Divine Covenants

The Adamic Covenant (Part 1)

It is vitally important for a good understanding of much of God’s Word to notice the relation between Adam and the rest of humankind.

Adam was not only the common parent of mankind, but he was also their federal head and representative. The whole human race was placed on probation, or on trial, in Eden. Adam acted not just for himself but he acted for all succeeding people. Unless this basic fact is clearly understood much of what the Bible has for us to know will be a mystery to us. Until the federal headship of Adam and God’s dealings with him in that capacity is clear, we are left without the key to God’s dealings with the human race. And we are unable to understand man’s relation to the divine law, and to appreciate the fundamental principle of the atonement.

“Federal headship” is a term which is seldom used today. The principle which is presented in this phrase is that of representative. There have been only two “federal heads”: Adam and Jesus. God entered into a covenant with each of them. Each of them acted on behalf of others, each legally represented a definite group of people, so much so that all of those represented by them are said to be “in” them. Adam represented the whole human race; Jesus represented those that were given to Him by the Father.

When Adam sinned his nature changed from a perfect human to a fallen human. Therefore, since he was the “federal head of all mankind”, all of those who came after him were also fallen and sinful. The wages of sin is death, so when Adam died then we also would die. The same principle was to be found in Jesus as the “federal head” of His people. For those who say that God is not fair because they are considered sinners as a result of Adam’s sin, as their “federal head”, they must remember that the other side of that coin is that, through no righteousness of their own, the elect are considered righteous because of what Jesus did as their “federal head”.

What we are talking about here is divine revelation. All we know about Adam is what we find in the Bible. So our question is not whether federal headship is reasonable or fair, but is it a fact revealed in the Word of God? If it is, then our reason has to take a back seat to it and faith has to humbly receive it. To the child of God the question of its justice is settled: we know it to be just, because it is the way of our holy, sovereign God.

Now the fact that Adam was the federal head of the human race, that he did act and behave in a representative capacity, and that the judicial consequences of his actions were imputed to all mankind, is clearly revealed in God’s Word.

· Romans 5:12-19, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men because all sinned---for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life to all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

This passage seems so clear that no unprejudiced person could misunderstand it. It pleased God to deal with the human race as represented by Adam.

One author used a very interesting illustration that I would like to share with you. God did not deal with mankind as with a corn field, where each stalk stands on its own individual roots; but He dealt with it as with a tree, all the branches of which have one common root and trunk. If you strike with an axe at the root of a tree, the whole tree falls---not only the trunk, but also the branches: all wither and die. So it was when Adam fell. God permitted Satan to lay the axe to the root of the tree, and when Adam fell, all his posterity fell with him. At one fatal stroke Adam was severed from communion with his maker, and as a result “death passed upon all men.”

· 1 Corinthians 15:22, For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

The human race is suffering now for the sin of Adam.

This idea of the federal headship is a common one in the world. For example, the father is the legal head of the children during their growing up years. A business house is responsible for the acts of its agents. The head of a nation is responsible for the enforcement of international agreements that he makes. This principle is so basic that it cannot be ignored. A society could not exist without this concept. So why should we be so astonished that the sin of our federal head results in our fall as well as Adam’s.

Think of it this way: Who could have been a more suitable representative than one who was created perfect, in the image of God, and pronounced by His creator to be “very good”. This is a principle and method used by God. Those who reached Canaan were cursed because of the act of one of Noah’s sons, Ham, who went into Noah’s bedroom where he was laying drunk, and saw his father naked. Whether this was the extent of his sin, we do not know. Further, the Egyptians perished at the Red Sea because of Pharaoh’s wickedness. In Israel, the sins of the fathers were visited on the children. And all of Achan’s family was stoned to death because of his sin.

Now the sinner’s salvation depends on the same principle. This principle wrecked us and the same principle saved us. The cardinal fact of the Gospel is that the obedience of the last Adam and His righteousness was imputed to us!!!!

We are fallen children of a fallen parent, and as such we enter the world “alienated from the life of God”.

· Eph. 4:18, They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

That the world is critical of this principle of representation and imputation only serves to be evidence of the fact that it is of God.