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The Tale of Two Adams
What is the most significant problem you face as a human being? How can you get right with God? What is God's purpose in history? What is his plan for the future? What do these questions have to do with each other? In this book, author Chris Caughey says that the answer to all of these questions is found in a story -- the tale of two Adams. In clear language that is easy to understand, Caughey explains crucial biblical doctrines such as God's covenants, justification, sanctification, grace and works -- all on a journey from Genesis to Revelation.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 20, 2021
This book is exactly what I needed.
With an assignment coming up on Exodus 19 and plenty of time on my hands in lockdown, I decided to do some real thinking around covenant theology. This book made that easy. Super approachable and logical, Caughey laid out a convincing case that I’m on board with.
My main area of focus was around the highly debated function of the Mosaic Covenant. Is it a covenant of grace or of works? Caughey argues that it is a typological covenant of works (of course broken, but fulfilled in Christ).
Consistently gospel-centred, The Tale Of Two Adams has helped me understand covenant theology clearly. And in my limited knowledge, I see no reason to disagree with Caughey.
“He has earned all of the New Covenant blessings for us as if we had kept God’s original Covenant of Creation perfectly.”
With an assignment coming up on Exodus 19 and plenty of time on my hands in lockdown, I decided to do some real thinking around covenant theology. This book made that easy. Super approachable and logical, Caughey laid out a convincing case that I’m on board with.
My main area of focus was around the highly debated function of the Mosaic Covenant. Is it a covenant of grace or of works? Caughey argues that it is a typological covenant of works (of course broken, but fulfilled in Christ).
Consistently gospel-centred, The Tale Of Two Adams has helped me understand covenant theology clearly. And in my limited knowledge, I see no reason to disagree with Caughey.
“He has earned all of the New Covenant blessings for us as if we had kept God’s original Covenant of Creation perfectly.”
March 5, 2022
Fantastic introduction to Covenant Theology. Not only does Chris Caughey provide a thorough overview if the covenants but he intertwines it with Christocentric hermeneutics and an emphasis on theological concepts like the law/Gospel distinction and the importance of merit in our justification. The consistency of these ideas through the book ties the covenants together really and i came away feeling exhorted in the Gospel of Christ. I think this is a distinguishing factor of his covenant theology, not only does he touch on things like the doctrine of the Church and the continuity of the Church through old and new testaments but he ties it all back to Christ as our head. Sometimes these discussions get sidetracked by systematic discussions but with the emphasis on Christ, i can see how all the ideas fit together. It's a very good read and i would definitely recommend it to anyone looking at covenant theology and also to those looking for a way to reconcile the use of the law in the Christian's life.
February 14, 2021
Amazing readable introduction to covenant theology. Highly recommended.
December 23, 2020
A great introduction to Reformed Covenant Theology.
Chris, skillfully, handles the major biblical covenants in a way that is accessible and straight forward.
He attempts to contrast the protestant distinction of Law and Gospel via biblical covenants (Covenatnt of Works and Covenant of Grace), from some noteworthy protestant theologians and pastors who reject any such distinctions, notably E. P. Sanders, N.T. Wright, Peter Leithart, Doug Wilson, Daniel Fuller, John Piper and others. What results from his careful work is a glorious presentation of Christ, our Last Adam, and his gospel.
I highly recommend this title to all believers from any Christian tradition.
Chris, skillfully, handles the major biblical covenants in a way that is accessible and straight forward.
He attempts to contrast the protestant distinction of Law and Gospel via biblical covenants (Covenatnt of Works and Covenant of Grace), from some noteworthy protestant theologians and pastors who reject any such distinctions, notably E. P. Sanders, N.T. Wright, Peter Leithart, Doug Wilson, Daniel Fuller, John Piper and others. What results from his careful work is a glorious presentation of Christ, our Last Adam, and his gospel.
I highly recommend this title to all believers from any Christian tradition.
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October 16, 2014Well worth the time.
July 8, 2017
Another excellent intro to Covenant Theology. Clear and understandable overview.
March 8, 2021
A take on standard reformed covenantal theology and looking at the covenants as well as law and gospel. It is a good overview of the two Adams and how being under one or the other makes all the difference.
