“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ – therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:22-24).
Federal Visionists love this passage because they think that this is the first time that God prevented Adam and Eve from eating of the ToL (Tree of Life). They assert that God gave Adam and Eve access to the ToL from the beginning. Rather than requiring them to merit covenant blessings, God gave the blessings of the covenant upfront, apart from their merit. Thus, the pre-fall covenant was supposedly based upon “grace.”
Dude.
The Reformed faith has always insisted that the pre-fall covenant was a COW (Covenant of Works). Adam was sinless, but not righteous. He could have merited covenant blessings through his works of perfect obedience. Thus, if Adam had obeyed perfectly, he would have earned access to the ToL, but not before.
Now, the Bible never indicates that God had previously barred Adam from the ToL. In fact, the text explicitly states the opposite, as the TKGE (Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) was the only tree that was forbidden (Genesis 2:16-17). However, we have never let the word of God stand in the way of our modern Reformed imagination.
Notwithstanding the Scriptures, the Reformed faith has always insisted that both trees were out of bounds. This is precisely where the theological train track splits, and unfortunately, Federal Visionists take a right (heading home to Rome), when they should take a left (easing towards Escondido).
The two trees of the garden represent the Law and the Gospel. The TKGE represents the Law, and the ToL represents the Gospel. If Adam had kept the Law (TKGE), then he would have earned access to the Gospel (ToL). Those who deny this are SoL.
Federal Visionists claim that this is speculative eisegesis, but isn’t this just the kettle calling the pot black? Federal Visionists are the ones who employ a typological hermeneutic that would make Origen squirm.
Typology is absolutely necessary, but only when proper hermeneutics are employed. The Reformed hermeneutic is Law/Gospel. Until you read the Bible through Law/Gospel glasses, then you are misreading the Scriptures. Once you understand the Law/Gospel grid, then you will have the inklination to see every pair in the Bible as symbolic of the Law and the Gospel. For instance, consider these obvious examples:
The sun and the moon = the Law and the Gospel
The two wives of Lamech = the Law and the Gospel
The two angels that rescued Lot = the Law and the Gospel
The two tablets of stone = the Law and the Gospel
The two cherubim on the ark = the Law and the Gospel
Nadab and Abihu = the Law and the Gospel
The twin gazelles in Song of Songs = the Law and the Gospel
The two female bears that devoured the youths who insulted Elisha = the Law and the Gospel
The two fish in the feeding of the 5,000 = the Law and the Gospel
The sons of Zebedee = the Law and the Gospel
The two greatest commandments = the Law and the Gospel
The two denarii in the Good Samaritan = the Law and the Gospel
The two mites of the widow = the Law and the Gospel
The two angels in Jesus’ tomb = the Law and the Gospel
The two soldiers who guarded Peter = the Law and the Gospel
The two years Paul spent in Rome = the Law and the Gospel
The two-edged sword of the word of God = the Law and the Gospel
The two witnesses in Revelation = the Law and the Gospel
This is just a sample of how understanding Law and Gospel opens up the Scriptures in breathtaking ways. For all their self-vaunted “Biblicism,” you won’t see Federal Visionists engage in this quality of interpretation. So much for exegesis. So much for the Bible.
Dude.
