Benjamin,
This is a topic I am interested in, and one I have had a hard time understanding fully in the past. Thank you for doing this series.
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The Covenant of Works is best defined as the agreement between God and Adam in the Garden that as long as Adam followed the Law that had been given to him he would attain eternal life and live accordingly in the Garden for eternity (cf: Gen 2:16-17). As long as Adam did as God asked by fulfilling the Law then Adam would be rewarded with his eternal existence in the Garden. However we all know what happened next.
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My question is how Reformed thinkers have traditionally derived the idea of a probationary period from the text you cited. God tells Adam that he will die if he eats from that tree, and that He will live if he doesn't. Where does the idea about transferring into a state of blessedness different from his current state of relationship with God come in?