A Covenant that Only Condemns Us

Pastor walks his children through Children's Catechism question 42—especially explaining how the Covenant of Works can only kill us; for salvation, we need Christ, and His Covenant of Grace.

Q42. Why can none be saved through the covenant of works? Because all have broken it, and are condemned by it.

The lesson establishes that no one can be saved through the covenant of works because all humanity, represented by Adam, has broken it through sin, resulting in universal condemnation and death. Rooted in Romans 5:12, it emphasizes that the covenant of works only declares judgment—death and hell—making salvation impossible within its framework. In contrast, Jesus, as the new and last Adam, stands outside this covenant, but has paid its penalty for those united to Him. Through faith, believers are transferred from the condemned status of the first Adam into the righteous standing of Christ in the covenant of grace.