Well, this evening we are continuing to go through the London Baptist Confession together, which is our church's confession. Again, we've chosen to go through this confession not because we think that it is any way equal to the Scriptures, certainly not because we would ever put it above the Scriptures, but only because we believe it is a good and accurate summary of the Scriptures. We think it is a helpful expression of biblical truth in a way that will further root us and ground us in the doctrine that the Bible itself teaches. And so we have chosen to go through this confession and we've made it so far to chapter 6. which is on the fall of man, of sin, and of the punishment thereof. Hopefully everyone has one of these sheets. If you don't have one, I would assume there are still some available in the hallway if you want to grab one with an outline of this chapter of the Confession. So we're talking about the fall of man, of sin, and of the punishment thereof. There are few things more important when it comes to being able to grasp the Savior that has redeemed us than an understanding of sin. If our understanding of our sin is small, then naturally we will have a small view of our Savior. If what we need is merely a helper to guide us along the way, then our Savior will be just that, merely a helper that helps us along the way. But if our sin is so severe that it leaves us utterly helpless and hopeless and infinitely separated from a holy God, then the only Savior sufficient to rescue us out of that is one who will make us alive by His own doing and will pay the penalty of a sin debt as deep as ours in order to unite us to the eternal God our Father. And so our understanding of sin will determine our understanding of our Savior. If we want to know and worship Christ as our Savior, then we first need to know and understand the depth of our sin. And so chapter six of this confession, as it teaches the Bible's doctrine on the sin of man, is a very important chapter. We'll start first of all this evening by reading a passage, probably the passage you would expect us to read on a talk on the fall of man. We're gonna be in Genesis chapter two. Reading a couple verses from there and then jumping over to Genesis chapter three. So if you have your Bibles, you can open with me to Genesis chapter two. I'll read verses 15 and 16 there and then jump over to Genesis chapter three and read verses one to 19. 15-17 in chapter 2. Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, From any tree of the garden you may eat freely, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in that day you eat of it, or eat from it, you will surely die. In chapter 3, beginning in verse 1, Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, indeed, has God said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden? The woman said to the serpent, from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat from it or touch it or you will die. The serpent said to the woman, you surely will not die. For God knows that in the day that you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 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 desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate. And she gave also to her husband with her and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him, Where are you? He said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself. And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? The man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate. Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. The Lord God said to the serpent, because you've done this, cursed are you more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you will go and dust you will eat all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel. To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children, yet your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you. Then to Adam he said, because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you saying, you shall not eat from it, cursed is the ground because of you. in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Amen. That is God's holy word. So we've read now the account of the fall of man, Genesis 2, beginning of chapter 3. As we look at the confession, really the first paragraph is just a summary of what we've just read. And so we won't spend a ton of time breaking down the confession itself because the confession is basically just saying what we just read. Adam and Eve were created righteous They were not created with a heart that was disposed towards evil or bent toward evil or sin in any way. They were created upright. Adam and Eve were created pure. But their purity was not a permanent purity. It wasn't a purity that couldn't be changed. It was a very changeable purity. And so they were created holy and upright, but they were also created with the capacity to sin. and indeed they did sin. And they sinned as we've read, as a result or through the craftiness of the serpent. Which raises the question, who is the serpent and what is the serpent? And of course today there are all kinds of theories on what or who the serpent is. And more precisely, there are all kinds of theories as to whether or not we should interpret it literally. In the garden, was there literally a snake who talked to a literal man? Or is what's being described here, is it mere allegory? Is it just vivid picture language trying to communicate the way that sin made repeated efforts to enter into the world? Is it literal or is it allegory? Maybe that seems like an unimportant question to some of you, but I think as we work through some of what we're going to see tonight, it's actually of very primary importance that we understand both the serpent and the man and the woman to be very literal. Genesis 3 does not lead us to believe anything different than