In Adam, All Die

Q. 15. 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.

Q. 16. 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.

Last week, we talked about the nature of sin. Remember that sin doesn’t consist in merely singular acts; it also includes any non-conformity to God’s law. The Children’s Catechism summarizes this well:

Q. 29. What is meant by want of conformity?
A. Not being or doing what God requires.

This is important as we consider what question 16 of the Shorter Catechism is saying.

First, the catechism tells us that the covenant of works or life was not made not only with Adam, but with all of humanity after him. Adam was our covenant head, our representative and mediator, in the covenant of works. Romans 5 is the clearest statement of this principle.

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Rom 5:12)

Adam, standing in as the representative head of all people, sinned for all people, bringing all his children under the judgment of God. Later, we’ll unpack this in more detail, but this is what we call original sin.

It’s a common error to think that we’re born in a morally neutral state, like Adam in the garden. Some preachers say that children are born sinless and remain that way, until they commit their first intentional sin, but this is unbiblical. Remember the definition of sin includes not only acts, but states. To use the analogy of the forest path again, because of Adam’s first sin, we are all born off the track. And, as Paul points out, the evidence of this fact, the innate sinfulness of all human beings, is that all die. God is just, and he only extends judgment to those who deserve it. But, sad as it may be, young children sometimes die, and this is evidence that they are under the judgment of God.

This is part of the reason we baptize the children of believers. The Children’s Catechism is helpful here as well:

Q. 130. Why should infants be baptized?
A. Because they have a sinful nature and need a Savior.

Of course, when we lose children to death, we have confidence that they are in the arms of Christ, but that’s not because they’re sinless, instead, they are like all people. Our Confession of Faith summarizes:

Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how he pleaseth: so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word. (WCF 10.3)

The point is this: the Word of God is true when it says,

“For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Rom 3:22-25)

Either you are in Adam and subject to death, or you are in Christ and given the gift of eternal life. There is no distinction. There is neither Jew for Greek, slave nor free, male and female, but we are all one in Christ Jesus.

Updates

1. As of today (Thursday), we have packed 63 Operation Christmas Child boxes! If you’ve packed your own boxes, please bring them Sunday so we can pray for all them in worship. I’ll also have a link for additional online boxes shortly.

2. Next Sunday, we’ll be having communion in the morning with Rev. Ron Pierce, and then we’ll host the community Thanksgiving service at 5 PM. Be preparing for communion, and be prepared to be good hosts for our community!

3. Don’t forget the congregational meeting scheduled for December 8th.

Your friend in Christ,
Reid