Oh Yeah, so one thing that I found interesting is

You know, what what what was it that the guy expected Adam to do I Mean, obviously he told him

He don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil no, you know of all the other trees, but not this one, but The way that Adam was created

He was created as the image bearer of God that he would he would reflect God in his character we know from later portions of Scripture that that mankind has something within himself that that and even nature itself that that we're able to to look out at the world around us and Know the difference between right and wrong at least

In at least enough to where the whole creation tells us that we have a

God that we were responsible to and that we need to act right in front of so so Adam had a sort of He had an internal testimony because the way that he was created

No, this is the way that God is and how I should Respond to him

He had the testimony that God spoke to him out loud and he had the testimony of the whole

Creation that was created very good that was there telling him that that this is this is your

God The one who's created you and this is how you should act in front of him Um, so he had a testimony coming in from three different directions

Telling him how the law even though it wasn't written down in The book form or I should say tablets of stone form

It wasn't written down It was there and it was there from the very beginning because it was based upon The God's moral character is based upon who

God was or is Yeah, and Yeah, yeah in this chapter

Just going on What you were talking about there help me realize so many more things like The relationship you between or of who we are understanding anthropology who we are

We're not just spiritual creatures, but we are so we're also physical creatures God God create us with a spirit and also a body and those things are intertwined

And so when we're when we're in a right relationship He like you said before Adam was in a proper relationship with God before the fall and and as image bear

He was living that out in in his the physical world and and Perkins makes

Makes the comment here Life was promised to Adam and in him to his posterity upon condition of perfect and personal

Obedience and and it caused me to think about you know those things We know that Adam was was told to do we know what he was told not to do

But what we were told what he was to be doing as well, you know Fill the earth subdue the earth

Name the animals and name the animals. So he was supposed to be doing these things in the physical realm but because he was in a proper relationship with shit relationship with God and properly reflecting

God as it was an image break his image had not yet been tarnished What he was doing physically

Was being done in a proper way to Correctly image

God and so forth What we do in in our tarnished state in our fallen state we what we do is tarnished but So what

I'm what I'm thinking is if the fall hadn't happened If they didn't need of the the tree of knowledge of good and evil and They would have continued to fulfill you know those things that God had told them to do fill the earth to do it name the animals and on and on He would have had success

Yeah It would have been it would have been positive It would have been done correctly right and and it would have imaged

God correctly because of his proper spiritual relationship with God what he did on this earth would have

Been done well Right. Yeah, you would have had What we're looking forward to the new heavens in the new earth

Would have been grown organically through obedience of Adam and his growing filling multiplying

Tending the garden growing the garden out into the wilderness places to where? the full perfection of our full

Completion of the the orders given to Adam would have been done We can't do that but it doesn't mean that our our

Goal and job as humans is any different. We're still to Subdue the earth multiply it

Tend to a garden that we don't have access to anymore To take care of the earth as part of it.

I mean not to sound all kooky and Political, but I mean we should be good stewards of what

God's given to us Part of what we do and But we're not going to be able to accomplish because we've we brought sin into the world.

Yeah so which leads us to This Next point that I want that I wanted to make in the the next section

I made I made this comment based on a sentence that he writes. He says On page 20 on the one hand truly salvation is

God's gracious Rescue of sinners who are fallen condemned and in rebellion against God.

And so the note that I made is that Rescue is not a reward

Right, I Looked at how he I listened to how he worded that and he said God's gracious Rescue and that caused me to think, you know, his rescue is not reward.

