Dispensation of Conscience
When Adam and Eve ate of the
tree of knowledge of good and evil, they were given the
knowledge of good and evil – a conscience. Rather than to
obey the simple commands that God had given them previously,
they were expected to live according to the conscience that
they now had.
The Adamic Covenant brought
both good and bad for Adam and Eve. The result of breaking
the Edenic covenant brought death to them. In addition to
this though, there would be sorrow in life and it would be
hard. The easy work of the Garden would be replaced with
hard labor and the ground would be cursed. Likewise there
would be pain in childbirth and man would be placed as head
over woman.
Despite the negative side of
this covenant, the serpent would be punished. The serpent
would be despised and feared and caused to move along its
belly. More importantly however, in Genesis 3:15 we are
given the first promise of Jesus. The seed of the woman
would crush the head of the serpent even though the serpent
would strike His heal.
Blood sacrifice is
instituted as a result of this covenant to cover Adam and
Eve’s nakedness. It was an expectation of this dispensation
and pointed toward the eventual sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross.
The age of conscience
ends in failure at the time of Noah. As the Lord surveys the
earth in Genesis 6:6 He is “grieved in His heart.” Man
was unable to follow his conscience and unwilling to obey.
Therefore God planned to destroy the earth in a flood with
the exception of Noah and his family.
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