Regarding the Fall

In discussing God’s covenant relationship with man, the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) says this in the second paragraph of Chapter VII: "The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam; and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience."

As I understand it, this is a fundamental difference between Calvinism and Lutheranism. Where Lutheranism sees the pre-Fall relationship as being a "covenant of grace," Calvinism explicitly calls it a "covenant of works." Both branches of the Reformation recognize that man’s will before the Fall was free, but Calvinism makes the mistake of thinking that man’s obedience before the Fall was grounded in the rational exercise of a free will. Essentially, they picture Adam evaluating his options and choosing obedience, based on his freedom and an enlightened understanding of his own best interests. Lutheranism disagrees. Obedience before the Fall had its roots in the same soil as genuine obedience after the Fall – FAITH. Adam’s relationship with God was defined by trust and love. Obedience was a consequence of faith, and it was not in any way the condition upon which man’s relationship with God was based.

An obedience that seeks life, or an obedience that seeks God’s blessing, or an obedience that seeks the best interests of the obeying individual in exchange for the obedience, is not true obedience or true righteousness at all. It is SIN.

So... what difference does it make?

In some recent conversations with my friend Caleb, who would probably describe himself as a "covenantal theologian" (i.e. Reformed or Calvinist), he had a hard time accepting the idea that good works or personal obedience is not a part of redemption and restoration. Now, to some extent we were simply talking past each other. We both agree that good works contribute nothing to redemption and restoration. We both agree that good works are a necessary consequence of redemption and restoration. But where I get uncomfortable talking about the connection between good works and redemption, he gets uncomfortable isolating them from one another.

Perhaps, in part, this difference can be traced to these competing views of the pre-Fall relationship between God and man. Where a Calvinist tends to see restoration as bringing us back into a relationship defined by and predicated on obedience, a Lutheran sees restoration as bringing us back into a relationship defined by and predicated on faith and love.