It's gracious Because we did we didn't earn it we didn't deserve it

And so it's not a reward. It's God's graciousness to us yeah, yeah, that's incredible because it's not the way that it was a

It's not the way it was set up but it is the way that things are going now because you know, we

We can't accomplish Faithfulness and right relationship through works

That was that was lost Got you I've got two question marks here

This on the next page He quotes the Westminster confession 4 .2

good See if you can help me understand this statement a little bit better He says after God had made all other creatures

He created man male and female with and I underline reasonable and immortal souls

Endued with knowledge righteousness and true holiness after his own image having the law of God written in their hearts and Power to fulfill it and I've underlined law of God so From from your understanding what what's the confession mean by man was created with a reasonable

Immortal soul Reasonable it has to do with reasoning thinking. Okay we were we were given the ability to reason and think we weren't brute beasts who were just controlled by our passions and and desire desires and nature and stuff

Um, we have the ability to think and reason through stuff We're I don't

I don't know that born with a body and a reasonable soul and Then we were given everything that we needed to in order to fulfill the covenant of works.

So we're given the place the the the power the all of creation our own image

Telling us the the the good the moral things of God what was was right and proper

And so we were given every opportunity to succeed. I think he At one point likens it to a teacher giving us a test.

He didn't give us a test. We didn't know the answer to We have a we had a cheat sheet right there.

The whole answer key was given to us No, here's how you you obey God you do this and we

We we messed it up anyway, yeah So that that next part and and we've kind of touched on it already, but I think it

I think it deserves a little more explanation This is the law was written on their on their hearts and they had the power to fulfill it and and I know

I've heard people talk about the conversation before you know if Adam and Eve didn't have the law of Moses they didn't have the

The Ten Commandments they didn't have all the Levitical laws they didn't have the ceremonial you know, then they didn't have all those things

So, how were they held accountable? How do they know how to live and and the confession says here it was written on their hearts

Yeah, it's it's the same. It's really it's it's it's still true of us today

Um, in fact Romans Romans tells us that much Romans 1

Let's see, there we go

Verse 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven

Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth with unrighteousness of God's wrath is coming down on us breaking

God's law and Taking the truth of God's law and suppressing it.

You can't suppress something that's not there already and then verse 19 Because that which is known about God the things that we know about God is evident within them

For God made it evident to them. So he made it he wrote it in our hearts to where we would know

That there is a God That he should be worshipped the way that he says to be worshipped and how we ought to act in front of them it says a

In verse 20 is it brings it back to creation says for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes

Both his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen Being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse

So we're without excuse because it and people who say well, it's not clear Hogwash it is clear

God God said it's clear But it also says that we suppress the truth with our own unrighteousness, so we we don't want to believe that it's true

We want to believe Anything else other than then what

God said verse 21 For even though they knew God they did not glorify him as God or give thanks.

They became futile in their thoughts So they use that reasonable Mind of theirs and their foolish heart was dark and they used learning for evil

He used knowledge and thinking for evil To try to figure out ways that they can concoct a world in which

God just doesn't exist But it's crazy because the whole of creation cries out that God does exist does exist

It's within us You know most people throughout history haven't been able to escape that fact at all most people throughout history haven't been atheists

That mean they haven't always accepted I'm the true God of the Bible, but they believe in some sort of a

God structure or system of gods and demigods or Different powers they knew something was there

They knew that something was was going on And They you know came up with stories and lied to themselves and made up every

Everything that they could to where that truth wasn't the the truth is revealed, but is the truth as they wanted to see it

Not all that came from from from the first sin where Adam did see everything

Perfectly and purely and then broke that covenant with God where he said here is how you are in right?

Relationship with me and show your love for me and he said no. Thank you and ate the fruit anyway, you know that truth is so powerful

Dan that The the existence of God is so undeniable then that men would create whole religions and whole religious systems

Based on that undeniability that there's a God Yeah, like you said like you said they didn't have the right understanding they didn't know who the or give credit or acknowledge the one true living

God But it was so undeniable that entire religions entire religious systems

Were built and and I followed to this day because it's so undeniable Yeah, and you think about the power of sin that you hear from Like say you're growing up in a in a household where you're being taught say say

Hinduism and you're being taught it and Sin taking the opportunity with that that first commandment on which

I have no other gods before me. That's written on our hearts To know that God is and that we're responsible to him

Sin takes the opportunity with that commandment and says, oh no

Here's an opportunity to believe something else and to break that commandment And so we're tempted and falling to that sin and it happens so naturally because we want to believe anything other than what

