We have stood on the mountain peaks of God’s eternal decree and witnessed the pristine beauty of creation in the Garden. But now, the narrative takes a catastrophic turn. To understand the world as we see it today—broken, violent, and groaning—and to understand our own hearts, we must descend into the valley of the shadow of death. Chapter 6 of the Confession deals with the Fall of Man. This is not a pleasant subject, but it is an essential one. Unless we understand the depth of the disease, we will never appreciate the magnitude of the cure.
The Confession teaches that our first parents fell from their original righteousness through the temptation of Satan, bringing spiritual death and total defilement upon themselves; and that as the root of all mankind, their guilt is imputed and their corrupt nature conveyed to all their posterity, rendering us utterly unable to do good and subject to God’s just wrath.
The First Sin (WCF 6.1)
The story begins with a historical fact. “Our first parents, being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit” (Gen. 3:13). This was not a myth or an allegory; it was a space-time rebellion that changed the course of history.
But immediately, the divines lift our eyes from the tragedy of the garden to the throne of heaven. Did this catch God by surprise? Absolutely not. “This their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory” (Rom. 11:32). This is a hard truth. God did not cause the sin, but He sovereignly permitted it, intending to weave even this dark thread into the tapestry of His glory—primarily the glory of His justice in punishing sin and His mercy in saving sinners.
The Consequences for Adam (WCF 6.2)
The immediate effects of this rebellion were devastating. “By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God” (Rom. 3:23). The intimate friendship walk in the cool of the day was broken.
But the damage went deeper than just a broken relationship. They “became dead in sin” (Eph. 2:1), fulfilling the warning of Genesis 2:17. This death was not immediate physical extinction, but immediate spiritual death—a separation from the life of God. Consequently, they became “wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body” (Titus 1:15; Jer. 17:9). Their minds became darkened, their wills enslaved, their affections twisted, and their bodies subject to decay. Sin was not a scratch on the surface; it was a systemic poison.
The Root of Mankind (WCF 6.3)
If the story ended with Adam and Eve, it would be tragic enough. But it doesn’t. The Confession explains the connection between Adam and us: “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.”
We are not merely Adam’s descendants; we are his harvest. Because he stood as our representative (our federal head), his action was our action. When the root is poisoned, every branch withers. The Confession teaches two distinct things we receive from Adam:
- Imputed Guilt: The legal liability for his sin is reckoned to our account (Rom. 5:12, 18).
- Corrupted Nature: The moral pollution is passed down “by ordinary generation” (Ps. 51:5). We are not born neutral; we are born “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3).
Total Inability (WCF 6.4)
Paragraph four describes the extent of this inherited corruption, often called Total Depravity. From this original corruption, “we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil.”
This language is stark. It does not mean we are as bad as we could possibly be (we are restrained by God’s grace), but that we are utterly unable to do anything spiritually good or pleasing to God (Rom. 8:7–8). We are “disabled.” A man with a broken leg cannot run a marathon; a man dead in sin cannot choose God. From this polluted fountain “do proceed all actual transgressions” (Matt. 15:19). We do not become sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.
The Conflict in Believers (WCF 6.5)
What happens when we are saved? The Confession is beautifully realistic. “This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated.” Though we are new creations, the old man hangs on. Paul cries out in Romans 7: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”
The divines affirm that this corruption is “through Christ, pardoned and mortified.” Its power is broken, and its guilt is washed away. Yet, they insist that “both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.” Even the imperfect struggles of a believer fall short of God’s perfect standard. This keeps us humble and dependent on Christ every moment of our lives.
The Wages of Sin (WCF 6.6)
The chapter concludes with the just penalty for this rebellion. “Every sin, both original and actual… doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law.”
Sin is not just a mistake; it is cosmic treason against a holy God (1 John 3:4). Therefore, it subjects the sinner to death in all its forms:
- Spiritual: Blindness and hardness of heart (Eph. 4:18).
- Temporal: Suffering, sickness, and the miseries of this life (Rom. 8:20).
- Eternal: Separation from God in hell forever (Matt. 25:41).
Loved ones, this chapter is dark, but it is the necessary backdrop for the gospel. Until we realize we are not just “mistake-makers” needing a coach, but “dead sinners” needing a Resurrection, we will never flee to Christ. The bad news of Chapter 6 drives us irresistibly to the glorious news of the Covenant of Grace in Chapter 7.
Key Terms/Concepts
- Original Sin: The sinful state and condition into which all human beings are born. It includes both the guilt of Adam’s first sin (imputation) and the hereditary corruption of our entire nature.
- Imputation: The theological principle of transfer. In the Fall, Adam’s guilt is credited or reckoned to us. In the Gospel, our sin is imputed to Christ, and His righteousness is imputed to us.
- Federal Headship: The doctrine that Adam acted as the legal representative (head) of the covenant for all humanity. His failure resulted in the condemnation of all he represented.
- Total Depravity: The teaching that the Fall has affected every part of man’s nature—mind, will, and affections—so that he is spiritually dead and unable to save himself or please God apart from grace.
- Actual Sin: Specific thoughts, words, or deeds that violate God’s law, proceeding from the internal root of original sin.