Lesson 9: God – Man’s Alienation From God By His Fall Into Sin

Introduction

Hello, and welcome back to An Introduction To The Christian Faith. In this lesson, we will be considering Baptist Catechism questions 16-22. These questions clearly go together. Each one is about man’s fall into sin and sin’s effects. 

In the previous lesson, I warned that this section delivers very bad news. But may I remind you that the bad news is vitally important, for without it, the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ cannot be understood. 

Question 16: Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

Answer: Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.

Baptist Catechism question 16 asks, Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? 

Adam and Eve are called “our first parents” because the whole human race descended from them. 

We do not use the word “estate” very much. In this context, estate means, state of being or condition. So the question is, did Adam and Eve continue in the state of being or condition that they enjoyed when they were first created?

And what was their original condition? We should remember Baptist Catechism 13. It asks, How did God create man? The answer: God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. The words, “in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness”, describe the estate or condition of our first parents when they were created. The man and the woman were made in the image of God. They were given dominion over the other creatures. But what was their quality or condition? They possessed true knowledge. They stood right before God. They were holy, that is, they were without defect or stain of sin. Do you remember the repeated refrain of Genesis 1? Everything in God’s creation was declared to be good, good, and very good when God made it.  

So, question 16 asks, did Adam and Eve remain in that state of being or condition? Chapter 9, paragraph 2 of our Confession of Faith refers to the original estate of Adam and Eve as a “state of innocency”. Did they remain in that state of being? That is the question. Answer: Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.

There are three things to notice about this answer:

One, the answer is, no. Our first parents did not remain in the estate or condition of their original creation. Our catechism says, “they fell”. Remember, Adam and Eve were created perfect and upright in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Something greater was offered to them in the covenant of life or works (remember Baptist Catechism 15). What blessing were they offered in the covenant of life? Something higher than what they possessed at first – life eternal – life in glory. This they would receive through obedience. But instead of ascending to this higher form of life, they fell short of it and downward into a worse condition (see Genesis 3 & 4; Romans 3:23). Chapter 9, paragraph 3, Our Confession of Faith calls this fallen state of being, the “state of sin”.

Two, notice the stress placed on free will. Our catechism says, “Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.” 

The doctrine of free will is very important. Free will is the ability to act upon choice. Stated differently, free will is the ability to make free and rational decisions and to take action based upon those decisions. It is important to know that human beings were created by God with the power to think, speak, and act based on choices they freely make.

I’ve been drawing your attention to chapter 9 of our Confession of Faith, which is about free will. I’d encourage you to read it sometime soon. When you do, you will notice three things. One, Adam and Eve were created with free will. Two, human beings did not lose free will after Adam fell into sin. In other words, men and women still have the ability to act upon choice after the fall, and they always will. Three, the thing that changes (as it pertains to man’s free will) is man’s state of being or condition and, therefore, his ability. If a man is corrupt in the mind and heart, what will he freely choose? That which is corrupt. If a man is pure in his mind and heart, what will he freely choose? That which is pure. If there is a mixture, what will he choose? The results will be varied.  

Our confession and catechism both rightly teach that Adam and Eve were created pure. There was no defect or corruption in them. But they were created with the ability to act upon choice, and they were also given a choice. The two trees in the garden – the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – symbolize the choice of obedience to God or rebellion against him. More than this, we must also confess that they were tested and even tempted. By whom? They were tested by God. They were tempted by Satan. 

Listen to how Second London Confession 9.2 puts it: “Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God, but yet was mutable so that he might fall from it.” Did you catch that? Adam and Eve were innocent and pure. They possessed the power to act upon choice. They possessed the power (or ability) to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God. But they were mutable. That means they were changeable. They were able to obey, but they were also able to disobey God’s command. The temptation to sin against God did not come from God, nor did it come from within themselves, but from without. It was the serpent who tempted Eve, and Eve who brought the temptation to Adam. What did the temptation latch upon or appeal to in Adam and Eve? Their freewill. It was their upright but mutable condition that permitted them to sin. Thanks be to God, we will have free will in eternity, but we will no longer be mutable. We will be confirmed in righteousness then. To see this communicated in a symbolic way, you may read Revelation 22 and notice that in the new heavens and earth, there will be only one special tree, not two. Only the tree of life will be there (see Revelation 22:1-5). No tree of the knowledge of good and evil will be found. This means the new heavens and earth will not be a place of testing. No, for the test has been passed (see Luke 4:1-13) and the victory has been won by Jesus Christ the Lord (see John 19:30).