God has told us And that's why it seems so reasonable and accurate that the

Bible would say the fool says in his heart There's no God right because at that point you're looking at all the clear evidence

That there is a God and saying No, I'm not gonna believe it

So I mean basically it boils down to It's the equivalent of a little child who sticks her fingers in the air and says

I'm not gonna listen to you Or I'm gonna go play hide -and -seek and if I close my eyes, you're not really there Yeah, it

I mean that people have a lot more intellectual arguments in that their state their doubts more eloquently than that but But really it is

It is when you break it down to its simplest form. It's that we suppress the truth with our own unrighteousness

That's why they call calls it foolish to say that the fool says in his heart that there is no God Yeah, yeah, and of course men are gonna be accountable for Denying that that God exists, but it's so it's so obvious that It seems like the the true accountability comes

After that, I mean, it's it's so obvious that that God exists that the accountability of Things that I'm accountable for things.

I'm accountable for knowing happened beyond that or after that like Characteristics like creation general revelation speaks not just that he exists, but that We we can know things about him because of the creation

Yeah, and it goes so far that it's not it's not just a little individual personal thing where Okay, I should believe there's a

God. I know that I should do nice I should do this or that but God judges whole nations based on a law that they never received in written form

But you look at the book of Amos and it says enough for three Transgressions and even for four

I'm coming after you and it goes through through nation after nation after nation It says that you've done wrong.

You've broken God's law. You've broken This and it's not it's it's a bad situation for him

And then it comes down to Judah and says Judah and you had the law and you broke it You're in the same boat as these other guys

So in Romans also the whole argument at the beginning is that these who didn't have the written law

They're proving that they understand that the law is written on their heart when they try to do the things that are in In line with the law when they think of these things naturally that it spills over that.

Hey, maybe I shouldn't Steal or maybe I shouldn't lie or murder because it's good for society or whatever else what others?

Self -preservation type thing you can think of It it's amazing the lengths that we will go to to say that that law

Either doesn't exist or isn't clear to us that how could we possibly know if it's not written down and that's the matter as God says you do know it because it's on your heart and it's on our heart because we were created by a

God who is The standard he is that that moral standard that the moral law is based upon God's character

Yeah, and and other evidence that we see experientially and in Scripture is that there's a there's a difference between The knowledge that we have apart from Christ and the knowledge that we have after Christ and I appreciate the connection that Perkins makes

When he he looks at Ephesians chapter 4 and he looks to the Colossians chapter 3 From Ephesians 4 he

Perkins is making a connection back to After Christ after we're born again he's making a connection that We're part of this new creation

Pointing back to what creation was originally intended to be so We are we are beginning to that that process of awakening and to what

Adam Experienced what Adam truly knew is is what we are being awakened to In in this in this new life

Ephesians says put on the new self created after the likeness of God and true righteousness and holiness

And then he quotes Colossians 3 10 Have put on the new man Which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his creator and then

Perkins is bearing God's image entails a certain knowledge righteousness and holiness so after Christ You know, we we can see from general revelation that God has these characters but then after Christ this awakening happens and I say

Oh, I should live in light of that Mm -hmm. I should treat

This is this is a character of God. I can see his kindness. I can see his creativity

I Should put that into practice with my fellow man. Mm -hmm

Yep, so I guess I guess

The covenant of works then we're going to try to I'm gonna get a good a good overview a covenant the covenant of works was a

Was an opportunity for us to live in fellowship with God based on our obedience to him

And our keeping of his law It was a And it was a foul.

It was a it was not on the basis of how you can't do this No, it wasn't some some vindictive

God, you know sitting there Slapping us with our own hands saying quit hitting yourself. It was it was a

God who said Here's everything you need to succeed Live in proper relationship with me and I think that's why

Perkins starts the chapter with love Yeah, because we we have such a negative connotation with works

That even yeah, I'm well, there's nothing special about me, but I've You know,

I've had a hard time understanding covenant of works outside of that negative connotation that I have of works because and It's true, you know, we learn a

New Testament We're not we're not saved by works Right, we we cannot do enough works to please

God to get ourselves out of the hole that we're in Salvation has nothing to do with any works that we could do.

