Q. Has God created thee naturally so wicked and perverse?
A. By no means: but he created me good and after his own image, in the
true knowledge of God, in righteousness and in holiness.
While we see that men are so wicked and perverse, the question may arise
whether God has created us so badly. The answer is: no, He hasn't. He has
made us very good, as Scripture testifies. The Preacher says: "Lo, this
only have I found, that God hath made man upright." (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
God made man upright, namely in His image. "God created man in his image,
in the image of God created he him." (Genesis 1:27) Adam had the true
knowledge of God, was righteous and holy. When we look around us, we see
that many are unholy, unrighteous and wicked. Yet, God had created us
good, and righteous. When we, after our fall, are renewed, as Paul says,
we get back our lost virtues, namely righteousness and holiness. "Put on
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness." (Ephesians 4:24) And in another place, the same apostle says
that the renewed man gets back the true knowledge of God, wherein he was
created. "Put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the
image of him that created him." (Colossians 3:10)
Q. Whence then proceeds that depravity which is in thee?
A. From the fall and disobedience of Adam and Eve in Paradise; hence our
nature is become so corrupt, that we are all conceived and born in sin.
The origin of our depravity is in the fall of Adam and Eve in Paradise.
They ate the forbidden fruit, against the express commandment of God. All
posterity was comprised by Adam. When he had been obedient in Paradise,
all his posterity also had inherited eternal life. Likewise, because he
sinned, all his posterity also fell with him. They were counted in him,
as in the father of the whole human race. He was the head of the human
race, and we all were counted in him. So, he fell, and became corrupted.
Likewise we are fallen, and are corrupt now. Experience proves this. Look
around you, and you see how corrupt the world is. By the disobedience of
one man, of Adam, are we made sinners. This Paul says: "by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners." (Romans 5:19) We are corrupt from
our birth, as also David testifies: "behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalms 51:5) The nature of a
babe, when born, is already corrupted. He is unable to do any real good.
For, when a child is shapen in iniquity, as David says, he is wicked. The
child being wicked, also its deeds, how good they may seem, are also
corrupted in God's eyes.
Q. What was that disobedience?
A. That they did eat of the fruit of the tree, which God had forbidden
them.
The disobedience of Adam and Eve, as is already said, was that they ate
of the forbidden fruit. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired
to make wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also
unto her husband with her; and he did eat." (Genesis 3:6) They
transgressed God's express words, for He had said: "of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)
Q. Does the disobedience of Adam concern us?
A. Certainly: for he is the father of us all; and we have all sinned in
him.
Adam was the father of us all, and we have all sinned in him. By this one
man, sin entered into the world, and also death with it, as God had
warned. Likewise, the death, which came into the world, passed upon us
all, because we all were counted in Adam.
This shows us the hopeless state of us all. Many try to be righteous, but
they will never succeed in own power. Some think they are pretty advanced
on the way to become righteous, but I say you, that they only can think
this because of their blindness. They see not their daily sins. Of
course, when you close your eyes for your sins, you may think to be
righteous in some measure. But when God awakens you from this deadly
sleep, you will understand the truth.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chr-Exp, a Christian explanation of the Bible to Israel
Editor: Teus Benschop - t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
Institution Practical Bible-education, the Netherlands
End of Catechism, 17
-------------------------------------------------
file: /pub/resources/text/ibp-e/cate: cat-017.txt
.