that. Just as Genesis 1 doesn't lead us to believe anything other than a literal six-day creation, Genesis 3 does not lead us to believe anything other than a literal serpent who tempts one literal woman who then leads her husband, who is a literal man, to sin. The reason that becomes important is because that one man is also the type of the one Savior. And in the same way that we fall in Adam, we are redeemed in Christ. If Adam was not a literal man and if our sin is not directly connected to him as a man, then the whole basis of our union with Christ falls through as well. It's based on the same principle. We are united, as we'll see, with Adam because he was a real man, our real father, and in the same way we are united with Christ, who is our real Savior, who is a real man. So who was the serpent then? Well, the Bible makes clear that the serpent was a real animal on the one hand, but also it makes clear that the serpent was an instrument of Satan. So in John chapter 8, Jesus describing the Jewish leaders. You can turn there if you want, John chapter eight. Jesus is describing the Jewish leaders and he's saying some very, very harsh things toward them, necessarily so. And he says, you are of your father, the devil, John chapter eight, verse 44. He says, you are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. And then listen to what he says. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Jesus says he was a murderer from the beginning. From the very beginning, Satan has deceived and murdered. And when Jesus says from the beginning, I think what he's intending to say there is from the very first entrance of sin into the world. When Adam and Eve first fell, Satan was there. He was deceiving, he was lying, he was attempting to destroy God's image bearers, essentially to murder them by leading them into sin. And it's, so the point being, I think Jesus is saying behind the serpent was Satan. Satan was using the serpent as his instrument to tempt and lead Eve and ultimately Adam into sin and into ruin. What's interesting is that the Bible not only begins with Satan using a serpent, but the Bible also essentially ends in the book of Revelation with Satan being called the great serpent, being cast down and destroyed. And so in Revelation chapter 12, verse 9, again, you can follow me there if you want. It's kind of like Sean's Sermon Sunday. We'll be bouncing all around to different passages. So you can race to keep up if you want or just listen. It's entirely up to you. Revelation chapter 12, verse 9. We read, and the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him. The Bible begins with Satan deceiving Adam and Eve through the serpent. The Bible essentially ends with Satan the deceiver being cast down and destroyed. Satan essentially destroyed God's creation through deceit, but in the end the serpent, who is Satan, will ultimately be cast down and destroyed himself prior to the establishment of a new creation. And so Genesis 3 then is the account of not just a serpent and a man, but it is the account of God's enemy, Satan, attempting to ruin everything that God had designed. God looked out at his creation, including Adam and Eve, and he said, this is very good. And Satan hated that. And Satan did all that he could to destroy God's creation, and he has done all that he could since then to ruin every human being. In anything that remains good in God's creation, Satan has been adamantly opposed to it, especially to the advancement of God's kingdom. He is God's enemy, and he was in the beginning attempting to ruin all that God had made. And he was crafty. We read in Genesis chapter 3 verse 1 that the serpent was more crafty than all the other beasts of the field. He was sneaky. He was subtle. Satan's tactics are always subtle and sneaky. And in this case, his tactics, and in pretty much every case, his tactics revolve around the Word of God. They center around the Word of God. Satan planted doubts regarding the veracity of God's Word, the truthfulness, the validity of God's Word. First, he puts it into question. Did God really say Maybe you misunderstood what God said. Maybe this commandment that seems so difficult, maybe it's not actually what God commanded you. Are you sure that's what God has said? And then not only does he put it into question, but he twists it and he distorts it. Did God really say you couldn't eat from any tree in the garden? I mean, that's kind of tyrannical of him, that you wouldn't be allowed to eat of any tree in the garden. So not only questioning, can you really be sure that's what God said, but now twisting. God said, any tree. Well, no, God didn't say any tree, did he? And Eve corrects him and says, no, God didn't say any tree. Just this one tree. He said we couldn't eat it or touch it. But obviously there's already been some effect on Eve's mind of Satan's temptation because now she's added to the commandment of God. God said not to eat of it. Eve adds to that, not to touch it. And so you can already see in Eve's mind that there's beginning to be a distortion of God's truth. And then Satan moves on to not just question and twist God's word, but ultimately to outright deny it and call God a liar. No, you won't die, Eve. You see, God doesn't want you to be happy. God doesn't want you to be fulfilled and satisfied. He doesn't want you to be like Him, and that's why He's commanded you not to eat of it. He knows you won't die. And Eve, of course, takes the bait. She's convinced that God's Word is not trustworthy. She sees the appeal of the fruit, and she believes Satan rather than God, and she eats of the fruit that God had forbidden them from eating, and she gives to her husband, and he too does the same. Now, when Adam and Eve chose to not believe God and when they chose to do the very thing that God had not commanded them to do, it was nothing less than an outright