Baptist Catechism 18

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

A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 3:6,12,13)

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Over the past few weeks, we have learned a lot of very important truths about man in his original condition. We have learned that God “created man male and female, after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.” We have learned that “When God had created man, He entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience: forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death.”

We then heard some bad news. “Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God”, sin being “any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”

The question that is before us today is, What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? The answer is really simple: they ate of the forbidden fruit. 

The story of the temptation of Adam and Eve and their fall into sin is found in Genesis 3. There we read, “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’?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 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.’’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked…” (Genesis 3:1–7, ESV). 

So, our catechism is correct. ​​The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. 

There are a few questions that come to mind as we consider this truth.

One, why was it a sin for Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? In other words, what was wrong with it? We do not typically say that eating fruit is sinful. Why was it a sin for Adam and Eve to do so? Answer: Because God clearly and specifically told them not to do so.   

True, ordinary the act of eating fruit is not a moral action. The act itself is neither good nor evil. But it was a sin for Adam and Eve to eat fruit from that tree because God told them not to. If you remember, we call this kind of law “positive law”. Moral laws are those laws of God that are binding upon men and women in all times and places. Do not murder is a moral law. Murder is always sinful. Do not commit adultery, lie, and steal. These are all moral laws. They are binding on all people, in all times and places. But God has also added other laws too. We call them positive laws because God has added them to the moral law. These are laws that God’s creatures are obligated to keep in addition to the moral law. These positive laws are filled with symbolism. These positive laws are associated with the covenants that God has made with man.  

Remember, we have defined sin as “any [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” Notice, we do not say that sin is any lack of conformity unto or transgression of, the moral law of God. That would be a true statement, but it would be incomplete, for we do not only sin against God when we violate his moral law. No, we also sin against him when we violate his positive laws. 

For example, God commanded that all of the male children of Abraham be circumcised on the eighth day. Circumcision is not a moral thing when considered by itself. But it was made to be a moral thing for Abraham and all his descendants when God gave that law to them. The descendants of Abraham sinned when they failed to apply the sign of circumcision.  Other examples of positive laws are the seventh-day Sabbath from creation to the resurrection of Christ, and the first-day Sabbath from the resurrection of Christ until the end of the world. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are also positive laws. They are laws that are added to the moral law in connection with particular covenants.  

When Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he broke a positive law, and it is right that we call this sin.  

A second question comes to mind. Some may wonder, what was so bad about Adam eating from that tree? How could this simple act bring about the curse that came upon Adam, and upon the whole human race that descended from him? In other words, is there more to the story? Was there more going on in Adam’s heart that led to his eating the forbidden fruit which made his disobedience truly vile?

The answer is, yes, there is more to the story. Granted, the act of eating a piece of fruit is innocent enough when considered by itself. But we should not forget that God commanded Adam not to eat of that tree. Also, consider the narrative of Genesis three and the fact that another competing voice spoke to Adam – the voice of the serpent through Eve. You can see, then, that this was no innocent eating, but an act of rebellion. Adam rebelled against his Maker in his heart when he listened to the voice of the serpent instead of the word of God. 

All sin is like this. The sins themselves might take only a moment. They may seem small to some. In fact, the thing that motivates all sin is rebellion against God in the heart.  

And there is another aspect of Adam’s sin that must also be considered. When Adam ate of the forbidden fruit he did not only sin a sin of commission, he sinned a sin of omission. What was Adam’s sin of commission? What sin did he actively commit? He listened to the voice of the serpent and ate of the tree that God said, do not eat of it. And what was the sin of omission? He failed (or omitted) to obey God’s voice, to fill the earth with his offspring, to expand and keep the garden temple, and to eat of the tree of life. Not only did Adam do what God forbade, he also failed to do what God commanded when he rebelled against his Maker. 

Thirdly, and lastly, what difference does this make? Why does this matter? Well, it matters because we cannot understand the present condition of mankind apart from this doctrine. Also, it matters because we will not fully appreciate what Christ has accomplished for us apart from this doctrine. In short, where Adam failed Christ succeeded. And he succeeded, not for himself only, but for all who are united to him by faith. 

