Walking Through Westminster, WCF 6.3-6

Westminster Confession of Faith 6.3-6

III. 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.

IV. 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.

V. This corruption of nature, during this life, does 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.

VI. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, does in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.

Summary

Since Adam and Eve are the root of all mankind, their corruption and sinful nature extends to all their descendants by ordinary generation (sexual reproduction). Just as surely as you can't make a good omelette with bad eggs, so we cannot expect Adam's descendants to be anything but sinful. All mankind descending from Adam by ordinary generation has entered the same fallen condition in him. As an aside, this is one reason why the virgin conception and birth of Jesus Christ is so fundamental to the gospel. If Christ was descended from Adam via ordinary generation (whether by Joseph impregnating Mary or any other man violating her), then Christ could not be without sin, and He would therefore be unable to reconcile us to God by taking sin upon Himself and giving His people His own sinlessness. Some false teachers have tried to lay aside the virgin birth of Jesus as not necessary for the gospel, but these people are ignorant or foolish and don't even understand the gospel as given to them. 

This sinful nature that all mankind has through Adam means that we are completely incapable of doing good, and only and entirely inclined to do evil. There may be people who appear better or more moral or more good than another, but the human soul is totally corrupted by sin, so that even the good we may do is still tainted with evil. When we define good as God defines it, we are wholly inclined against it unless God changes our hearts. From this original sin nature comes all actual sins which we commit. We sin, because we are sinful. We do not become sinful when we sin, but we are sinful and therefore commit sins. Jesus said in the gospel, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed all evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man." (Mark 7:20-23) We covet, because we are covetous. We commit adultery, because we are adulterous. We murder, because we are murderous. While some men express their sinfulness more openly than others, we all have the root of it in our souls. We are all just as capable of any of these wicked acts, and often commit them ourselves.

The corruption of sin remains, even when a sinner is converted and born again of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, the believer's sin is pardoned, and by the working of the Holy Spirit, is mortified, but it still remains until death and unification with Christ. Further, it still remains sinful, even when present in the believer. The doctrine of perfectionism which teaches that believers are capable of achieving such a level of holiness that they cease to sin is despicable, repugnant to the word of God, and worthy of trampling under foot. Paul did not say, "I was the chief of sinners", but "I am the chief of sinners." The corruption of sin still warrants physical death, even for believers (with the biblical exceptions of those translated straight to heaven). We are still subject to death, but we are no longer subject to the miseries of death, both temporal and eternal. We will die physically, but Christ has died for our souls. The believer is granted eternal life through Christ such that they will never experience the spiritual death of eternal damnation in hell. Christ will also finally conquer death for good in the Resurrection, when He will raise all the elect believers from the dead, freeing them eternally from the bonds of physical death; a full reversal of the curse Adam brought upon us. This is our chief hope in God, and, without it, we are most pitiable. (1 Corinthians 15:19)

+Blessings in Christ +