THE UPPER ROOM Insights into the Bible

THE NATURE OF GOD’S COVENANTS God does not tempt but He does test! If God does not tempt, then who does? The question is why does God test? Is it so that He will know what we will do in a given situation? Is it so that we would know what we would do in a given situation? What is the end result of testing? Ie. Auto driving exams

The end result of the testing of our faith is to produce patience or endurance (James 1:3). So the purpose of God’s testing is positive not negative, “to do you good in the end” (Deut 8:16). Knowing what to do is one thing; doing what you know to do is another. That is the crux of the Old Testament. Since God knows all things and the outcomes of all things, His covenants are not for His benefit but for our own benefit. In this process of covenants mankind is learning, or being tutored in two areas- learning about the character of God and, at the same time, learning the truth about one’s own character. The conclusion of seven of the eight covenants is that it is impossible to be “good” (holy and righteous) without His intervention and help. Knowing what to do is not the same as being able to do it. Unless we are tested, we will never be sure of the truth and see our need for a Savior.

THE EDENIC COVENANT Facts: The covenant covers 3 chapters, Genesis 1-3. The covenant is established in the Garden of Eden. There are no collateral characters. The primary characters are Adam, Eve, the Serpent and of course God. The serpent is Satan. The tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil” represents the principle of “choice”.

TERMS OF THE EDENIC COVENANT The covenant in the Garden of Eden is the first of the “universal covenants”, meaning it pertains to all of mankind. In it, Adam (representing mankind) is charged with three responsibilities: To be fruitful and multiply (produce children), to subdue (manage) the earth and have dominion (rule) over all the living things (Gen 1:28). To maintain and care for the Garden of Eden and enjoy its fruit (Gen 1:29; 2:15). All the blessings were contingent upon not eating of the fruit of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” (Gen 2:16,17).

OVERVIEW OF THE EDENIC PERIOD God made the covenant with Adam; therefore, both God and Adam were the “covenant-heads”. This means that everyone joining Adam’s family or future clan would also be subject to the terms of the covenant, the covenant-body. This means the entire future human race, represented by Adam, would also be subject to the covenant.

JESUS REVEALED IN THE EDENIC COVENANT Adam as a type of Christ (Rom 5:14). Adam was a type of Jesus, but with these important differences: Through one man, Adam, and his disobedience all of mankind became spiritually separated from God and ultimately would experience physical death. Through the one man, Jesus, the obedient Son and righteous sacrifice, man has been given the opportunity to restore the broken spiritual relationship with God and receive the gift of eternal life (Rom 5:12-19). The end result of Adam’s sin was condemnation. The end result of the free “gift of God” in Jesus is justification (being judged innocent, or saved; Rom 5:18,19). Sin came into the world through one man, Adam. Salvation would come into the world through one Man, Jesus.

PROGRESSIVE REVELATION The key to understanding the Edenic Covenant, and the following covenants, is to realize that it is the beginning of God’s progressive (step-by-step) revelation of Himself and His plan of redemption for mankind. It was as if mankind were being schooled or tutored by the experiences of life that God would arrange. God knows our tendencies (Psalm 103:14). He shows us by experience that we cannot make ourselves holy or righteous (Psa 14:1-3). Even innocence will not change the human tendency toward rebellion against God. Human nature wants to be independent of God. Human nature wants to “work or earn” its own salvation, but this is not possible for our own attempts at righteousness are like filthy rags (Isa 64:6). There can be no boasting in who truly does the work of making one holy and righteous (Eph 2:9). It is clear that it can only be God!

A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN In the Garden of Eden, man was given rule and reign over all things on the earth. As a result of Adam’s disobedience, his right to rule and reign was given to the serpent or Satan. This happened because Adam, the covenant-head, chose to obey Satan and disobey God- you serve whom you obey (Rom 6:16)! We see evidence of Satan’s rule during the temptation of Christ in the wilderness (Luke 4:5-7). Satan is called the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), the rulers of darkness (Eph 6:12), and the “god of this age” (2 Cor 4:4). The Edenic Covenant also gives us a preview of what Heaven will be like (Rev 22:1-5).

THE ISSUE OF INNOCENCE Innocence cannot keep people holy and righteous. Eventually that which is forbidden will tempt people to do what they know they should not do (Prov 9:17). Now that sin has entered the human race (Rom 5:12), the unbeliever is powerless in his own strength to resist temptation in all areas of life (Rom 7:15-23). It is only by believing and following Jesus Christ that we are set free from the power of sin (Titus 3:4-7). As believers we are given a “Helper” (John 15:26), the Holy Spirit (John 15:26, 16:5-7). The Holy Spirit helps us see the truth (John 14:17), leads us away from temptation (Rom 8:14) and empowers us to live for Christ!

WHAT IS SIN? Adam's sin (Gen 3:1-6) consisted in his yielding to temptation and eating the forbidden fruit. It involved: The sin of unbelief, virtually making God a liar The guilt of disobedience to a positive command By this sin he became a rebel against his Creator. He lost the favor of God and communion with him; his whole nature became depraved. Sin is "any lack of conformity to or transgression of the law of God" (1 John 3, 1 Chr 3:4, Rom 4:15), in motivation, as well as in the outward conduct, whether by omission or commission (Rom 6:12-17, 7:5-24). It is "not a mere violation of the law of our constitution, nor of the system of things, but an offence against a personal lawgiver and moral governor who vindicates his law with penalties. (EBD para.)

www.TowersPublishing.com www.DrVicTorres.com You will find two Blogs. One for this study called “Seeing the Forest Blog”, and the second is called “Ministry Trac Blog. Each week you will find notes, thoughts, PowerPoints, audios and videos of what was covered in the previous session.