Like I said That ship is sailed. That's right. Rescue was not reward. It was of grace.

Yeah, but If we don't mean that those works are wrong because those works

Start from a place of love we were created for good works, right and Adam was created for good works

And if we understand the covenant of works Originally, it was a covenant of love right

Right, which leads us further on down the line It was that obedience that we failed to to to to have

It was it was the the covenant faithfulness that we've failed to to keep That had to be purchased through Christ's active and passive obedience as he came to the earth as he was made into the second

Adam I don't know made into is the right way to say it but as he was the second

Adam and you know born in in flesh and and and became man so that we may

Um Fulfill our purpose in creation, which is to glorify

God and enjoy him forever So God wasn't he wasn't about to just trash the whole thing

He deserved the glory that he was going to get from mankind. And so he redeemed us graciously because he didn't have to but he wasn't he was jealous for his own glory and saw fit to come and save us when we decided to Act a full one.

Oh good Allergy is definitely part of the fall So, so do you think we're following Perkins are we following scripture because it seems like Perkins is showing us that us as new creations are

Our God is making us into what he originally created.

And so we're talking about you were you were quoting the Westminster We are to glorify

God and enjoy him forever, that's our What's the quote the exact quote our man's chief?

The chief end of man in a man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, right?

So the outworking of that Would it would it be correct to say that we go back to the the creation mandate

Fill the earth to do it and make that connection with Matthew 28 and the

Great Commission Is there anything coming together? Kind of You're definitely in the right on the right track

Okay I say yeah You're definitely on the right track because that that's that's what is going to come about from the grace of God coming coming through Jesus Christ Because that's what was promised that was the the plan in The Covenant of Works that these things wouldn't happen and take place because of mankind's faithfulness and obedience

Since that didn't happen. It's going to take place through principle of grace and through the promise of God So while we should jump on board

We are It's not the first Adam who's going to accomplish it It's going to be the second

Adam who's going to accomplish those things. So while we should work to that end We also have to remember that it's not first Adam type efforts that are going to get the job done because sin is still in the world and It Needs to be done away with and that can't be done away with through us and through our own works and efforts

That's why it says that the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God the righteousness of God only comes from God himself

So so yeah, you're absolutely right that we should be thinking Great Commission is to get out there and work.

We should be subduing the earth, but we're not doing it Through the same sort of efforts as we were before our work now is by exalting

Christ who has done those things on our behalf where we didn't

Where we didn't do it and can't can no longer but through Christ we can because all things are possible through him

Does that make sense? It does and and I know that we don't have a Podcast guide or a list and and I don't mean to throw you curveballs or I'm I'm asking you some questions asking you some questions as But as they come to mind as as we're talking about this and things come to mind

I enjoy throwing these things out there and And learning more about this so I'm thinking about Abraham and how the

New Testament describes Abraham as his righteousness was credit him as as faith and How this switch it is

Faith was credited to him as righteousness. There we go. There we go. I know what you were saying, you know, you know

And I'm thinking about that as we're talking about the Covenant of works with with Adam and It was originally a covenant of love

And we know that that Abraham's faith was credited him as righteousness and so Did the

Spirit work in him a way to see the

Covenant of works? in a different way Is that what the New Testament is getting at where everyone else was was seeing this

Covenant of works? as a kind of Law -keeping to appease

God Abraham was seeing it more in the original sense the covenant of love

Maybe I don't know as if Abraham had that much

Knowledge, you know, I'm saying right, but I do think that the principle that trauma is correct because what what

Abraham did do was when he was presented with God who said

Abraham grab your family go from here to here and then every step along the way when

God spoke he said Yes, sir Did his thing? No, he was he's still kind of bummy from time to time, you know trying to give his wife away and whatnot, but but But when

God spoke he he listened and responded in faith Trusting that the

God who called to him was going to do what he promised and that is that is the difference between The covenant of works and the covenant of grace

Covenant of works was do this and live, you know do this out of love and have fellowship with me

Covenant of grace, especially with Abraham was Abraham Do this and in trust and faith that I will do what is right that I the

God of all creation will do what is Right. He's I promise I will make you Father of many nations and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you

I Trust in me. I will be gracious to you because I'm good, right?

