The Westminster Confession of Faith
CHAPTER 6
Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment
thereof.
I. Our first parents being seduced by the subtilty
and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit.a
This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel,
to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.b
a Gen. 3:13; 2 Cor. 11:3.
b Rom. 11:32.
II. By this sin they fell from their original
righteousness, and communion with God,c and so
became dead in sin,d and wholly defiled in all
the faculties and parts of soul and body.e
c Gen. 3:6-8; Eccl. 7:29;
Rom. 3:23.
d Gen. 2:17; Eph. 2:1.
e Tit. 1:15; Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9;
Rom. 3:10-18.
III. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt
of this sin was imputed,f and the same death in
sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending
from them by ordinary generation.g
f Gen. 1:27,28 and Gen.
2:16,17 and Acts 17:26 with Rom. 5:12 ,15-19 and 1 Cor. 15:21,22,49.
g Ps. 51:5; Gen. 5:3; Job 14:4, Job
15:14 .
IV. From this original corruption, whereby we are
utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good,h
and wholly inclined to all evil,i do proceed all
actual transgressions.k
h Rom. 5:6; Rom. 8:7; Rom.
7:18; Col. 1:21.
i Gen. 6:5; Gen. 8:21; Rom. 3:10-12.
k James 1:14,15; Eph. 2:2,3; Matt.
15:19.
V. This corruption of nature, during this life,
doth remain in those that are regenerated:l and
although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself,
and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.m
l 1 John 1:8,10; Rom.
7:14,17,18,23; James 3:2; Prov. 20:9; Eccl. 7:20.
m Rom. 7:5,7,8,25; Gal. 5:17.
VI. Every sin, both original and actual, being a
transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto,n
doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner,o
whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God,p
and curse of the law,q and so made subject to
death,r with all miseries spiritual,s
temporal,t and eternal.u
n 1 John 3:4.
o Rom. 2:15; Rom. 3:9,19.
p Eph. 2:3.
q Gal. 3:10.
r Rom. 6:23.
s Eph. 4:18.
t Rom. 8:20; Lam. 3:39.
u Matt. 25:41; 2 Thess. 1:9.
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