Well, let’s get back to Baptist Catechism question and answer 16. Question: Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? Answer: Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. The third thing to note about this answer is that man fell when man sinned.

Question 17: What is sin?

Answer: Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.

This leads us straight to question 17. It asks, What is sin? Notice that the question is generic. The question is not, what sin did Adam and Eve commit? We will get to that. This question is, What is sin? The answer is so important: Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. 

To sin is to miss the mark of God’s law. To sin is to fall short of God’s rule or standard. God’s law alone is the rule or standard. You do not sin when you transgress man-made rules and regulations or cultural norms. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.

Let us consider the phrase, “want of conformity unto”. The word “want” means lack. Sin is any lack of conformity unto God’s law. This phrase reminds us that God’s law requires things of us.  We sin when we fail to do that which God has required. Now, let us consider the words, “transgression of”. Sin is any transgression of the law of God. This reminds us that God’s law forbids us from doing certain things. We sin when we do what God has forbidden. 

So, sin always has reference to God’s law. We sin when we violate God’s law. And God’s law can be violated in two ways. One, a person sins when they fail to do what God’s law requires (that would be a want or lack of conformity to God’s law). Theologians refer to these as sins of omission. Two, a person sins when they do what God’s law forbids. Theologians refer to these as sins of commission.

Please keep this principle in mind. It will emerge again in a big way when we come to consider the Ten Commandments with the help of Baptist Catechism questions 44-86. The Ten Commandments have God’s ever-abiding and unchanging moral law at the core of them. All people in all places are bound to obey God’s moral law. And you will observe a pattern in this section of our catechism. It will ask, what is the blank commandment? And then the commandment will be cited. After that, our catechism will ask, what is required in this commandment? And then after that, our catechism will ask, what is forbidden in this commandment? What we will see, is that the commandments that are stated positively (you shall honor your father and mother, for example), also forbid things, by way of implication. And the commandments that are stated negatively (you shall not murder, for example), also require things, by way of implication. The command, do not murder does not only forbid murder, it also requires the preservation of life. The point is this: God’s law requires things and it forbids things, both in direct ways and by way of implication. We sin when we fail to do what God has commanded. We also sin when we do what God has forbidden. Sin always has reference to God’s law. 

If it is true that sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God (which it is), then shouldn’t we ask the question, what is God’s law? What has God commanded? What has God forbidden? What is the duty that he requires of us?

As I have said, we will eventually come to consider God’s moral law as summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments (see Baptist Catechism 44-86). The questions, what does God require and forbid will be answered rather thoroughly there. But there are a couple of categories that I think would be very helpful to you. I’d like to present them to you now. 

It is important to make a distinction between natural (or moral) law and positive laws. 

What is natural law? In brief, it is the moral law that is common to all men. It was impressed upon Adam’s heart in the beginning. It remains in the heart of man even after the fall. Granted, it is distorted and suppressed by sinful men and women, but there it remains. You can see it all around. Generally speaking, men and women know that there is a God, that he is to be worshiped, and that a proportion of time is to be devoted to worship. Men and women also know that honor is to be shown to fathers and mothers and that murder, adultery, stealing, lying, and covetousness are immoral. Again, these moral laws are all twisted up, distorted, and suppressed by sinful men and women, but the principle holds true. It is this same natural or moral law, which was impressed upon Adam and Eve’s heart in the beginning, that is at the heart of the Ten Commandments given to Israel through Moses on tablets of stone. Who is the natural or moral law for? Who is obliged to obey it? It is binding on all people living in all times and places. It does not matter who you are, where you live, or when you are alive, it is sin to worship false gods, to murder, steal, lie, and cheat. It is by this law – the natural or moral law – that all men and women will be judged on the last day, if not in Christ (see Romans 1:18-2:16).

What are positive laws, then? They are laws added by God (that is what is meant by positive – they are added to the moral law) in connection with the various covenants God has made with man throughout history. 