That's the difference between the covenant of works and in the covenant of grace Now both of them the the expression back towards God in response to be love

That's right. That's right. And and I think that's where the I think that's where we need to make excuse me the connection because we cannot say that Abraham's Abraham's faith

Was We know that Abraham did not keep the covenant of works

Perfectly because that's why we need a Savior right and no one kept the the kind of work perfectly

That's why we need a Savior So in fact once once Adam broke the covenant of works the covenant of works wasn't an option for us anymore

Right, right So his so his faith, we know according to Scripture had to have been based on the

Messiah As far as it was revealed to him as far as it was revealed to him so so that That connection of seeing that and placing his faith on the

Messiah. I Think helped his relationship with the covenant of works

So Work itself out better than it did in in other folks

Because yeah What what Abraham was realizing was that it it didn't matter what he did down here on the earth, right?

He was not going to be right with God unless he believed the God that had called out to him and said hey Trust in me right this and I will be gracious to you.

Yeah. Yeah The no amount of wealth building or or good philanthropy philanthropic work or Building cities or anything that would be good good good things, you know

Subduing the earth multiplying none of that was going to break be righteousness to him But what was was faith in the promise that of God that he would?

Deliver him it would be gracious to him Right And that that's really the dividing line before between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace

That's where you that's what the distinction that you're trying to make Yeah, well Adam had that opportunity to keep the law and be righteous

He didn't keep the law and he was not declared righteous on the basis of the law So all of mankind fell into sin and since all of mankind fell into sin

Those works are no longer an option for us in order to be saved

Because we are all born born simple. Was that the one song? Truly I was was born in sin

Deeply I was stained within that was from our Psalter the case Iran And Even from the very beginning

We were stained with with our own sin to where our works were like filthy rags

That's why we needed a Savior still still do so we need a Savior The one that we trust in that his promise is good

His promise is sure that he will do what is right That he has sent a son to die on the cross for our sins and that we will

Only find our salvation in Jesus Christ Yeah, we know that God Always keeps his promises

We only we know that he keeps his into the bargain. He keeps his is into the Covenant So he he has and just track with me and and like you normally do you can tell me

I'm half wrong Or I'm on the right track Don't tell you you're all the way wrong

I can tell you you're half wrong. I got you Um We know that God keeps his into the bargain that his part of the

Covenant his promises He's faithful to that. We we know that that's a sure thing. And so He established this this covenant of love with with Adam or covenant of work works, which was which was love done in love

And as we read through through Perkins here in chapter 2 He explains to us

Almost like this this progression of the law We know originally that it was written on Adam's heart

It was that that knowledge was reflection of God's character and nature. That's what they that's what they call the the moral law

Correct that reflection in In Adams heart that knowledge in Adam's heart that God put in there of himself

To help Adam know how to live And he responded in love before he before the fall then after the fall

You have this progression as it comes it leaves the heart and Then it moves on to tablets

You have the the Ten Commandments, which is Doesn't leave the heart

Stays there, but it's it's also on The tablets, yeah, yeah it manifests itself on the tablets and Is this?

So this is this is reflection. This is a out outpouring in a better explanation of what's already on the heart and then you have the

More concrete and then you have a rest of what or granite? I don't know And then you have the rest of law that's that's spelled out in Deuteronomy and Leviticus so Which of those does he call the he gives them names

I'm sure the Confessions use this terminology so You have you have the moral law and then you have

Positive Positive law, I think there's another word that he uses that I can't remember.

Yeah positive law are those commands that Were stated outright.