act of rebellion and attempted insurrection. It was basically them saying, we no longer want God to be our God. We want to make our own rules. And essentially what they're saying is God is a tyrant who only wants what is bad for us. We know what is good for us. And so we're going to pursue our own course. rather than the course that God has laid out for us. Gerhardus Voss, a theologian, he points out the irony of what takes place in the fall, if you think about it. Basically, Eve was putting Satan in the place of God. God had good purposes for Adam and Eve, for all of his creatures. He had only what was good for them in mind. Satan had only evil intentions for them. And yet Eve chose to believe that God had evil intentions for her while Satan had good intentions for her. She put Satan in the place of God. If I listen to God, things will go poorly for me. If I listen to Satan, things will go well for me. She chose to listen to Satan. And Adam did the same. And really nothing changes for us today. Every time that you or I are tempted to sin, every time that we are faced with the temptation to choose either to obey God or to disobey God, every time we choose to disobey God we are saying, God does not want what is best for me. Satan actually knows what I need. And if I follow Satan's course, I will be happy. If I choose dishonesty, if I choose lust, if I choose greed, if I choose whatever other sin you want to put into that category, if I choose this thing which God has commanded me not to do, then I will be happy and I will be satisfied. But if I follow God's commandments, then I will be empty and I will have something that's good kept from me. And so every time we sin, we're following Eve's course and Adam's course of choosing to believe Satan over God, to put Satan in God's place with regard to knowing what's best for us. As devastating as the fall was, none of it happened outside of God's control. So we've seen that in prior weeks leading up to this in the confession, that nothing that takes place in all of God's creation, including the fall, and including the sin that follows the fall, even including the death of his own son, nothing that takes place in God's creation happens apart from his decree, apart from his sovereign control. God is not the author of the fall. Adam did not sin because God forced him to sin in any way. Adam willfully and freely chose to sin. and yet his sin has always been from eternity a part of the plan of God for his creation in order that he might demonstrate his goodness and his glory even through the fall. So without looking at the first paragraph of the Confession, that's what it says. Genesis 2 and 3. We will look at some of the other paragraphs now as we work out some of the effects of the fall, the consequences of the fall. First, I should actually give credit, the titles that you see on the outline with the paragraphs, that's not my own, I have stolen that from Pastor Greg Nichols. The first paragraph has to do with the fall into sin, and then the second paragraph has to do with representative sin. And so what was happening in the fall? What was taking place when Adam sinned? Well, what the scriptures teach is that Adam was not acting merely as an individual man, as a private person. Adam was acting as a representative of all humanity. So look at the paragraph, we'll read it together, and then we'll look at where this is taught in the scriptures. Paragraph two, representative sin. It says, our first parents by this sin fell from their original righteousness in communion with God, and we fell in them. By this death came upon all, all became dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body." When our parents fell, and more specifically, more biblically we could say, when Adam fell, we all fell in him. Adam was not acting merely as an individual. Adam was acting as the head of the whole human race. If Adam had stood, we would have all stood in him. But in Adam's fall, we all fall as human beings. If you want to, I would recommend that you do this time. Turn to Romans chapter 5. We're going to be here for a little while as we look at Romans 5. and what it teaches on our union with Adam. I'll begin by reading verses 12 to 19, and then I'll basically read them again as we go through it piece by piece. Romans 5, verse 12. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned, for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law, nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For on the one hand, the judgment arose from one transgression, resulting in condemnation. But on the other hand, the free gift arose from many transgressions, resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. So there's a lot in those verses. Maybe if you've looked at it before, you're able to follow the argument as we work through it. Probably if you've never looked at Romans 5, verses 12 to 19, there are a lot of things there that are confusing because it's a lot of back and forth as he makes his argument. But what I wanna do is just go back through really quickly and I will point out one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, nope, six different verses that emphasize the one man Adam and our union with him. So look again at verse 12. Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered into the world, and death through sin. Sin entered into the world through one man. Then verse 15. This is towards the middle of the verse. By the transgression of the one, the many died. One transgression, many deaths. Verse 16, again towards the middle of the verse, the judgment arose from one transgression, resulting in condemnation, meaning condemnation of all, of all men. One transgression, condemnation for all. Verse 17, by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one. Death reigned over all people through the one transgression, the one sin. Verse 18, through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men. And verse 19, through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. And so if we were just going through the passage and pulling out What does it say about our union with Adam? We would see sin, death, condemnation reigned over all men because only one man sinned. And I mean only one, not in the sense that we haven't sinned, but in the sense that the death and the sin and the condemnation, that reigned. It reigned over all men, all because of one man's sin. Because Adam was appointed to be, by God, he was appointed to be the representative of the whole human race, what is true of Adam is true of every human being by nature. His guilt becomes your guilt. Even though you didn't commit a sin, that's what the Apostle Paul says. Even though we haven't all sinned in the likeness of Adam's sin, even still, the consequence of his sin has been now put on us. His corruption becomes our corruption. His death becomes our death. Adam is one man, but he represents all of humanity. And in Adam's fall, all of humanity fell with him. And some may raise an objection to that, because essentially what the argument is, in theoretical terms, if you had never personally sinned, we know that's impossible. I'm not saying that's the case for anybody ever, except for Jesus. But let's say that you had never personally sinned. Just the fact that you are united to Adam as your representative would mean that you stand condemned. And if that seems unfair, there are a number of objections that could be raised to that. In a moment we'll see that that's not the case. It's not that none of us have sinned and that God counts us guilty only on account of Adam's sin. In fact, we all sin and we're all guilty. We'll see that in a minute. But let's say theoretically that wasn't the case and you had never sinned and yet you were identified with Adam. You would still be counted guilty and condemned. That's the argument of Romans chapter five. It was the one man's sin that resulted in your condemnation. Some may object to that, say, that's not fair. It's not fair that I should be counted guilty and that I should suffer the consequences for the sin of someone else, for a sin that I never committed. Why should I have to suffer for someone else's failure? I didn't choose Adam to be my representative. I probably would have done a better job than Adam. Well, a couple of objections. First, I should say a couple of responses to that objection. First would be, God is free. God is under no obligation to do things the way that we think he should do them. If it seemed good and wise to interact with his creation through a representative named Adam, then we are in no place to question the goodness and the wisdom of God. But the second response to the objection I think is a little bit more pointed and I think perhaps maybe even a little bit more persuasive. If we think it's unfair that we should suffer the consequences for another person's sin, Then if we're going to continue that argument consistently, then we also have to say that it's unfair that we should enjoy the benefits of another person's righteousness or obedience. If we take issue with the fact that Adam represented us as our first head and that we fell in him because of his sin, then we also have to take issue with the fact that Christ represents us as the second Adam, as the true head, and that we experience life and righteousness because of his obedience. It's helpful to see that really what Paul is doing in Romans 5 is not just telling you, you suffer because of Adam's sin. That's not the main point of his argument. The whole point of his argument is to say, in the same way that you suffer because of Adam's sin, because of your union with Adam and his sin, in that very way, you now enjoy all of the saving benefits that are yours through Christ. He says, and if you look back at the passage in verse 14, He says, nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offensive Adam. Then he says, who is a type of him who was to come. Adam was a type, meaning he related to the rest of humanity in the same way that Jesus relates to all of his redeemed. The point Paul is making is in the same way that you are united to Adam in his sin, if you are in Christ, you are united to Jesus in his righteousness and in his life. And we can see that in a number of verses, verse 15. He says, the free gift is not like the transgression, for if by the transgression of the one many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by that grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. If many died in Adam, Oh, how much greater than is the life that we have in Christ? That's Paul's argument there. Verse 17, for if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, if that's true on this side, if we died in Adam and if we experienced the consequences of his sin, then how much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness How much more will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ? If death reigned over us because of our union with Adam, then how much more will we reign in life together with Jesus Christ? Because of our union with him. Verse 18, So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men on the one hand, in Adam, Even so, through one act of righteousness, the obedience of Christ on our behalf, through one act of righteousness, there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's, verse 19, for as through the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners on the one hand, even so, in the same way, even to a far greater extent, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous. Paul's argument is clear and convincing when we break it down in that way. All men died through Adam's sin. All men suffer because of Adam's sin, but all who believe are made alive because of Jesus's