What was the positive law that God added to the moral or natural law in the covenant he made with Adam while in the garden? It was the law to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 2:16-17). Did Adam know that he was not to eat the fruit of that tree by nature? No. If Adam were to have eaten of that tree before God said, don’t eat of it, would that have been a sin? No. For where there is no law there is no sin. But was it a sin for Adam to eat from that particular tree after God said, do not eat of it? Yes. For God had added that positive law to the moral law which was already in Adam’s heart. Eating fruit from trees is, generally speaking,  a morally neutral activity. But Adam sinned when he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for God had told him not to eat of it. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. This includes the natural or moral law and any positive laws that God reveals.  

God also gave Abraham a positive law when he entered a special covenant with him and his descendants. It was the law of circumcision (see Genesis 17:10). Did God’s people sin if they were not circumcised before God told Abraham to be circumcised and to circumcise all of his male descendants? No. And do we sin if we do not circumcise our male children now that the Old Covenant has passed away, having been fulfilled by Christ? No. But would it have been a sin for Abraham to fail to circumcise his sons? Yes! Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. 

You should also know that many positive laws were added and imposed upon God’s people under the Old Mosaic Covenant. It is in the law of Moses that we find positive laws concerning worship at the Tabernacle, the priesthood, sacrifices, and ceremonial purity. Through Moses God also gave laws regarding dietary restrictions and the observance of Holy Day. These are all called ceremonial laws. And in addition to this, God added laws to govern Israel as a nation. These are called civil laws. Again, I ask you, did God’s people sin when they did not worship at the tabernacle or avoid certain kinds of food before these laws were given by God to Israel through Moses? No. Do we sin when we do not obey these laws now that the Old Covenant has passed away, having been fulfilled by Christ? No. But would it have been a sin for a Hebrew who lived under the Old Mosaic Covenant to disobey these laws? Yes! Even Jesus Christ had to keep them, for he was born into and lived under the Old Mosaic Covenant.  Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. This includes the moral law and any of the positive laws that God has added to the covenant under which you live. As you can see, positive laws may be added, and they may also be taken away with the passing of a particular covenant. 

This brings us to the New Covenant. What laws are we who are members of the New Covenant through faith in Christ obligated to obey? I think it is best to say, we are to obey the law of Christ. In John 14:15 we hear Christ say, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” In John 15:10 we hear Christ say, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” So what are the commandments of Christ? They are, first of all, the natural or moral law written on Adam’s heart at creation and contained in the Ten Commandments (see Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 10:16) . Secondly, they are the positive laws added to the New Covenant. What are the positive laws of the New Covenant? Those who profess faith in Christ are to be baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those baptized are to partake of the Lord’s Supper (see Acts 2:42). This is why Christ commissioned his Apostles, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20). Did God’s people sin when they were not baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit upon profession of faith, or when they did not partake of the Lord’s Supper before the institution of these ordinances by our Lord and Savior? No, that’s absurd. But do professing Christians sin when they willfully forsake baptism and the Lord’s Supper (along with the other means of grace that God has given us)? Yes. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. This includes the ever-abiding and unchanging moral law of God, and the positive laws that God has attached to the covenant we are living under. 

You probably have questions about the moral law contained within the Ten Commandments. Lord willing, we will address those questions in future lessons. For now, please understand the difference between moral and positive laws. This distinction will help you greatly as we move forward. One thing it will help with is understanding why the ceremonial and civil laws of the Old Covenant – the law of circumcision and laws about worship at the temple, etc. – are no longer binding on us. These were positive laws added to the moral law under the Old Covenant order and they have been taken away now that Christ and the New Covenant have come. New Covenant Christians are to strive to obey God’s moral law, the commands of Christ peculiar to life under the New Covenant (see Matthew 18:15-20, for example), and the positive laws added under the New Covenant, baptism (see Matthew 28:18-20) and the Lord’s Supper (see Luke 22:19).

What is sin? Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God?

Question 18: What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?

Answer: The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit.

In question 18 our attention returns to Adam and Eve. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? Answer: The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit.

I encourage you to read Genesis 3 sometime soon. There we find an account of the temptation of Adam and Eve and of their fall into sin. I would also encourage you to read Benjamin Beddome’s, Exposition Of The Baptist Catechism on this question (Print|Web). He offers some helpful observations about the temptation of Adam and Eve. 

