The Old Covenant Was One Of Works

Paedobaptist covenant theology is deeply rooted in the idea that the old and new covenants are essentially the same; that both covenants are manifestations of the covenant of grace. This, however, is simply not the case. The covenant established at Mt. Sinai was founded upon the law. It was founded upon God’s commandments, upon the phrase, “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them” (Lev. 18:5). The old covenant was not a covenant of grace, because it was not rooted in grace nor did it promise or dispense grace to it participants. Rather, it was a conditional covenant based on works—that eventually led to the condemnation of its participants. To put it plainly, the Mosaic Covenant was not a part of the covenant of grace, but the covenant of works.

Adapted from The Fatal Flaw: The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism by Jeffrey Johnson