Blog Archives: December 2017

Question 19: 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 the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. Sin and misery, both a part of our fallen state, are twins. One is cause and the other is effect; the two cannot be separated. But while sin gives us the perspective of crime and evil, misery gives us the perspective of tragedy. The first and greatest tragedy of the fall is our ...

Question 17: Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? Answer: The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Question 18: 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. After dividing the state of the fall into the two ...

Question 16: 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. This question states the federal headship of Adam. In other words, it reminds us that Adam was our representative before God, so that we bear the consequences of his sin. The answer to this question may be offensive to many, because it appears to be unfair. Why were ...

Question 15: 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. Many have wondered, "Why this particular act? Why should something so simple and seemingly benign plunge humanity into sin and misery?" Although a full answer to this question may be impossible, Sinclair Ferguson has helpfully suggested that the implied message from God to Adam and Eve through this tree went ...

Question 14: What is sin? Answer: Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. The first thing we must notice in this question is that sin is to be understood in relation to the law of God, which is to say that it must be understood in relation to God himself. God created man and woman in his own image with particular instructions about the privileges and responsibilities that came with bearing his image. By sinning we do not merely break a standard; we insult and rebel against our Creator, breaking our ...