Works, Covenant of

The Covenant of Works is a theological term used in Reformed covenant theology to describe the arrangement established by God with Adam in the Garden of Eden before the fall — a conditional covenant in which life and continued blessing were contingent on Adam's obedience. The term is not found in Scripture but is derived from the structure of Genesis 2–3: God placed Adam in the garden with abundant provision, gave him a specific command (Genesis 2:16–17), and attached the sanction of death to disobedience. The parallel between Adam and Christ in Romans 5:12–21 and 1 Corinthians 15:45–49, where Paul calls Adam "a type of the one who was to come" and contrasts the disobedience of the first Adam with the obedience of the second, provides the New Testament basis for seeing Adam's probationary role in covenantal terms. The Covenant of Works is contrasted with the Covenant of Grace — the post-fall divine arrangement to save through the promised Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) — which is fulfilled in Christ, who perfectly satisfied the demands the first Adam failed to meet.