The previous article spoke about the creation and fall of man, who was created after the image of God in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. The Lord created man in this blessed state with a possibility to come to greater heights, but room was also left for sin, making it possible for him to lose his glory.

In the state of innocence man lived in immediate communion and friendship with God. He accepted the covenant of works willingly, which contained three parts, (a) the Lord required him to keep the covenant of works, that is, not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; (b) the Lord promised upon obedience to grant eternal life; and (c) the Lord threatened man with death if he were disobedient. This is in a few words what the Lord placed before man – he could attain to greater heights by his works, but could also transgress and fall away from his glory.

There are always many questions about the covenant of works. One asks: "Didn't God lay a snare for man?" Others ask, "Why must there be that tree in Paradise?" And from others we hear, "Why did God permit Satan to come to man in the form of a Serpent, which led to the fall?" In this way the questions are multi­plied, but by them we do injustice to the Lord. We will try to answer them.

No, God did not spread a snare to entangle His creation. The Lord has endowed man with understanding and will, in distinction of the irrational creatures and inanimate creation. Man stood higher than the beast and the other parts of creation, but this also gave him a greater responsibility. How could the jewel of creation fully reveal its beauty? Only when it would show that the service of God was the greatest desire of the soul. Therefore man had to make his own decision, not as the irrational creation, but as a rational creature serving the Lord according to his own will. Thus we may not view the tree as a snare from the Lord against man; no, man was able and willing to serve God in his blessed state and could reject all that came against the Lord.

1We know that man made up his mind and wilfully left the Lord, wilfully cutting off the com­munion with the Lord and be­coming a follower of Satan. The most terrible thing that could happen took place – man rebelled against God and no longer wanted to listen to Him. God had revealed His will in His Word and Law, but by this sin man said to God, "I don't know, I don't acknowledge, I don't honor, I don't fear Thee any longer." Here we reversed the first commandment and have stated, "I am the Lord, my own God, and I will not serve another God besides myself." This is the reality!

You can understand that the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth Who rules over everything and to Whom everything is in subjection, will not accept such a life, but must punish sin as He had said, "In the day that Thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." How terrible the consequence of sin has been, causing great misery and discord, as the apostle Paul says: "the whole creation groaneth". Great parts of the earth became deserts, and the earth brought forth thorns and thistles, the cleansing wind sometimes changes into destroying hurricanes, refreshing rains don't come, or great rains become damaging floods. All these things proclaim to us that the unity is lost; they are all signs of the decay since sin came into the world. It is so evident that the whole creation groans under the curse of sin; it can be seen in the suffering of man and beast. The crown is fallen from our head.

Did you ever feel it in this way? Or do you think that this is merely the course of nature? No, my friends, we have left the Lord and this is the result. If there were no sins, there would not be all this misery! We often hear complaints about the conse­quences of sin, but we so seldom hear complaints about ourselves, how that we have done evil in the sight of God! In that position we will no longer open our mouths to complain against the Lord, but it will be a wonder that we may still receive so many blessings, that we may yet live, that it is still the time of grace. Then, even in days of grief, we will be silent.

It speaks in this article of the origin of our misery, which is so necessary to learn.

We believe that, through the disobedience of Adam, original sin is extended to all mankind; which is a corruption of the whole nature, and a hereditary disease, wherewith infants themselves are infected even in their mother's womb, and which produceth in man all sorts of sin, being in him as a root thereof.

It is striking that it speaks here of "Adam's" disobedience. Eve is the mother of all living and Adam is our father, but Adam is also the head of the covenant of works. In this position Adam represented the whole human race when he accepted all the rules of the covenant. If he would stand, then the whole world would be partaker of his work. Likewise, if he would fall, being disobedient, the whole world would be partaker thereof. The special promise of the covenant was life eternal in continual communion with God, and the threat was eternal damnation.

Adam could represent the whole human race because all his posterity was in his loins. The imputation of sin is not because he is our natural father, but because he is the representing head of the covenant of works. It is exactly the same with the covenant of grace – all the merits are given to those that are represented by the Lord Jesus. But do not forget that Adam represented the whole human race, and the Lord Jesus only the elect. Adam's work was imperfect, and we can see the consequence of this around us and in us every day. Christ's work was perfect!

What a blessing when we may see about us that the Lord converts people. Shall it be well, then it must also be in us! How necessary it is to experience: "O let Thy Spirit be my constant aid."

God had created man after His own image – in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. In this state of innocence man lived in the immediate communion and friendship of God. Although he was created in perfection, he could attain to greater heights, but room was also left for sin.