Mm -hmm. I Think the other one Forget what terms he uses the word symbolic so maybe the

I Could have read it wrong But maybe the the Ten Commandments were were symbolic of what was in the heart and then the others were were positive law

I could have it confused Remember right now,

I just don't remember what gotcha gotcha. It may make it take too long to Yeah, it was

I'm seeing where he says it was summarized Ten Commandments is the summary of of the law those written on the heart.

So basically he What you see in? In the

Ten Commandments written down in Exodus and Deuteronomy is is a written summary of What God had had placed in an

Adam's heart from from the very beginning which is is really interesting I was looking at that just just a little bit ago

If you look at Exodus 20 which

I Don't know if y 'all's church does this but every once a while our church, you know a lot of Sundays will

Will read the Ten Commandments together as a part of the service interesting, but Exist 20 verse 2

Um, he says I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery

I remember everything that happened before that. He said Moses. I'm going to tell you to go in there

I've heard the cries of the people. I'm gonna bring them out. I'm gonna go to Pharaoh and say hey no more let my people go and It didn't happen right away, but then it did

God was faithful to everything that he promised them Up until that point he was probably was faithful to the promise so far to Adam in the garden because he was working out part of the plan to crush the head of the serpent he was faithful to Abraham because he told them that they were going to be his people were going to or his descendants were going to go down to Egypt for a certain amount of time about 400 years and that they would be coming out

After that time and here he is faithful to them and he says I've been faithful to you

This is how you're going to be. This is how you should be living in a relationship to me He says have no other gods before me.

So I'm it and then he says don't make any other gods and Then he goes a step further and says even if you claim me as your

God, you're not gonna do so in a vain way That's meaningless. You're not just gonna say that. I'm your

God and then not act like I'm actually your God Then he runs back to creation and says remember

I'm the one who created you I'm the one who created everything. So on the Sabbath day

Keep the Sabbath He tells he tells them in the next effect that says it verse 11 for in six days the

Lord made the heavens and earth and the sea and all that is in them and he rested the Sept of the seventh day therefore the

Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy So God has made all of creation the world that you live in Commandment five he made the family structure live within that family structure or obey the

Parents the way that you're supposed to don't kill each other. Don't cheat on each other. Don't steal from each other

Don't lie to each other. Don't want what each other has because everything's mine and From there

That was it was the basics. The first three commandments are remember who your God is

No one form or fashion. It's only me. It's not them and you're not gonna fake it.

It's gonna be a real relationship with me And you're gonna remember it all the way back to creation that I made you to be in relationship with me you're gonna take one day out of the week to Remember me and to be to remind yourself whose you are

And then you're gonna live your life the way that you should I'm sorry. That was a Sabbatarian coming out in me, but You're going all the way back to creation and really if we take the

This was the moral law written on the heart of Adam before Before the fall then this is the way that God set up our world to work and function

I'm all really cool because right here that law Isn't burdensome to the one who who loves

Christ. It's have me as you God Great. You're the one who has saved me from my sin.

Don't go after those guys. Great. Those guys are jerks I don't want them anywhere Don't fake it.

I'm gonna fall on that one a bunch but God you're gonna you're gonna bring me through and we're gonna you're my

God and I'm gonna Seek after you and I'm gonna find my rest in you

You know Bay the will live amongst your people in a way that honors and glorifies you

It doesn't seem that burdensome at all when when you think of it as a

Means of expression of love for one who has fulfilled the the the requirements of the law for you

Yeah But if you're looking at it as hey, this is how I'm going to become righteous.

Oh Man, I could never do that Yeah It's such a beautiful thing when when you begin to put it all together

We could we could learn all these things separately individually But but putting them all together like that makes it

Reveals a beauty that we we just can't explain You know, we can we can talk about This covenant that covenant this law and that law we can talk about God's Son and and what he did for mankind and we and look at all those things separately and And understanding who we are after the fall who man is after the fall but when you put it together like that and God reveals the depths of all those things

It there like I said, there's a beauty that you can't explain that God would that God would do that work

Rescue us. We needed a rescuer. He rescued us So that so that we could be in that like you said proper

Relationship with God again and and see the beauty of his son See the beauty of his glory and and His loving kindness and his mercy toward us because of our disobedience and because of our sin

See the see his justice And and all his character and attributes and This is it becomes a beautiful thing.