Here is an interesting question: Did Adam and Eve sin against God in their hearts and minds before eating the forbidden fruit? They must have. At some point, they started to believe the voice of the serpent, who was Satan (see Revelation 20:2). At some point, they began to distrust the word of God. At some point, they were overtaken by sinful lust and pride. They rebelled against God in the mind and heart before they rebelled against him with the hand and the mouth. But it was when Adam ate the forbidden fruit that the covenant of life was broken, for God told him, “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

Some might wonder, what was so evil about eating from this tree? I’d like to read you an excerpt from a commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC) written by a man named Thomas Vincent in the year 1674. Remember, the Baptist Catechism is very similar to the WSC. If you were to compare Baptist Catechism 18 with WSC 15, you would find they are identical. Listen to what Thomas Vincent says. He asks, “What sins did the eating of the forbidden fruit include?” He answers, 

“The sins included in our first parents’ eating the forbidden fruit were – 1. Rebellion against God their sovereign, who had expressly forbidden them to eat of this tree. 2. Treason, in conspiring with the devil, God’s enemy, against God. 3. Ambition, in aspiring to a higher state, namely, to be as God. 4. Luxury, in indulging so much to please the sense of taste, which did inordinately desire this fruit. 5. Ingratitude to God, who had given them leave to eat of any tree of the garden besides. 6. Unbelief, in not giving credit to the threatening of death, but believing the devil, who said they should not die, rather than God, who told them they should surely die, did they eat of this fruit. 7. Murder, in bringing death, by this sin, upon themselves, and all their posterity. These, and many other sins, were included in this sin of our first parents’ eating of the forbidden fruit; which did render it exceeding heinous in the sight of God.” (The Shorter Catechism Explained From Scripture, Thomas Vincent)

Perhaps a brief word should be said about the name of the forbidden tree. God called it, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What does the name mean? I think it is this: Before Adam sinned, he knew good and evil in a certain way. He knew what it was to be and do good experientially as he received God’s word and lived in obedience to it. Before the fall, he did not know what it was to be or do evil experientially. He knew evil only by receiving and submitting to God’s word. When Adam took fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and ate it, he rebelled against God’s word and decided for himself what is good and evil. And after he sinned, Adam knew evil experientially, for he had committed evil, and evil was now in the world, as we will soon see. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a tree of testing and its name signified all of these things.

Question 19: Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?

Answer: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him by ordinary generation sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression.  

Question 19 of the Baptist Catechism is important. It asks, Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression? I suppose the question could also be put like this: Was it only Adam who fell, or did others fall with him? Answer: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him by ordinary generation sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression.  

Notice the words “the covenant”. Which covenant? The covenant of life that was mentioned in Baptist Catechism 15. 

The covenant, it should be remembered, was made with Adam (see Genesis 2:17). It was not made with Eve. This is why the covenant was not broken when Eve ate the forbidden fruit (see Genesis 3:6). It was broken when Adam ate it.  

But this covenant was not made with Adam alone as an individual. No, it was made with Adam as a representative of humanity. Adam lived as a federal head or representative of Eve and all who would descend from them. 

This can be proven from Scripture in two ways. 

Firstly, consider the narrative of Genesis 3 and following. At the end of Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are banished from the garden and the way to the tree of life is closed off. In Genesis 4, we are told of the birth of Adam and Eve’s children. They are born, not in Eden and with access to the tree of life, but outside of Eden and without access to the tree of life. Adam’s sin did not only effect him but all who descended from him through procreation.  

Secondly, consider the straightforward teaching of the Apostle Paul. Romans 5:12-14 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…” (Romans 5:12–14). A bit later, Paul says that “one trespass led to condemnation for all men…” (Romans 5:18). And again, he says, “by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19). 

Adam represented humanity. His obedience would have brought eternal life to all. His disobedience brought sin and death to all who descended from him by ordinary generation. This is the principle of federal headship or covenantal representation. The covenant was made with Adam, not only for himself but for his posterity.

Our catechism goes on to say that “all mankind descending from [Adam] by ordinary generation sinned in him”. How was all humanity in Adam? In two ways: One, all humanity was in his loins, just as Levi is said to have been in Abraham when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (see Hebrews 7:9). Two, all humanity was in Adam because he was appointed to be our representative.  