righteousness. And they will reign with Jesus in life. In the same way that death reigned over us all in Adam, even now we will reign with Jesus in life because we are no longer united to Adam and his sin, but we are united to Christ and his life and his righteousness on our behalf. So the first Adam then, the point is the first Adam was our original head. Christ is our true head now. He is the second Adam. But the first Adam was our original head. He was our original representative and his failure brought all humanity down with him. And so getting back to the main point here of paragraph two of the confession, what it's teaching. is that we are all united to Adam by nature. He is our father. He is our representative. He is our head. What he did, we all did. When he fell, we all fell. What he suffered, we all suffer. The whole human race outside of Christ is now naturally subject to death, corruption, and punishment because we are all identified with Adam by nature. The next two paragraphs of the Confession, they work out the effects or the influences of our inherited sin on us. What is the sin that we've inherited from Adam? What does that look like in us as human beings, as descendants of Adam? And it looks at it from two different perspectives, biblically so. There are two different ways to view the sin that is characteristic of every single one of us. First, in paragraph three, there is original sin. And then secondly, in paragraph four, there is actual sin. There's original sin and there's actual sin. So first, we'll read paragraph three, look at some of the scripture passages that talk about original sin. They, being the root, speaking of Adam and Eve, being the root, and by God's appointment standing in the place and on behalf as representatives of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, put to the account of, and corrupted nature passed on to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation, conception, and birth. Their descendants from that point on were conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus sets them free." So the title of the paragraph that's given here is Original Sin, and what's meant by that is Sin that characterizes our original condition as human beings. So not original sin in the sense of Adam's first sin in the garden, but original sin in the sense of what characterizes you by nature. What is your condition? Even before you speak a word, even before you move a muscle, even before you have your first thought, what characterizes you as a human being who has descended from Adam? That's original sin. What the Bible teaches is there are two primary things that characterize you and your condition of original sin. First, there is the transfer of Adam's guilt to your account. You are counted guilty because of Adam's guilt. And again, that's Not saying you're, in this situation, it's not saying you're guilty because of the sin that you've committed, you're guilty because of Adam's sin being imputed to you, being credited to your account. You are counted guilty because of your union with Adam. And then secondly, there is corruption. So you inherit guilt as Adam's descendant, you also inherit corruption as Adam's descendant. There is A legal component and there is a moral component to our original sin. What characterizes you by nature legally is a debt to God. You are guilty because you are united with Adam and his guilt. And then morally, your heart is corrupt and is bent towards sin. Naturally, your disposition is toward sin. Adam's guilt is imputed to us and his corruption is transferred to us. We see this original corruption, original condition in Psalm 51, verse 5. David says, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. As many of you know, Psalm 51 is on the back end of a horrendous sin, multiple sins, on King David's part. So prior to this psalm he has committed adultery with Bathsheba and then he has essentially murdered Bathsheba's husband Uriah in order to clear his name and escape looking bad essentially. Adam, sorry, David, is an adulterer and a murderer prior to Psalm 51. He has committed horrendous sin. He's eventually convicted of his sin. He is broken by it. He comes to Psalm 51. He pens this psalm of remorse and brokenness over his sin. It is an expression of repentance. He's realized the horrendous things that he's done, but what's significant is that what David is saying in verse 5 is that he recognizes the actions that he has committed, the things he has done with Bathsheba and with Uriah, those things are actually an expression of the condition in which he was conceived. I was conceived in sin. I was brought forth in transgression and iniquity. And this act of sin, it's wicked and it's horrible and it is an expression of the wicked heart that I was conceived with. that I was born with. This condition of fallenness is what gives way to acts of transgression and sin. David Kidner puts it this way. He says, this crime, David now sees, was no freak event. It was in character. It was consistent with David's character, he's saying. An extreme expression of the warped creature he had always been and of the faulty stock he sprang from, Adam and Eve. It wasn't out of character, sadly, for David to act that way. It was him acting according to the wickedness of his own nature, his corruption. And we all act according to our nature. The sinful life that we live is an expression of the corrupt creatures that we are. We see that same idea in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 3 where Paul says, we're by nature children of wrath. By nature we are children of wrath. We are born enemies of God, guilty in sin and corrupt in nature. And it's true for every human being born by ordinary generation, as the paragraph here puts it, which obviously means everyone except for Jesus. Everyone except for Jesus is born a child of