I Found I found that section that I was talking about. I think it's worthwhile just just to mention

Because Perkins helped me to understand a little bit better. I know I didn't articulate it I had to find it and look at it again

But and sometimes we have to do that. We have to reread but on page 42

He breaks it down a little bit for those two of us who were not as familiar with the these terminologies

He talks about he breaks it down this way the moral law or the or natural law are those things that Reveal God's he says immutable character

But those things That those things that are laws that do not reflect

God's character in nature Those are the things that he calls symbolic fall or positive law

It reveals God's will so those things that Those things that reveal

God's character nature are The moral law and natural law those things that were revealed

God's will are the Symbolic and positive law And I've never heard this application before but he said he talks about the command about the tree or he calls it the tree law and He said that that tree law

Was not linked to God's character and nature. It was connected to his will so therefore it was a symbolic

Positive law and that and that helped me understand these concepts a little bit better and up And I'm so thankful for the the spirit of righteousness and and how he

Seeks out and Reveals to us these things Apart from him opening up our eyes we wouldn't know our sinfulness

And After Christ, like you said he makes these he makes these concepts. He makes this theology not boring but beautiful But but first and foremost

Apart from Christ Not only do we not have a proper relationship with God But because of our sinfulness because our rejection of God's covenant of works in love apart from our rejection

Because of our rejection of his son the the rescuer because of our disobedience

Adam's disobedience to the tree law and our continued disobedience of The moral law written on our hearts

The Ten Commandments through the rest of the the laws written in the Old and New Testament Speaking of God's justice because of his because of his holiness his holiness is

Beyond our comprehension. We we cannot comprehend that which is eternal and God's holiness is is eternal.

It's far above all that we could Ever imagine and so therefore that's what makes that one disobedience worthy of his justice worthy of his wrath and that's why

James 2 verse 10 says if you kept the whole law and it stumbled at one point you're guilty of it all because it's against a pure holy and righteous

God and that's That's why we need his rescuer Which was

Jesus Christ is his one and only son. And so we would We would implore you we would exhort you

Admonish you seek the Lord Jesus Christ while he may be found before it's too late So that you can be in a proper relationship with God you can be you can be rescued

We Must repent of our sins and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ in his work on the cross

In in his his life his death his burial his resurrection all of which were fulfillments of a prophecy

Fulfilled 100 % accurately and As we stated as Dan and I talked about before It's it's undeniable that there is a

God and it's time that we move beyond that and Seek his rescuer and that rescuer not only is his son, but is our

King whether we acknowledge it or not. So we We ask you to submit to him today in repentance and faith then any last closing remarks

No But I am excited to get in the next few chapters Yeah, it's gonna be good it's gonna be good we are going to make a present during out of you yet Keep hope alive.

Keep hope alive. I'm not making any promises. Keep hope alive Either way, it's good to look at it.

That's right. That's right. It's good to be brothers No matter what denomination we are we we love

Christ and we're only saved by him through him and for him Nick we are going to Hopefully John Jones will be able to be with us next week.

He has an interesting insight and theory on time

Physical time I'm outside of time I think it's gonna be interesting conversation with John Jones From real talk with big

John part of the labors podcast and truth along that work. I look forward to him being with us And then we'll jump back into chapter 3.

Is that cool with you? Dan? Sounds great to me. Good. We close us in prayer. Yep Dear Heavenly Father.

Thank you for today. Thank you for your graciousness to us Thank you for your law that shows us how good you really are and gives us a way to Appreciate what you've done for us.

Thank you for Christ and his sacrifice for us in Jesus name. I'm Bray. Amen Amen. Thank you guys so much for watching.

We really appreciate it and we hope that it was a help and encouragement to you If you if it was and you think it'll be a help and encouragement to somebody else

Share it give it a like and a follow and until next time remember that Jesus is