Again, our catechism says, “all mankind descending from [Adam] by ordinary generation sinned in him.” The word “ordinary” is very important. Why? Because it leaves room for an exception, namely Jesus Christ. Was Jesus Christ born from Adam? Yes and no. He was born into this world a true son of Adam (see Luke 3:38). But he was not conceived (generated) in an ordinary way. He was conceived in an extraordinary way. Jesus, as you know, was born of a virgin. The doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ is very important, you see. It does more than merely prove Jesus to be the Son of God. It was also necessary so that Jesus Christ could be the true Son of Adam (a true man), and yet without sin.

Finally, our catechism says that “all mankind descending from [Adam] by ordinary generation… fell with him in his first transgression. This is to remind us of Baptist Catechism 18. It was not only Adam and Eve who fell from their state of innocence and into the state of sin, but all whom Adam represented as a covenant or federal head, namely, all humanity descending from him by way of ordinary generation.  

Some might be tempted to complain about this arrangement, saying, well, that’s not fair that Adam represented me and so many others! My purpose in this introductory course is not to debate questions like this but to tell you what the Scriptures teach. I will offer one argument that might help those who believe the Bible to be the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ contained within. This principle of representation or federal headship is at the very heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can it be that your sins are washed away, that you are made right before God, and that you have received the gift of eternal life by trusting in Jesus? This is only possible because Jesus Christ did not live, die, and rise again as an individual, but as a representative. Jesus Christ is like Adam in some very important ways. In fact, Paul refers to Jesus as the “last Adam” in 1 Corinthians 15:45. How is Jesus like Adam? Jesus is a man who lived in the place of others as a representative. Adam was the representative of all humanity under the covenant of life or works. Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again as the representative of all God’s elect (see John 17, Ephesians 1-2, Ephesians 5:25), that is to say, all who have been or will be united to him by faith.

Earlier, I read portions of Romans 5:12-19 to show that Adam lived as the representative of humanity under the covenant of life. I skipped over portions of that text because I wanted to save them for now. It is here in Romans 5:12-19 that Paul shows us the important relationship between Adam and Jesus Christ. What do they have in common? They were both men appointed by God to live as representatives. How are they different? Well, Adam broke the covenant of life and brought all humanity into a state of sin and death. Jesus Christ was obedient to the covenant of redemption and has earned life in glory for all who are in him. How does a person come to be “in Christ” (see Ephesians 1:3-14)?  It is by faith that we are united to Christ as our federal head or representative. 

Listen to Romans 5:12-19:

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:12–19)

We still have a few questions to consider. I’ll try to be brief. 

Question 20: Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

Answer: The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery.  

Baptist Catechism 20 asks, Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? Answer: The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. 

Here we find the word “estate” again. Remember Baptist Catechism 16 and Second London Confession chapter 9. The fall brought man out of the estate of innocence and into an estate of sin and misery. Man did not cease to be man. Man did not cease to be the image of God (see Genesis 9:6). Man did not lose his ability to think rationally, to feel, or to freely choose. His condition did change, though. When Adem fell all humanity fell in him. And what is the estate that humanity is now in by nature? A state or condition of sin and misery.    

Question 21: Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?

Answer: The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.

Question 21 then asks, Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? Perhaps another way to ask this question would be, what does this sinful estate include? What is involved in it? What effect did Adam’s fall into sin have on humanity? Answer: The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want [lack] of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. I know I keep saying this, but it is true. This teaching is so important. What does it mean to be fallen in Adam? What effect did Adam’s sin have on human beings? Three things are said as it pertains to man’s fallen condition. Each one should be contrasted with man’s condition in the state of innocence. 

One, instead of man being holy as he was when first created (see Baptist Catechism 12), man is now guilty by nature. Adam’s guilt is imputed to all who are born from him through ordinary generation under the broken covenant of life or works.  

Two, instead of man being righteous (right with God) as he was when first created (see Baptist Catechism 12), man lacks this original righteousness.

Three, instead of man possessing true knowledge as he did in the beginning (see Baptist Catechism 12), his whole nature is corrupted. His mind is darkened. His affections are disordered. His will is bent towards evil.

These three things have to do with the condition of man’s nature. Man is fallen now. His nature is totally depraved. This is why Paul says that men, by nature, are children of wrath (see Ephesians 2:3). This is why Jesus spoke to those who rejected him as the Messiah, saying, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires” (John 8:44).