wrath with a sinful condition, with guilt and corruption. And that's the nature of every human being. That is our original sin. The next paragraph in the confession moves on to say exactly what I've just said. Our original corruption always gives way to actual sin. So if you look at paragraph four, actual sin, all actual transgressions proceed from this original corruption by which we are utterly disinclined, disabled, and made opposite or antagonistic to all good and wholly inclined to all evil. Original sin has to do with our condition. Actual sin has to do with the expression of that condition in the way that we live. The passage I think that most clearly explains this and demonstrates the truthfulness of our sinful corruption giving way to actual sin always in every human being is Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3 in verse 9 through 18. The Apostle Paul, he says, what then? Are we better than they? Are Jews better than Gentiles? Not at all, for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is no one, none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving. The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. So clearly the language there is all-inclusive of all humanity. There's not one who is righteous, all sin. Every single person is naturally inclined towards sin and every single person acts out in that inclination toward sin. So is Paul saying then that everyone is as bad as they possibly could be? Does the fact that we are born with sinful natures that then give way and express themselves in sinful lifestyles, does that mean that every single one of us is as bad as we possibly could be? Obviously, that's not the case. We're not all Adolf Hitler. We are not all the worst individuals that we could be. By God's common grace, he restrains us and he keeps us from the sin that we would otherwise pursue. So our sinful nature is such that without the restraint of God, we would pursue every form of evil. But God in his common grace keeps us from that. He restrains us from that so that we don't express our sinful nature in all the ways that we possibly could. What about people who aren't Christians? Can someone who is not redeemed, who is still in this sinful condition, can they not have virtuous characteristics? Can someone who is dead in their sins be virtuous? Can we not admire certain traits that are present and observable in someone's life who is actually still in rebellion against God? And we see that all the time. We see unconverted parents genuinely loving their children. That's admirable. We see unconverted employees working hard in their jobs. That's admirable. That's a good virtue. We see unconverted people being generous with their finances, showing all sorts of other admirable traits. And so, it's not the case then that our sinful nature means there will never be a virtuous trait to be observed in a person's life who is unconverted. But even those actions which are outwardly virtuous, which have admirable qualities to them outwardly, even the most virtuous acts committed by a non-believing person is committed in hostility toward God, and that's what makes it sinful. It may be that a parent genuinely loves their child, but they still despise God. And so you can love your child, but you're doing it for reasons completely godless. And so what's true of every person is not necessarily that they have nothing admirable about them, but that anything they do is done for some motive other than the glory of God. And that's what makes them sinful and depraved. That's what makes us naturally sinful and depraved. So sin affects every part of us, our wills, our minds, our goals, our ambitions, our bodies. It affects every part of us. We are stained and tainted by the corruption of our sin. And thankfully, Jesus came to redeem us from that. He has come not just to deliver us from the guilt of our sin, he's also come to deliver us from the corruption of our sin. His righteousness is imputed to us, just as Adam's sin was imputed to us. but also his grace is given to us by his spirit that we might now walk in newness of life. Romans 6 tells us, not only have you been forgiven, but you have also been set free from the bondage of your sin if you're in Christ. Naturally, you are both guilty and bound by your sin. In Christ, you are now righteous and set free from the reign of your sin. But until we are fully glorified together with Christ, we will continue the ongoing wrestling match with the ongoing influence of our sinful nature. The old man has been crucified. He is put to death by virtue of your union with Jesus. The sinful man or woman that you were in Adam has been done away with, crucified and dead, so that you are no longer subject to the slavery of your sin. But even though the old man has been crucified, there are remaining effects and influences of your sinful nature that you will wrestle with throughout the duration of your time on this earth until the return of Christ. We see that, that's what paragraph five is talking about here in the confession. During this life, this corruption of nature remains in those who are regenerated, born again. Although it is pardoned and mortified or put to death through Christ, nevertheless, both this corruption of nature and its first motions, inclinations and desires, are truly and properly sin. Every believer is regenerate. Every believer is born again. Every believer has the Spirit of God living in them as a new man with new desires, a new pursuit of love and worship of Christ. That is true of every believer and yet every believer, this side of heaven continues to wrestle against the remaining effects of sin. We see that in Galatians 5 verses 16 and 17. Paul talks about the war that is waged even in the life of the believer between the flesh and the spirit. Galatians 5, verses 16 to 17, he says, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Paul's point is, as a believer, you have every ability in the spirit to walk in righteousness. You've been set free from the bondage of your sin. So if you walk in the spirit, you will not obey the flesh. But that implies that there is an ongoing battle against the flesh. Because the point is, if you fail to walk in the spirit, then you will give in to the flesh. And you will begin to indulge the desires of the flesh and to live out those corrupt desires in the way that you live. There is a day-to-day battle in the life of the believer to walk in the Spirit because there is a war being waged against the remaining effects of the flesh. 