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

A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 3:6,12,13)

Baptist Catechism 17

Q. 17. What is sin?

A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4; Rom. 5:13)

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Introduction

I should remind you of what the last question and answer said, for this one builds upon the last one. 

Question 16 asks, “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.” We discussed the meaning of this Q&A last Sunday. Here I want you to remember that our first parents fell from their state of innocence…  “by sinning against God.” Now, our catechism asks, “what is sin.”

By the way, this is one reason a catechism like this is such a useful tool for Christian discipleship. Not only is the teaching of the Holy Scripture summarized for us in this document, but it is summarized in an orderly way so that we might understand the Christian faith. The most foundational truths are laid down first and then they are built upon. And as you can see, important terms are defined along the way. 

“Sin” is one of those important terms. In fact, you cannot understand the gospel of Jesus Christ without understanding what sin is. Why did Jesus Christ come to live, die, and rise again? Why do the Scriptures tell us that we must trust in him to be saved? Saved from what? My point is this: The story of Scripture and the Christian faith do not make sense without this concept of sin and its consequences. 

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell from the state of innocence and into a state of corruption, guilt, and depravity by sinning against God. All who are born into this world after them are born into this same fallen condition. We are born corrupt, depraved, and guilty before God because Adam was our representative, as we will soon learn. In other words, we are born into a state (or condition) of sin. And all who are born into this world in this state of sin do they themselves sin. Furthermore, sin, as we will soon learn with the help of our catechism, has devastating and eternal consequences. I’ll refrain from saying more. We will come to all of this in catechism questions 18 through 22. Each of these questions and answers will help us to learn more about sin and its effects. Before we consider these things we must begin here with the most basic question, “What is sin?” Again, the answer: “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”

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The Law Of God Is The Mark

The first thing I want you to know is that to sin is to miss the mark. An archer who misses the bullseye has sinned. But we are not talking about archery, are we? No, we are talking about hitting the mark of God’s moral standard for us. And what is God’s standard? What is the bullseye, if you will? What is the mark that God has called us to hit? The mark is God’s law. 

It is important to understand that God’s law it the mark or standard, and God’s law includes both the moral law (which was written on man’s heart at creation)  and any positive laws that God chooses to add to the moral through the covenants he has transacted with man. The command that God gave to Adam to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is an example of a positive law. God added that law to the moral law (which was written on man’s heart when God created him) when he entered into the Covenant of Life (or Works) with him. 

So then, the standard is God’s law, both moral and positive. And we sin when we fail to hit, or live up to, that standard. 

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Want Of Conformity Unto, Or Transgression

But that is not all our catechism says. Hear the answer to the question again. What is sin? “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” “Want” means lack or failure. So “sin is any [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”

The word “any” seems important to me. Men and women sometimes fool themselves into thinking that only the “big” sins are a problem. Yes, it is true that some sins are bigger (more heinous) than others. But both big and small sins are sins. 

The phrase, “want [lack] of conformity unto… God’s law” helps us to understand that God’s law requires us to do certain things. Some laws are stated positively. For example, “honor your father and mother” and “keep the Sabbath day”. These laws are stated positively. They are telling us what must be done. The negative side – that is to say, that which ought not to be done – is implied. And some commandments are stated negatively. “You shall not murder” and “you shall not steal” are examples of these. When commandments are stated positively, the negative things that should not be done are implied. 

The point is this: God’s law requires us to do things. His law does not only tell us what not to do. His law also reveals what we are to do. We are to love God with all that we are, and our neighbor as ourselves. That requires action. And sin is “any [lack] of conformity unto… the law of God.” In other words, we sin when we fail to do what God has commanded us to do. Children do not only sin when they dishonor their parents. They also sin when they fail to give the honor to their parents which is due to them.  We call these “lack-of-conformity” sins, sins of omission. For in these we omit or fail to do that which God’s law requires. 

The phrase, “sin is any…  transgression of, the law of God” helps us to see that we sin when we do that which God’s law forbids. When God’s law says, don’t do this or that, and then we do this or that, we sin against God. When Adam was told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he ate of it, he sinned. And when we lie we sin, for God’s law has told us not to lie. We call these “transgression-of-God’s law” sins, sins of commission, for these are sins that we do actively commit.   