Our catechism then notes that these three effects of the fall are commonly called original sin. This is not a reference to Adam’s original sin, but to the fact that, since the fall, all human beings are born into the world in this fallen and sinful condition. This is now our original condition. We will sometimes say, look at how innocent that child is! And children are innocent, compared to others. Why? Because, if they are very young,  they have not lived long enough to willfully sin. But it would be a mistake to think that they are innocent in the way that Adam and Eve were in the beginning. No, we are born in sin (see Psalm 51:5). We are born in Adam, under the broken covenant of works (see Romans 5:12-19), with Adam’s guilt imputed to us (see Romans 3:10-19), at enmity with God (see Ephesians 2:1-3), and with corrupted natures (see Romans 8:7-8).

Finally, it is from this fallen and sinful condition that all actual sin flows. That is what our catechism means when it says, “together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.” 

Have you ever wondered why everyone sins? Some might say, it is because of the bad example and negative effects of society. It’s a nurture problem. No, before the problem of nurture, there is the problem of nature. Men and women sin – they transgress God’s law freely and willingly – even from a very young age because we are born guilty, at enmity with God, and corrupted in nature. This is the effect that Adam’s sin has had upon humanity descending from him by ordinary generation. 

I will not take any time to flesh this out, but I would encourage you to think about how this doctrine of original sin relates to the person of Jesus Christ and our salvation in him. Think again of the virgin birth. Think of the doctrine of the incarnation (which we will come to consider later in this study). How was the man Jesus able to perfectly obey God and to accomplish our salvation? It has a lot to do with the fact that he was not born in sin as we are, but was born of a virgin, having been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 1:35). In other words, Jesus was born in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, just as Adam was created. And what does this have to do with our salvation in him? Well, Christ does not only forgive and redeem his people, he renews the image of God in them. Paul wrote about this in Colossians 3:9. He addressed Christians when he said, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:9–10).

Hear Question 21 again: Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? Answer: The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. This is true doctrine. 

Question 22: What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?

Answer: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever.

Finally, we come to question 22. It is the heaviest of them all. It asks, What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? Remember, the name given to this fallen state of being is the estate of sin and misery. The previous question asked, Wherein consists the sinfulness of this estate. This question asks, what is the misery of this estate? In other words, what miseries, afflictions, and torments came upon the human race when Adam fell into sin? Answer: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever.

I warned you that this section is filled with bad news. Again I say, though unpleasant to consider, the bad news must be known if the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ is to be understood.

Five miseries are mentioned. It should be noted that each one of these miseries is remedied through faith in Jesus Christ. 

The first misery mentioned is the loss of communion with God. To commune with God is to enjoy a close and right relationship with him. Adam and Eve enjoyed sweet communion with God in the garden. They walked with God. They were at peace with him. They enjoyed his presence. Sin ruined that. Genesis 3:8 describes something that happened after man sinned. It says, “And [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Prior to man’s fall into sin, God’s presence in the garden-temple would have been pure pleasure. After man’s fall into sin, God’s presence was a terror to the man and the women, for no longer were there right with him. They were now rebels and traitors. Their communion with God was broken. At the end of Genesis 3, we see that God cast the man and the women out of the garden. Earlier I referred to the garden as a temple, for that is what it was. It was a holy place set apart from the rest of creation wherein Adam and Eve enjoyed the presence of God as they worshiped and served him. 

The loss of communion with God is the first misery mentioned, one, because it is the first misery Adam and Eve experienced. When God approached them as he had done before, they were, for the first time, overwhelmed with a sense of shame and dread. They had sinned against God. They were now enemies of God. Two, this is the first misery mentioned because it is most fundamental. Our biggest and saddest problem is that we are, by nature, enemies of God and alienated from him. Do you remember Westminster Shorter Catechism 1? Question: What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Our biggest and saddest problem – our chiefest misery – is that we are unable to glorify God and to enjoy him because of sin. 

This is the problem that Jesus Christ came to fix. Listen to Colossians 1:21-22. There Paul speaks to Christians, saying. “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [Christ] has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…” (Colossians 1:21–22, ESV)

The second misery mentioned is the misery of falling under God’s wrath and curse. God’s wrath is on sinners because he is holy and just – he cannot not punish sin (see Romans 3:21-26). God’s curse has fallen on sinners. What curse? The curses of the covenant of life or works that were revealed to Adam in the beginning. God said, “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). The curses of the covenant fell upon humanity when Adam sinned. 

