Covenant Series: Introduction to Covenants and the Edenic Covenant

Understanding the covenants made in the Old Testament is so important for understanding the New Covenant that is described in Jeremiah and initiated in the New Testament with the birth of Jesus. Most Christians can name the big 4: Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New. But did you know that there were three other covenants prior to the Abrahamic? This series will introduce and explain the covenants and how the New Covenant builds off of each of them. My hope is that at the end of this series of posts you will have a deeper understanding of what it means to be called heirs with Christ and to live a righteous life to the glory of God our Father.

First off, a covenant is an agreement between two parties that mutually binds them to certain actions on each other’s behalf. In the Old Testament it was always an agreement between God and man. God promised blessings upon man or mankind if they upheld their obligations to God of obedience and righteous living. It is important to realize that the covenants of the Old Testament were permanent covenants and were binding on successive generations. If the person or people group the covenant was with failed to uphold their end of the bargain, they then would justly received the penalty of divine retribution.

Therefore, there is no covenant that has been discarded or done away with. All are still in existence and each successive covenant has built upon the others and introduced new dimensions. However, some covenants have been completely fulfilled. This will be explained in more detail under those covenants, but it is important to note that just because a covenant is fulfilled, it doesn’t mean it disappears or is no longer relevant.

The Edenic Covenant is described in Genesis 1 and 2. After creating all of creation, the animals, plants, stars, universe, etc, God creates man on the sixth day. The purpose of creating man is so that he can tend to God’s creation. In Genesis 1:28-29 God says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth…Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” Thus the Edenic Covenant is founded on the principle that Adam and Eve were to care for creation and have children so that the goodness inherent in God’s creation would be perpetuated. Genesis 2:16-17 expands on what was previously said about every plant and fruit being available for the man to eat: they are not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for if they do, they will die. Therefore, as long as Adam and Eve tended the garden and its creatures and kept themselves from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would live well and live in the garden.

The Edenic Covenant is echoed in the New Covenant as Paul writes to the Romans, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship…The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:14-17).” Under the New Covenant, the Edenic Covenant is fulfilled in that we will once again rule over creation with Christ if we remain obedient to God’s will for our lives. 

For Adam and Eve, obedience meant having children and ruling over creation. This is not to say that all people are to be married, have children, own farms or extensive portions of land to care for, and be literal tree huggers. God’s will for each person’s life is different. But this should not be used as an excuse for not searching out God’s will for our lives and caring for creation and others. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus states that caring for the sick, the hungry, the strangers and those in prison is part of caring for creation and all those in it. James argues that true religion is caring for widows and orphans and keeping oneself pure. We are all created beings, and as such we need to be looking out for and caring for one another. Christ calls us to live selflessly in his world, and we should be trying to do just that.