Westminster Shorter Catechism Questions 17-19

Q. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery.
Q. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?
A. 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.
Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?
A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so
made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.
I. Introduction
II. Original Sin
A. Romans 5:12-19
a. 12 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-- 13 for sin indeed was in
the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
14 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.
15 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. 16 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.
17 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. 18 Therefore, as one
trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to
justification and life for all men.19 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.
B. Common Misconception: Original Sin does not refer to the actual sin of our first parents.
Rather, “denotes what we received from him and possessed before we ever did anything.
We are formed in our mothers’ wombs as sinners and stand guilty before God the
moment we are conceived. As we have our being, we have our being as sinners.”
C. Calvin’s Definition: “Original sin, then, may be defined a hereditary corruption and
depravity of our nature, extending to all the parts of the soul, which first makes us
obnoxious to the wrath of God, and then produces in us works which in Scripture are
termed works of the flesh.” Inst 2.1.8
D. The Two Parts of Original Sin We Received from Adam
1. Imputed Guilt
a. “First, that which consists in the guilt of some act of sin done and perpetrated.”
 2. Inherited Corruption
a. “An inherent corruption in the heart contracted by that guilt.”
3. “When Adam sinned, both of these were true of himself. He incurred an everlasting guilt
before God, which led to death. Terribly, all of Adam’s natural descendants would
likewise experience the same state: guilt before God and a loss of holiness. We are both
guilty and defiled.”
a. Objection: It is not fair that we receive the guilt of Adam! We didn’t do it!
i. Both Adam and Christ were “public persons” They stood at the head of
their particular covenants Adam, the covenant of works and Christ, the
covenant of grace.
1. Romans 5:12-19 Shows the interplay of the two men, Adam and
Christ. All humanity is summed up under the sin of Adam as the
perfect representative, fashioned by the hand of God and his lungs
full of spirit from the Lord himself and given the task for
humanity. He failed and so all we in him fell as well.
2. Gen 5:1-3, “When God created man, he made him in the likeness
of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them
and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had
lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his
image, and named him Seth.”
a. The refrain through Gen 5 is “and he died” the guilt of sin
and its corruption has spread through all humanity from
Adam.
III. The Universality of Sin
A. Sin has affected everyone without exception.
a. Gen 6:5, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
b. And then after the flood
i. Gen 8:21, “And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD
said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for
the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again
strike down every living creature as I have done.”
ii. 1 Kings 8:46, “If they sin against you-- for there is no one who does not
sin…”
iii. PS 143:2, “Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is
righteous before you.”
iv. Ecc 7:29, “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they
have sought out many schemes.”
IV. Total Depravity
Definition: “total depravity does not mean we are as sinful as we can possibly be. Otherwise, the
human race would have extinguished itself a thousand times over through murder alone. But, as
poison mixed in water affects every drop, all parts of the soul are affected by sin. Goodwin ‘it
rests not in one member only, but beginning at the understanding, eats into the will and
affections, soaks through all.”

WCF 6.2-5
2. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so
became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body.

3. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed; and the same death in
sin, and corrupted nature, conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary
generation.

4. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite
to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.

5. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and
although it be, through Christ, pardoned, and mortified; yet both itself, and all the motions
thereof, are truly and properly sin.
1. All of us still have depravity in our hearts
a. HC 114
i. Q. But can those who are converted to god perfectly keep these
commandments A. No, but even the holiest men, while in this ife, have
only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with a sincere
resolution they begin to live, not only according to some, but all the
commandments of God
2. Christ removes the guilt of our sin, grants us new life, and makes us a new creation.
a. The power of sin is broken in our lives, but it’s presence still remains
3. Phil 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to
completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
WCF13.2
This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still
some remnants of corruption in every part; whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the
flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
Children’s Catechism question 38 says it simply and best,
Q 38- How sinful are you by nature?
A- I am corrupt in every part of my being.
V. The Result
Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?
A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse,
and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell
forever.
A. Lost Communion with God
a. Humanity was created to have perfect communion with God
i. When sin entered that communion was broken
1. Man hid from God- (Gen 3:7-10)
2. They blamed God for their sin (Gen 3:11-13)
b. We are sinners and can now only have communion with God through Jesus
i. John 14:6
B. Under his wrath and curse
a. Humanity when they sinned, brought God’s wrath and the curse onto all creation
i. Wrath
1. A good and loving God must have wrath against sin.
2. Wrath is not uncontrolled anger or God losing control
a. God’s wrath is a measured enactment of Justice
ii. Curse
1. Our relationships have been cursed
2. Our work has been cursed
3. The creation itself is longing for its release (Rom 8:19-23)
C. Made liable to all the miseries in this life
a. Sin affects every aspect of our lives
i. Read Ecclesiastes
1. The wisdom of God in forming the wisdom literature
a. Proverbs then Qohelet
D. To death itself
a. God said that in the day we eat of the fruit, “dying you will die”
i. The curse of death then spread to all humanity
1. Gen 5 refrain, “and he died”
2. Rom 5:12-14
a. 12 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-- 13 for sin indeed was in the world
before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there
is no law. 14 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.
E. To the pains of hell
a. If God is good he must punish sin
i. The logical punishment for sins against an eternal God is an eternal
punishment