Of the Law of God, XIX:1

God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which He bound him and all his posterity, to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it.

What qualifies God to make the rules about morals? This probably sounds like a very strange question. Recall our description of God's character, to be found all the way back in chapter II. God is moral perfection. Everything about him is good. What is right, what is moral is the way God is. Who better, then, to set the standards? Furthermore, God is Creator. As such, he has absolute rights over his creatures and may give them any guidance he chooses. Happily he is not capricious or arbitrary. His law, because it reflects his character, is the best guide for his creatures.

The Confession begins its discussion of the law of God by referring back to the concept of covenant, previously addressed in chapter VII. Paragraph 2 of that chapter reads as follows: "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." Originally, then, the law of God was intended to be man's rule for life. God expected man to keep it perfectly. And God gave it to Adam as man's representative or federal head--all of his posterity was and is bound by it just as he was. As originally created, Adam was capable of keeping it.

I find that Christians are often conflicted about their relationship to the law of God. Many think it irrelevant because we are now under grace instead of under law. But as we will see in our further discussion of this chapter there remains a role for God's law in the life of the Christian.

Tomorrow: The law after Adam.