The Fall, Sin and Punishment

West Minster Confession of Faith

Chapter 6

The Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter VI—Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof)

CHAPTER VI—Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof

1. Our first parents, being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 3:13, 2 Cor. 11:3) This their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory. (Rom. 11:32)

2. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion, with God, (Gen. 3:6–8, Eccl. 7:29, Rom. 3:23) and so became dead in sin, (Gen. 2:17, Eph. 2:1) and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body. (Tit. 1:15, Jer. 17:9, Rom. 3:10–18)

3. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed; (Gen. 1:27–28, Gen. 2:16–17, Acts 17:26, Rom. 5:12, 15–19, 1 Cor. 15:21–22, 45, 49) and the same death in sin, and corrupted nature, conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation. (Ps. 51:5, Gen. 5:3, Job 14:4, Job 15:14)

4. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, (Rom. 5:6, Rom. 8:7, Rom. 7:18, Col. 1:21) and wholly inclined to all evil, (Gen. 6:5, Gen. 8:21, Rom. 3:10–12) do proceed all actual transgressions. (James 1:14–15, Eph. 2:2–3, Matt. 15:19)

5. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; (1 John 1:8, 10, Rom. 7:14, 17–18, 23, James 3:2, Prov. 20:9, Eccl. 7:20) and although it be, through Christ, pardoned, and mortified; yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin. (Rom. 7:5–8, 25, Gal. 5:17)

6. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, (1 John 3:4) doth in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, (Rom. 2:15, Rom. 3:9, 19) whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, (Eph. 2:3) and curse of the law, (Gal. 3:10) and so made subject to death, (Rom. 6:23) with all miseries spiritual, (Eph. 4:18) temporal, (Rom. 8:20, Lam. 3:39) and eternal. (Matt. 25:41, 2 Thess. 1:9)

Drama of the Biblical story line involves Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration (Glorification, Consumption). Completed creation and now move on the difficulties of understanding the Fall. Where did sin come from in a world created by God who is a perfect, holy being. Omniscient, Omnipotent,

The fall is recording in Genesis 3.

Genesis 3:1 (ESV)

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ’You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Placing doubt.

Genesis 3:2–3 (ESV)

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

So, Eve understood that they could eat of all of the trees of the Garden except for just one.

Genesis 3:4–5 ESV

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Has God really taken away all of your freedom? Is he placing limits on your autonomy (self rule)? There is the temptation to be like God? Will you obey God or do what is right in your own eyes? Doing what you want instead of what God wants is called sin. If our only desire was to honor and please God we would never sin. The conflict between God’s law and our desire.

Johnathan Edwards, We always choose according to our strongest inclination at the moment. Robber- Your money or your life. Why do we sin? We sin because we want to sin. In our nature we desire to sin. We want to sin more than we want to please Christ and obey God.

Jesus had a desire to please the father and obey him. By nature we find our greatest desire in sin. Hedonism Maximize pleasure and minimize pain. We think the pleasures of sin will bring us happiness. Catacism. To glorify God and enjoy him for ever. How is obey God going to bring us joy? Thus Satan’s lie, is that by obeying God we are deprived of Joy.

Saint Augstine who lived hednostically for most of her early life realized that “Oh Lord, though hast made us for Thysefl, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee. “

Many unbelievers seem to manifest a genuine inclincation or disosition to the godd, but paul quoting the psalmist says, There is none righteous, no not one… There is none who does goo” rom 3:10-12. Psamlm 14:1-3 Can be good horizontillay not vertically. Jesus explained this to the rich young ruler. Why do you call me good? Are you good? Do you keep the second table of the commnadments (without going into detail with the Sermon on the mount. Yes. Socratic question- To show him that he is not as good as he thinks he is. jesus did not argue with him but asked him about first commandment. Do you have any other God’s before me? Goodness is both verticle and horizontal.

Acts verses motivation behind the acts. It is usually in our best interests to behave well around others, but it must be motivated by a good inclination or desire to please God.

So left to ourselves, our own inclinations and desires will never lead us to Christ.

Regeneration does not instantly and eliminate the consequences of our fallen nature. We are justified in an instant, but not sanctified in an instant.