Christ came to save those who trust in him from the wrath of God. Romans 5:9-11 says, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by [Christ’s] blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Christ has rescued his people from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for them. Galatians 3:13-14 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Those united to Christ by faith are rescued from the curse of the law.  These are given the blessing of Abraham instead. This is true of the Jew and also the Gentile. 

The third misery mentioned are the miseries of this life. Life in the fallen world is filled with difficulty, suffering, trials, tribulations, and tears. You can see this clearly throughout the Bible. The miseries of life appear for the first time in the curse that God pronounced upon Adam and Eve as recorded in Genesis 3:16-19. The curses pronounced there clarify what was meant by the words, “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Adam and Eve did eventually die (in fact, the Scriptures tell us they lived a very long life). But they entered into a state of death – the estate of sin and misery  – on the very day they ate of the forbidden tree.

Christ came to deliver his people from the miseries of life. How so? In two ways: One, God uses the miseries of this life for good in the lives of his people. The trials, tribulations, and tears of life are redeemed by Christ and used for good. Romans 8:28 teaches this. There we read, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” And this is why the Christian can obey the command of James 1:2-4, which says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” In this way, the miseries of this life have been redeemed by Christ. God promises to use them for our God. The Christian must know that life’s miseries are not meaningless or purposeless. Two, Christ has redeemed us from the miseries of this life in that he will bring his people safely into to the new heavens and earth where sin and suffering will be no more. Revelation chapters 21 and 22 provide us with a beautiful picture of the new heavens and earth. You should read that section of Scripture sometime soon. By the way, when you do, you should look out for imagery drawn from Genesis 1 and 2. It is in Revelation 21:3-4 that we hear the Apostle John say, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” Can you see that Christ came to redeem us from the miseries of this life?

The fourth misery mentioned is death itself. Perhaps you have noticed this pattern: everyone who lives dies eventually. Human beings are strange creatures. They know this to be true, but they often live as if it will never happen to them. The pattern is observable in the world. People live and eventually, they die. And the pattern is observable in Scripture too. In fact, this pattern is stressed in Genesis 5. There is a phrase that is repeated over and over again in that text. So and so lived for this many years, and he died, and he died, and he died. It’s as if God is saying, you had better wake up to the fact that the “wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That is Romans 6:23.

Christ came to rescue his people from death. This does not mean that God’s people will not experience physical death. No, God’s people will die too, unless alive when Christ returns (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17). Christ has rescued us from death in two ways. One, in Christ we have eternal life. Those with faith in Christ go to be with the Lord in the soul when they die physically. Baptist Catechism 40 will have more to say about this. And on the last day, the bodies of those united to Christ by faith will be raised and reunited with the soul to live forever and ever. Baptist Catechism 41 has more to say about this. In this way, Christ has rescued us from death. Two, he has freed us from the fear of death even now. 

This is what Paul the Apostle rejoices over in 1 Corinthians 15:53-57. There we read, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality…” He is here speaking of the resurrection day. “… then shall come to pass the saying that is written…” He then refers to Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14, saying, “‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Why is Christ able to give this victory to those who are united to him by faith? Because he defeated death for us as the second and greater Adam by tasting death for us and rising again on the third day. 

The fifth misery mentioned is the eternal torments of hell. Do the Scriptures teach that those who die in their sins and apart from Christ will be punished forever and ever in hell? Yes, indeed. Jesus taught this as recorded in Matthew 25:41: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says, “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might…” Revelation 20:14-15 portrays hell as a lake of fire, saying, “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

People, even many pastors today, don’t like to talk about hell. I don’t like to talk about either, but it is a truth that must be told. The truth is, this is one of the miseries Christ came to save his people from. Immediately after the picture of hell found in Revelation 20:14-15, we find a vision of the new heavens and earth. Christ came to save his people from hell and to bring them safely into the new heavens and earth which he has earned through his obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection.

Conclusion

Well, I’ve delivered a lot of bad news in this lesson.  You probably noticed that I couldn’t help but preach the good news of Jesus Christ to you along the way. You should also know that a lot of good news is coming in our catechism. 

Here is a preview of Baptist Catechism 23: Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? Answer: God having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.

I can’t wait to consider the gospel of Jesus Christ with you in the coming lessons. Until then, abide in Christ.