Man had accepted the covenant of works, and this was not forced upon him in any way. We all know the contents of this covenant. The Lord required man to keep the covenant of works, which consisted in not eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was not a difficult thing, knowing that our first parents had ample of everything which they needed for their daily lives. Upon obedience the Lord promised life eternal. If he were obedient for a certain time, then he could not sin anymore. (This is the general explanation of the reformed theologians. However, there are a few exceptions who teach a little differently about it. They think that it does not speak of a certain time of obedience, but that the world would enjoy life without death as long as they were obedient. They say that eternal life is only promised in the covenant of grace. See Romans 6:2 and Ephesians 2:8-9.) Man was threatened with death if he were disobedient.

Summed up in a few words man could attain to greater heights, but if they sinned, they would lose their glorious state. Many questions are often asked relating to the fall. "Didn't God lay a snare for man?" Another will ask, "Why was there such a tree in Paradise of which we could take of the forbidden fruit?" Or, "Why did God permit Satan to come and speak by means of the serpent? If this had not happened, then there would be no problems at all!" Do you know what I feel in these questions? All is spoken against the Lord as to what He has done, and nothing is mentioned about ourselves as to what we have done. The foolishness of man is evident – we try to lay the blame upon the Lord for what we have done!

No, God did not spread a snare to entangle His creation. He had endowed man with understanding and will in distinction of the irrational and inanimate creation. How could the glory of man, the jewel of creation, be fully revealed? Only if he would show in his life that the service of God was his greatest delight. The only way this would be shown was in leaving the choice to man, setting before him two ways – to freely serve the Lord, or to be without the Lord! We have seen what a terrible choice was made; it was to leave the Lord. The crown is fallen from our head. Willingly we rejected salvation and communion with God. Woe unto us that have sinned!

The most terrible thing on earth is sin, which is rebellion against God, resisting His commandment, and going our way without the Lord and with Satan instead. God's will was revealed in the covenant of works, but by our disobedience we showed our enmity against the Lord. In our deeds we said to God, "I know Thee not, I honor Thee not, and I fear Thee not!" We reversed the first command­ment, making it, "I am the Lord, my own God, and I will not serve another God beside myself."

How terrible is the consequence of this sin, bringing the greatest misery and discord. The whole creation sighs! Great parts of this fruitful world became deserts; the cleansing winds sometimes change into destroying hurricanes; refreshing rains become damaging floods. Because the unity is lost between God and man, the whole creation sighs under the curse of sin. And yet all these things are of secondary importance, even as terrible as they are. Is there something worse? Yes, we have left the Lord, and now we are without Him. This is worse than death!

So often we complain about the consequences of sin, but so seldom do we hear a true lamentation that we have sinned against the Lord. If this were heard more often, we would then speak differently about the fall and about original sin. Place is then made for the explanation given in this fifteenth article about original sin, where we read,

"We believe that, through the disobedience of Adam, original sin is extended to all mankind; which is a corruption of the whole nature, and an hereditary disease, wherewith infants themselves are infected even in their mother's womb, and which produceth in man all sorts of sin, being in him as a root thereof."

There is spoken here of Adam's disobedience. Eve is the mother of all living and Adam is our father, but he is the head of the covenant of works. Adam represented the whole human race, the Lord having made the covenant with him, and not with Eve. In him we stood or fell. The special promise of the covenant was life in continual communion with God, and the threat of the covenant was death. Could Adam be our representative in this? The imputation of sin is not because he is our natural father, but because he is the representing head of the covenant of works. There is no injustice here; he received a special place of the Lord, so that he could speak and act for the whole human race.

It is the same in the other covenant whereof Christ is the Head. All that He has done is for His people whom He represented, for those who are in the covenant of grace. This is the doctrine of God's Word, before which we must bow. We read in Romans 5:12, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." It speaks of original sin. All have sinned, which is a deed. It makes it clear that no one is excluded. In the same chapter Paul teaches that by the sin of Adam, death obtained power over all men. In Adam all persons sinned, and in Christ those which are the elect receive grace.

In verse 19 of this chapter we read, "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners." This is to be in state a sinner, to be with and in the sin of Adam. How does this first sin become our sin? By imputation and heredity. Sin is guilt before God, and the guilt of Adam's breaking of the covenant is imputed to all men. The guilt of his other sins which he committed in the 930 years that he lived are not imputed to all men. After the fall he was no longer representing the human race; this was for his account only.