1 Peter 2, verse 11, I'll just read this. It says, Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. There are fleshly lusts that are waging a war against your soul. In 1 John 1, verses 8 to 10, some say this is not speaking of the believer. The verb tenses, I think, make very clear it's talking about the believer in an ongoing sense. He says, if we say presently that we have presently no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. John is teaching us that even as believers, we will have to have the regular practice of confessing sin. This side of heaven, we will continue to battle and wage war against the flesh. And when we fail to walk by the Spirit, we will gratify the desires of the flesh and we will have to confess our sin over and over again to the God who forgives us through Christ. Why is that important? Why is it important that you understand the remaining effects of your sin, of your sinful nature? Well, I think the main takeaway would be it reminds us that we need to be watchful and diligent. The remaining effects of our sinful nature remind us that we must be diligent and watchful. If there was no battle being waged, if there was no longer any struggle between the flesh and the spirit, we wouldn't need to be watchful. There'd be no need to keep on the alert and look out for the first motions of sinful desires in our hearts. But there is that battle. And left to ourselves, we need to live in the awareness that we will fall again and again into sin, even as believers. And our awareness of our propensity to fall when we lean on our own strength should drive us consistently, moment by moment, to the place, the only place of refuge and victory over sin, which is Christ. And so when we understand our propensity to sin still, even as believers, because of the remaining effects of sin, it compels us to walk closely with Jesus. to run from the effects of the flesh and to hide in the enabling power and grace of Jesus Christ, to remember who we are. Romans 6, Paul tells you to reckon yourself dead to sin. You are dead to sin. You no longer need to indulge its fleshly desires. you're dead to sin. And yet at the same time, he says, if you fail to walk in the Spirit, you will still indulge the desires of the flesh. And so you must be diligent to walk in the awareness of who Christ has made you and to rely on the grace of Christ to deliver you from every sin and every temptation. And so an understanding of remaining sin should cause us to be vigilant against the slightest motion of sin in our hearts. If we say we have no sin, and especially if we say we have no propensity to sin any longer as believers, John says we are calling God a liar. We need to be honest about the remaining effects of sin and we need to be diligent to take refuge in the Savior who's delivered us from both the guilt and the power of our sin. So that's an overview then, chapter six of the Bible's teaching on the fall of man and sin and the punishment thereof. When we fell into sin, when Adam fell into sin, God could have left all of humanity to perish in the ruin and destruction of our sin, but he didn't. He is gracious. God is a loving God. He would have been perfectly holy and righteous to leave us in the depravity of our hearts but in his love for mankind, as Titus puts it. He has provided a savior, and that savior is his own son, and his own son was sent not when we were worthy of his love, but when we were radically unworthy of it. I'll finish with Paul's words from Romans chapter five, verses six to eight. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for a good man someone would dare even to die. but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let's pray. Father, we thank you We thank you for your wisdom, and we thank you for your goodness. We confess that even as we talk through some of these topics, there are things that we don't understand. We don't understand sin's initial entrance into the world. We don't understand all of the ways that we suffer as a result of our union with Adam, and we don't yet understand all of the ways that we benefit from our union with Christ. But God, we pray that you would help us to have a sense of our desperate need for Christ. Help us to understand where you have rescued us from if we are in Christ and how you've done it, that our hearts might be filled with gratitude. For those who are here tonight who are still in their sin, I pray that you would help them to see their desperately hopeless and lost condition outside of Christ. We pray that you would grant their hearts faith and repentance in the Lord Jesus, that they might know the life and righteousness that are found in him. We pray that you would help us, God, as we see the horrendous nature of sin and its consequences. Help us to hate sin even more than we do. Help us to be eager to turn away from it and help us to be eager to turn to Christ and take refuge in Him. We thank you that He is a sure and safe refuge for us in the moment of every temptation. We pray that you would help us to believe Him, to believe that Your grace is sufficient to deliver us from evil and help us to turn to Your grace. And we pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.