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Conclusion

I hope you can see why it is important for us to have a proper understanding of what sin is. 

Not only will we be unable to properly understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, and indeed, the whole story of scripture, and the Christian faith, without a proper understanding of sin.  A deficient understanding of sin will lead to many other problems too.

Brothers and sisters, if you take anything away from this little sermon I hope it is this: Our standard for right and wrong, good and evil, is not for us to determine. Our standard is not the opinions of man, or the customs of the culture. No, our standard is God’s law. God has revealed his moral law in nature and much more clearly in his Word. And do not forget that God has added laws to his moral law in the covenants he has entered into with the man. These we call positive laws. The New Covenant has its positive laws. We sin when we fail to conform to, or transgress, this standard – the standard of God’s law.

If we understand this, we will be in a good place to understand why we need a Savior, Christ the Lord, and how it is that we are to live in this world in a way that is pleasing to our Great God and King. We need a Savior because we are sinners! And those in Christ must strive to keep God’s law because we are saved from our sins, redeemed, and renewed.   

Q. 16. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

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Introduction

I would like you to listen again to question 16 of our catechism. “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. 

The word “estate”, in Baptist Catechism question 16 is very important. We don’t use that word often. Instead, we might say, “state of being” or “condition.” So, the question is, Did our first parents continue in the state of being or condition wherein they were 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. And 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. Chapter 9 paragraph 2 of our confession of faith refers to this original estate of man as the “state of innocency”. Adam and Eve were innocent, upright, and pure when they were first created.

Listen to question 16 again. “Did our first parents continue in the estate [condition] 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.” (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

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Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

There are three things to notice about this answer:

One, the short 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 were to obtain 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 changed when Adam fell into sin was 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. This is man’s condition after the fall. Man retains the power to act upon choice but his ability is limited due to his fallen condition.

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 – symbolized the choice of obedience to God or rebellion against him. More than this, we must also confess that they were tested and 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 freedom and power to act upon choice. They possessed the freedom and 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. How could it be that the man and woman who were upright, holy, and pure would sin? They were created with freewill. They were tested for a time. God permitted them to be tempted during this probationary period. 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 our Lord (see John 19:30).

The third thing to notice about Baptist Catechism 16 is that it teaches that man fell from their original condition by sinning against God.  

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Conclusion

As I move to a conclusion, I should draw your attention to the fact that question 16 marks the beginning of a section in our catechism that delivers a lot of bad news. 

Q. 16. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

Q. 17. What is sin?

A. Sin is any want [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4; Rom. 5:13)

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

A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 3:6,12,13)

Q. 19. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?

A. 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. (1 Cor. 15:21,22; Rom. 5:12,18,19)

Q. 20. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:18,19: Is. 64:6)

Q. 21. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell?

A. The sinfulness of that estate whereunto 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. (Rom. 5:19; 3:10; Eph. 2:1; Is. 53:6; Ps. 51:5; Matt. 15:19)

Q. 22 brings us very low. What is the misery of that estate whereunto 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 of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. (Gen. 3:8,24; Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:10; Rom. 6:23; Matt. 25:41-46; Ps. 9:17)

These are unpleasant truths to consider, but they are vital truths. How will we ever come to see our need for a Savior if these truths are not proclaimed? How will we ever come to see the goodness of the good news of Jesus Christ without first comprehending this bad news? 

You should know that our catechism delivers this bad news to prepare us to receive the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, by God’s grace. After the delivering terrible news in question 22, or catechism then asks in Q. 23. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?

A. 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 (Eph. 1:3,4; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 5:21; Acts 13:8; Jer. 31:33). After this, we will learn that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of God’s elect. From here our catechism will go on to teach us all about Jesus Christ, his person, and his finished work of redemption. 

Brothers and sisters, if Adam had passed the test, he would have entered into glory – he would have been confirmed and established in his uprightness by his keeping of the terms of the covenant of life or works. Adam fell, but Jesus Christ has succeeded. Christ has entered into glory, and all who are united to him by faith will enter into glory with him. Thanks be to God for the abundant mercy and grace he has shown to us in Christ Jesus.