Thus all men have sinned in Adam by this original sin; we all are guilty before God, as we all accepted in Adam the requirements, the promises and the punishments of the covenant of works. I know it is only a few words about the imputation of sin, but I hope that there will come a time for each of us that it will become our personal experience to know what this imputation means. Then I become Adam, and I have taken of the forbidden fruit. Then we come as a covenant-breaker before God, under the administration of the Holy Ghost. Then we will acknowledge in truth and uprightness that the crown is fallen from our head because of our own sin, our own wilful disobedience.

We have seen that original sin extended to all mankind; even the small children are polluted by this sin. This takes place by imputation. The sin of Adam is also our sin, as he was the head of the covenant of works, and therein he represented us. It also takes place by heredity. This is a subject of which much is written in these days, but, as we will see, often it is not in accordance with God's Word.

Children are heirs of their parents. When the parents die, then the children receive their possessions. These are not the only things which we inherit from our parents, but we also inherit all sorts of sin. Our whole being is affected by this corruption – our minds, our souls, our wills, and our bodies. Nothing is clean in us, so that we have become incapable of doing any good, spiritual good, but are inclined to all evil. By nature we don't like to read such statements, because we cannot believe that it is this bad with us. We say, "We are not heathens, we always go to church!" I know it is difficult to accept it, but it is the Lord Who teaches this – not only in His Word, but also in the hearts of His people. Then they must confess before the Lord that they have sinned against all His commandments time and again.

Did you ever come unto that place? It is so necessary shall it be well for eternity. In the life of all saints something of this confession can be found. This is the place where God is glorified to the highest and the sinner humiliated to the lowest.

Thus far we have stated that we are unable to do any spiritual good – this does not include moral good. We can do and perform naturally good things, such as working, eating and drinking, also good things socially when we fulfil our duties in society by being good citizens, not living in sin, and being examples for others. It is also possible that we do good external religious works, going faithfully to church and reading the Bible regularly. It is good that we do all these, but they are the morally good things among men. The spiritually good works whereof we speak are not horizontally between men, but they are vertically between God and man.

We must love God above all, and flowing from this love which God works in the heart of His elect is the love for our neighbor. By nature man is inclined to hate God and his neighbor; likewise we are inclined to all kinds of sin. There is a difference in being inclined to something, and actually doing it. If we did all those things which live within our hearts, then it would be a hell upon earth. In God's common goodness we are yet bridled, so that we don't perform that which is living in us.

In order to restrain us from these, the Lord uses several means, such as education, civil­ization, conscience, and fear for shame and punishment. Especially the fact that we live under the truth is a great blessing, so that we know of sin and the coming judgment. It is as a brake in the life of many. However, there are also among us those who try to keep the law of God out of love for the Lord. He is so worthy to be served! This is not the fruit of their own heart, but it is the fruit of God's work in them. Young people, how is it in your heart? Are there also among you those who have a desire to speak well of the Lord? Not in a parrot-like manner, but because of what the Lord has worked in your heart.

There is a growing need of this in our congregations, because the grace of former days is declining so rapidly, and the world seems to take the upperhand. This is a need in the offices of the church also. For this we don't need rich young men, but poor young men who condemn themselves because they are such great sinners and yet at moments may tell that the Lord is a wonder-doing God in their lives. Such people really believe and have experienced that they are inclined to all evil. Original sin is the mother of it and the actual sin the daughter; original sin is the beginning of the evil in man, and this has spread over our entire life.

Thus even infants are affected, or perhaps better expressed as our article states, infected before their birth. If a child were not infected with the sin of Adam before its birth, then it could not die before it was born, but as this does happen, it is a clear testimony of the misery of man even before he has come into the world. So we have seen that man is unclean before God by imputation and heredity.

Today we sometimes read that a certain person is the "victim of heredity". The term is used in the courts to prove that a boy or girl is not responsible for that which they have done wrong. They say that man is a product of his environment, doing what the parents and grandparents have taught or following the example which they have given. If the father was a criminal, you cannot expect a better result. Therefore the boy or girl must not be punished, but efforts must be made to rectify the errors, and they are placed in a reformatory. This probation system has good and wrong aspects. It is good when a criminal has undergone punishment that he is helped in finding a place in society again, but it is wrong when attempts are made to withhold just punishment from him because of his background. We are rational creatures and are responsible for our deeds.

All people on earth are partakers in the sin of Adam! Mary too? Yes, Mary also, as she herself confessed, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour." Only Christ was without original and actual sin. He was born outside of the covenant of works, as He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Therefore the sin of Adam could not be imputed unto Him. The second Person in the Divine Being assumed our human nature. He is before Abraham and Adam.

Young people, may the Lord open our eyes to see our state of misery which we are in by nature, and cause us to realize our dreadful fall in Adam, so that we may obtain redemption in Christ by faith.