November 12, 2019
A clear and concise overview of covenant theology that was easy for this Evangelical to comprehend. Well worth reading!
September 8, 2021
A great overview of Covenant Theology that informed by the perspective of the late and great Meredith Kline. Caughey takes Kline's writing and makes it way more accessible for the average reader.
June 11, 2025
"What is for us a Covenant of Grace was for Christ a covenant of works. God can graciously give us eternal life in His Kingdom because Christ merited life in the Kingdom by His perfect obedience. God can forgive our sins because Christ bore the curse that we deserved."
This is a thoroughly enjoyable, edifying, and accessible introduction to reformed theology. Chris was a member of our church in Dublin for several years while pursuing his PhD, and this little book is much like the man himself: warm, friendly, logical, consistent and thoughtful. He gives a really solid overview of each of the scriptural covenants and how they fit together. The sections comparing the covenant of grace and the covenant of redemption, and the distinction drawn between things holy and things common, were particularly helpful and memorable.
While written for a general audience, the particular slant or emphasis that is evident is Chris's advocacy for a Klinean interpretation of covenant theology, and a rebuttal of the mono-covenantal thinking of Norman Shepherd and the Federal Vision. As regards the intricacies of Klines writing and thought, I am no expert (nor even a novice), but I do have some residual questions about how we define merit, how far we should parallel and contrast Adam and Christ, and how far we should parallel and contrast the administrations of the covenant of grace.
That being said, I found Chris's argumentation and presentation of the covenants to be thorough and compelling. In summary, God "establishes covenants based on justice through works or covenants based on grace through faith - but never both. When a covenant is based on justice, God chooses a reward and tells humanity what kind of obedience we must produce in order to receive the reward. God has the right to do that. But in covenants based on grace, God fulfils the required obedience for His people, and he produces obedience in them as part of the covenant blessing."
This kind of writing and thinking is badly needed by the church today, as Chris himself points out: "Broad evangelicalism values orthopathos (right feeling) over orthodoxy (right belief), sentimentalism over gratitude, pietism over Word and sacrament piety, personal preferences or "rights" over wisdom, novelty over tradition, things private over things corporate and things subjective over things objective." If we are to stand firm in our day, then one of the things we need is a deep biblical and systematic theology. As Protestants, that must involve engagement with the rich heritage we have in the reformed confessions, and Chris's book is a great first step to doing just that.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable, edifying, and accessible introduction to reformed theology. Chris was a member of our church in Dublin for several years while pursuing his PhD, and this little book is much like the man himself: warm, friendly, logical, consistent and thoughtful. He gives a really solid overview of each of the scriptural covenants and how they fit together. The sections comparing the covenant of grace and the covenant of redemption, and the distinction drawn between things holy and things common, were particularly helpful and memorable.
While written for a general audience, the particular slant or emphasis that is evident is Chris's advocacy for a Klinean interpretation of covenant theology, and a rebuttal of the mono-covenantal thinking of Norman Shepherd and the Federal Vision. As regards the intricacies of Klines writing and thought, I am no expert (nor even a novice), but I do have some residual questions about how we define merit, how far we should parallel and contrast Adam and Christ, and how far we should parallel and contrast the administrations of the covenant of grace.
That being said, I found Chris's argumentation and presentation of the covenants to be thorough and compelling. In summary, God "establishes covenants based on justice through works or covenants based on grace through faith - but never both. When a covenant is based on justice, God chooses a reward and tells humanity what kind of obedience we must produce in order to receive the reward. God has the right to do that. But in covenants based on grace, God fulfils the required obedience for His people, and he produces obedience in them as part of the covenant blessing."
This kind of writing and thinking is badly needed by the church today, as Chris himself points out: "Broad evangelicalism values orthopathos (right feeling) over orthodoxy (right belief), sentimentalism over gratitude, pietism over Word and sacrament piety, personal preferences or "rights" over wisdom, novelty over tradition, things private over things corporate and things subjective over things objective." If we are to stand firm in our day, then one of the things we need is a deep biblical and systematic theology. As Protestants, that must involve engagement with the rich heritage we have in the reformed confessions, and Chris's book is a great first step to doing just that.
May 26, 2012
Great introduction to covenant theology. Also provides some of Meredith Cline's insights without getting too tedious.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews