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You can turn in your confessions 
with me to chapter six. Does anyone need a confession 
of faith? Chapter six, this is the chapter titled Of the Fall 
of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof. And we'll have a look at the 
stuff of all five paragraphs as we move through. sort of a 
high-level view, ensuring that we don't do an injustice to the 
topic, but there's certainly much that can be drawn out of 
the five paragraphs. So this is chapter six, paragraph 
one and continuing. Although God created man upright 
and perfect and gave him a righteous law which had been unto life 
had he kept it and threatened death upon the breach thereof, 
yet he did not long abide in this honor. Satan using the subtlety 
of the serpent to subdue Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who, 
without any compulsion, did willfully transgress the law of their creation 
and the command given unto them in eating the forbidden fruit, 
which God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel 
to permit, having purpose to order it to His own glory. Our 
first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness 
and communion with God, and we in them, whereby death came upon 
all, all becoming dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the 
faculties and parts of soul and body. They being the root, and 
by God's appointment standing in the room instead of all mankind, 
The guilt of the sin was imputed and corrupt nature conveyed to 
all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, 
being now 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 set them 
free. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, 
disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined 
to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions. The corruption 
of nature during this life doth remain in those that are regenerated, 
and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both 
itself and the first motions thereof are truly and properly 
sin. So this is a vital chapter in 
the confession of faith. It reveals man's fall from his 
original state of righteousness into a state of sin and misery. 
But it points to God's sovereign purpose as well and the necessity 
of the Lord Jesus Christ to set sinners free. Jim Renahan on 
this chapter wrote, Chapter 6 provides an explanation of the events 
recorded in Genesis 3, describes the immediate consequences for 
our first parents, and shows the subsequent after-effects 
and profound implications for their descendants. An excellent 
summary of what this chapter is opening up doctrinally with 
respect to what the Bible discloses in the narrative of the fall 
in Genesis 3 and then as it's amplified and opened up throughout 
the course of redemptive history with regards to the after effects 
of the fall and the plan of God in that and the blessed remedy 
that comes by way of Jesus Christ. This chapter is pivotal for the 
confession of faith because it's transitioning now. It's the catalyst 
for or the impetus for everything that follows with respect to 
chapter seven and the covenant. What is the answer to the violation 
of the covenant of works? It is the covenant of grace, 
and we see that in the next chapter in chapter seven. How is that 
covenant of grace affected that answers the violation of the 
covenant of works and the curse that is brought forth by that? 
It is through the champion of the covenant, Jesus Christ, and 
we see that in chapter eight. And then how is it that those 
who are under the federal headship of that blessed second and last 
Adam, how is it that they receive the blessings of the redemption 
wrought by that champion of the covenant, we see that in everything 
that follows with respect to salvation and then the bearing 
that has with regards to the constitution of the church, with 
regards to the communion of saints and with regards to the judgment 
of the wicked and the ultimate salvation of the righteous at 
the end of days. So it's a very pivotal chapter. and we're going to look at all 
five paragraphs and we'll note sort of an outline or a title 
for each chapter as we work through it. So first off, paragraph one, 
The Fall and the Divine Purpose. The Fall and the Divine Purpose. 
Man was created upright under a covenant of works, but fell 
by a voluntary willful act. Now, And many of you may have 
heard before, as Pastor Butler or myself on occasion have been 
preaching and teaching, of the phrase historia salutis. It's a Latin phrase that simply 
means the history of salvation. There's the pactum salutis, which 
is that pre-temporal covenant between the persons of the Trinity 
to effect the salvation of sinners, simply the pact of salvation 
or the covenant of redemption. How is that borne out? in history, 
in creation and providence. It's borne out by the Historia 
Salutis, or the history of salvation. And then you've probably heard 
of the Ordo Salutis, which is the application of the redemptive 
victories of the Lord Jesus Christ, the order of salvation. How does 
divine grace by virtue of the perfect work of Jesus Christ, 
what does it look like in bringing many sons to glory? Well, we could see the fall here 
in paragraph one as the historialapsis, the history of the fall that 
serves the history of salvation, the cause of ruin that serves 
the means of restoration. So notice, first off, with respect 
to the original state of man, we see here, by virtue of creation, 
man is created upright and perfect, although God created man upright 
and perfect. So the original creation of mankind, 
and we see this in the Bible, we see it with regards to, the 
stuff of narrative in Genesis, but also with theological elaboration 
and reflection in places like the book of Ecclesiastes and 
elsewhere. God created man upright and perfect, 
and we see that with that, or Following that, God gives man 
this covenant of works. Now, the language covenant of 
works is not specifically used here. That's not because the 
particular Baptists rejected the covenant of works. They used 
the phrase elsewhere. but the theology of it is here 
and brought forth in sort of some variegated views with regards 
to the language that's being used. So notice here, the language 
of the Covenant of Works. the man that he created upright, 
gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept 
it, and threatened death upon the breach thereof. So this is 
an explicit reference to the covenant of works, the meaning 
of it. What is the covenant of works? 
It's God giving man a righteous law, which had been unto life 
had he kept it. That's the blessing of covenant 
promises. Adam was promised life had he 
kept the covenant of works. And then, of course, the cursing 
of the covenant, the curse attached to the covenant for its violation 
and threatened death upon the breach thereof. So this is the 
Baptists upholding the reality of the covenant of works. If 
you do want to know what Jim Renahan, for example, says in 
his commentary on the Confession as to why the Baptists removed 
covenant of works, the explicit phrase, from the Savoy Declaration 
that had it in it. I can email that to you if you 
want to send me an email afterwards, but he provides a good explanation. as always, the particular Baptists, 
with the advantage of time, but with theological reflection, 
are nuancing the language in order to bring out certain aspects 
of the doctrine that is in view. But suffice it to say, this is 
the language of the Covenant of Works and the theology of 
it. Notice that man, notice the fall of man. And this, again, 
we're talking about the fall here, yes, generally speaking, 
but specifically with regards to the divine purpose in it as 
well. Notice what we see here with 
regards to the fall. Very quickly after, we read about 
the covenant of works given, blessings, cursings, we read 
here, yet he did not long abide in this honor. Man very quickly 
fell. What is the, you know, how much 
time elapsed between the creation of Adam and Eve and the fall? We don't know the exact timing, 
but he did not long abide in this honor. So, we should understand, 
I think, that it happened not long after the creation of Adam 
and Eve and the giving of the covenant of works. And notice 
the genesis of this not long abiding in the honor of his uprightness 
and perfection. Satan, using the subtlety of 
the serpent to subdue Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who without 
any compulsion did willfully transgress the law of their creation 
and the command given unto them in eating the forbidden fruit. 
Now, notice the important language here. They did willfully, or 
emphasis on Adam, he did willfully transgress, notice, the law of 
their creation and the command given unto them. Very often it's 
said by, you know, the God-haters that, You know, what's the big 
deal? You know, Adam and Eve just ate 
fruit from a tree, and God, you know, thrusts man into, you know, 
well, Adam thrusts them into sin and depravity, but God righteously 
and justly is, well, they wouldn't use that language. God judges 
man for eating of fruit from a tree. This is weird, this is 
strange, this is capricious, this seems arbitrary. But that's 
not what the Bible teaches, that it's simply the eating of fruit 
that is the cause of divine judgment. Notice, Adam did willfully transgress, 
A, the law of their creation. And so if you'll turn with me 
to chapter 19 for a moment, we want to see what that is, the 
law of their creation. Notice in chapter 19 at paragraph 
one, God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in 
his heart. This is important because this 
pertains to what we just read, the law of their creation. God 
gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart 
and then notice this positive precept and a particular precept 
of not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good 
and evil. So if we see Paragraph one of chapter six, law of their 
creation equals law of universal obedience, and the command given 
unto them equals a particular precept of not eating the fruit 
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now notice, 
paragraph two of chapter 19, the same law that was first written 
in the heart of man continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness 
after the fall. and was delivered by God upon 
Mount Sinai in 10 commandments and written in two tables, the 
four first containing our duty towards God and the other six, 
our duty to man. So getting back to chapter six 
for a moment, the law of their creation is that law of God written 
upon the heart of Adam and Eve by virtue of the image of God, 
which is that very law that's articulated and codified on Mount 
Sinai. So the Ten Commandments, the 
sum and substance of it, the moral law of God, was written 
upon the heart of Adam and Eve. It is the law of their creation. And so in the fall, in the taking 
of the fruit and the eating of the fruit of the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil, The, Adam did not simply transgress 
the command, the positive law given to him to not eat of the 
tree, but he transgressed the very law of his creation. In 
other words, as some theologians have noted, with the advantage 
of the Sinaitic codification of the law, that Adam and Eve 
broke all 10 commandments, essentially, in eating of the forbidden fruit. 
And the, The Confession is essentially saying that. They transgressed 
the law of their creation, the moral law of God, and the positive 
law, the command given unto them, notice, in eating the forbidden 
fruit. So if we use this language and 
kind of reverse it a little bit, we would say, in eating the forbidden 
fruit, Adam transgressed the law of his creation, the moral 
law of God written creatively upon the heart of man at creation, 
and he broke the positive law given to him to not eat of that 
forbidden fruit. So the transgression is significant. It's not just that they ate some 
fruit. It's that they actively, willfully, 
voluntarily and sinfully violated the law of God in significant 
wickedness. And so by doing that thrust humanity, 
all their posterity by ordinary generation into sin and depravity. We'd want to note then, as we 
close here, notice the end of the paragraph. We noted that 
this is about the fall and the divine purpose. And so we see 
here, the end of paragraph one, that which God was pleased, according 
to his wise and holy counsel to permit, having purpose to 
order it to his own glory. And so we should see here that 
the fall didn't catch God off guard. It wasn't like God had, 
you know, God is some sort of, you know, Greco-Roman deity that 
had this initial plan that he would save mankind by virtue 
of obedience to the covenant of works. And man, you know, 
wow, that failed. What do I do now? I've got to 
pick up the stones of my divine error and try something else. 
No, God was pleased according to His wise and holy counsel 
to permit, having purpose to order it to His own glory. Notice 
just some of the stuff that preceded this chapter in the confession 
of faith regarding the fall specifically. Notice the decree of God. If 
you backtrack with me in the confession to chapter 3, Notice in chapter three, at paragraph 
three, this is of the decree of God. By the decree of God, 
for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are 
predestinated or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus 
Christ to the praise of his glorious grace. Others being left to act 
in their sin to their just condemnation to the praise of his glorious 
justice. We ask the question, how is this 
affected then in time and in history? If this is the decree 
of God for the manifestation of his glory seen in the predestination 
and the outpouring of grace upon vessels of mercy, as well as 
the manifestation of his glorious justice, his wrath poured out 
on the vessels prepared for destruction, how is this borne out? Well, 
there must be sinners who are saved by grace, and there must 
be sinners who are condemned in the manifestation, for the 
manifestation, or in the manifestation of God's wrath and justice. How 
are these sinners to come about? Well, it is, as we read here, 
by virtue of the preordained fall of man. Notice in paragraph 
5, those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, 
before the foundation of the world was laid, according to 
his eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good 
pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory 
out of his mere free grace and love, without any other thing 
in the creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto. Now notice, as God hath appointed 
the elect unto glory, so he hath by the eternal and the most free 
purpose of his will foreordained all the means thereunto. And 
now notice specifically the stuff of our chapter this morning, 
wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed 
by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit, 
working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept 
by his power through faith unto salvation. So we said earlier 
that the Historia Lapsus, the history of the fall, serves the 
Historia Salutis, the history of salvation. How is it that 
God is glorified in the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ? It is by virtue of a fall that 
thrusts humankind into sin and depravity. those thus thrusted 
into sin and depravity, Christ saves, or a multitude of them, 
Christ saves by the perfection of his work unto the praise of 
the glory and the divine purpose of God Almighty. So finding our 
way back to paragraph one, and then we're gonna move on to the 
following paragraphs. God's sovereignty, God permitted 
the fall by his wise and holy counsel. Now, Regarding this 
language of permission, we must understand that it isn't conveying 
that there was something outside of God's control that he allowed 
to happen, you know, by some measure of divine authority. 
Turretin writes this, permission is not a mere idle observation, 
but a wise, voluntary non-hindering of second causes to act according 
to their natures. In other words, permitting is 
a sovereign non-hindrance of that which God has already ordained 
to take place. And so it's not some loose language 
that God somehow is limited in his sovereignty, which is itself 
an oxymoron, but rather that, again, permission is a voluntary 
non-hindering of certain things, and in this case, sinners to 
act according to their natures. Or we could say persons, because 
in this case, it's pre-fall, but persons acting according 
to their nations. God was pleased, according to 
his wise and holy counsel, to permit the fall, having purposed 
it himself, to order it to his own glory. So let's move on to 
paragraph two, and here we see the consequences of the fall. 
So we see the fall itself, paragraph one, according to the divine 
purpose, and then now we see the consequences of the fall. 
The fall destroyed man's righteousness and his communion with God. Notice. the consequences. Our first parents, 
by this sin, fell from their original righteousness in communion 
with God, and we in them, whereby death came upon all, all becoming 
dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts 
of soul and body. And so we see this, first, this 
reality of death coming upon all. And it's not just The reality 
of a physical death, yes, it is that. We would also want to 
note significantly spiritual death coming upon all. What's 
Paul's sort of first language in Ephesians 2.1, we being dead 
in our trespasses and sins. And so death comes upon all, 
physical, yes, It's spiritual, and that is also, we should note, 
the curse of the law. that death is the curse that 
man has inherited by virtue of his breaking the law of God. Thanks, Jim. Our first parents, 
by this, and fell from their original righteousness in communion 
with God, and we in them, whereby death came upon all. And notice 
this language of communion with God. If we look back upon the 
history of salvation, following the fall, What is the redemptive 
purpose in God as it progresses towards the Lord Jesus Christ, 
but the restoration of divine communion of sinners with God? We see this in the tabernacle, 
in the temple, those things being types, of course, of that eschatological 
fulfillment, of Jesus Christ being the very communion and 
presence of God with his people. And so this loss of communion 
with God is significant because it serves as the catalyst and 
foundation for the restoration of the communion of God that 
the rest of the story brings us in the Holy Scriptures. And so they lose communion with 
God, death comes upon them, and notice this, notice this, significant 
reality concerning the fall and its consequences, all becoming, 
that is, That is, all of Adam and Eve's posterity by ordinary 
generation, as well as Adam and Eve initially, all becoming dead 
in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of 
soul and body. This is where we ought to observe 
and remind ourselves of the seriousness and the significance of sin. Sin can be taken too lightly 
in all circles, even reformed circles. We must always be mindful 
of the seriousness and the significance of sin. Yes, simply doctrinally 
speaking, but I think More so because it serves then our vision 
of God and our vision of Jesus Christ and the significance of 
him saving us from this particular and terrible reality. A proper 
knowledge of the doctrine of sin and the wholesale reality 
of the defilement that it is marked by will ultimately magnify 
the grace of God and will magnify the perfect work of the Lord 
Jesus Christ in effecting the salvation of these sinners, of 
us sinners, all becoming dead in sin. And notice, this is the 
language of total depravity and total inability. all becoming 
dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties of soul 
and body. Little coffee accident there. 
You can turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis. Significantly, 
the same, so this is pre-flood, Genesis 6. God looks down upon 
the children of men and he notices, not notices, as if beforehand 
he didn't and now he's seeing with literal eyes something upon 
earth, but the language, thanks Grant, appreciate that. It's 
the language of accommodation to our finite minds in order 
to convey the holiness and the justice and the perfection of 
God. Notice in Genesis 6, 5, with respect to the wholly defiled 
reality of mankind, then the Lord saw the wickedness of man 
was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts 
of his heart was only evil continually. The Bible itself, in so many 
places, upholds the reality of total depravity. For anyone to 
come to the Bible and to rail against total depravity is to 
miss the Bible's witness to its truth and to completely diminish 
the significance and the severity and the seriousness of sin. the 
intense of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil continually. That's also the same report after 
the fall in Genesis 8, but you can turn with me, excuse me, 
after the flood in Genesis 8. So the same report by God is 
given by God in Genesis 8, but turn with me to Jeremiah 17. Jeremiah 17, some passages that 
speak to total depravity. That man, because of the fall 
and because of his sinful nature, is wholly defiled in all the 
faculties and parts of soul and body. Jeremiah 17, and notice 
verse nine. You're familiar with this verse. 
The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? The report of 
Moses, the report of the prophets, the report of the Psalms is that 
man is wholly defiled in all the faculties of soul and body. Total depravity, and notice as 
well, total inability. You can turn with me to the Gospel 
of John. The Gospel of John, Jesus Christ 
himself speaking to this truth in before the audience, yes, 
of his disciples, but unbelieving Jews who are following him simply 
because he gave them bread and fish. And he brings to bear the 
reality of spiritual deadness and the necessity of belief in 
him. And notice in John 6 with regards 
to total inability, the language is simple in verse 44, no one 
can come to me. unless the Father who sent me 
draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." That negative 
statement, no one can, is a statement of ability. In this case, total 
inability. No one can come to me unless 
the Father who sent me draws him. Notice as well, in John 
chapter 8, John 8 at verse 34, Jesus answered them. This is 
after they have said, we are Abraham's descendants, that we've 
never been in bondage to anyone. And then they say, how can you 
say you will be made free? Jesus answered them, most assuredly 
I say to you, 834, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a 
slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the son makes you 
free, you shall be free indeed. We haven't gotten there yet, 
but that's the stuff of the end of paragraph three of chapter 
six of our confession this morning. If the son makes you free, you 
shall be free indeed. And then just one more passage 
on this total inability, Romans chapter eight. There are certainly 
more, but Romans chapter eight speaks to the reality of one 
of the consequences of sin being total inability. Notice in Romans 8 at verse 7. Because the carnal mind, so sinful 
mind, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, that is, 
the sinful mind, before or in the absence of amazing and victorious 
grace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it 
is not subject to the law of God, notice, nor indeed can be, 
so then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. And so there are these significant, 
overwhelming, and grievous consequences to the fall that come upon mankind 
by virtue of our first parents' transgression and fall from their 
original righteousness. I've got to get a second. I think 
this one's leaking here. Bear with me. So total depravity and total 
inability. The problem of sin is not simply 
a sickness. It's not simply that we are a 
bit hindered, that mankind in his sinfulness is a bit hindered. It is spiritual death. It is 
a deadness in sin and trespasses. It is a total depravity. It is 
a total inability. Man by nature cannot affect his 
motion towards the divine. Something outside of him needs 
to occur. He must be born again before 
he can see and before he can enter the kingdom of God. Notice 
paragraph three, imputation and inheritance. Imputation and inheritance, Adam's 
guilt and corruption are imputed and transmitted to all his posterity 
by ordinary generation. Notice paragraph three, they, 
our first parents, being the root, and by God's appointment, 
standing in the room instead of all mankind. This speaks to 
Adam as a federal head and representative. He was not just a private sinner, 
But he was a public man and a representative who stood in the room instead 
of all his posterity by ordinary generation. And we'll talk about 
why I keep saying ordinary generation, because it's a qualifying clause. 
So they being the root. and by God's appointment, standing 
in the room instead of all mankind. Hopefully you recognize that 
language from when we preach on Christ and the salvation that 
he affected in his perfect work. Christ stood and stands in the 
room instead of all the elect. When we talk about Christ's substitutionary 
work, when we talk first about his substitutionary act of obedience, 
he stood in the room instead of all those whom the Father 
had given to him in his act of obedience and perfection with 
respect to the law of God and its obedience. And he also stood 
in the room instead of all of the elect in his passive obedience 
in his death. He bore substitutionarily the 
wrath of God in our room instead, that is, the room instead of 
all believers. So here we have, as the Historia 
lapsus, as the first Adam and the reason for the divine redemptive 
plan that follows, Adam. standing in the room instead 
of all mankind. Notice, first with regards to 
imputation and then with regards to inheritance, the guilt of 
the sin was imputed and corrupted nature conveyed to all their 
posterity descending from them by ordinary generation. And so this is imputation. the guilt is imputed, so the 
guilt of sin, the guilt of Adam's sin is imputed to all of mankind, 
and also the corruption of nature conveyed. And notice this language, 
to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation. This is a clause here that is 
excluding Jesus Christ from the imputation of Adam's guilt. Christ 
was not born of ordinary generation. He was born of a virgin. The 
Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary and the Lord Jesus Christ was 
conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. And so this clause 
is particularly and peculiarly targeted to exclude Jesus Christ, 
because he comes as the second and last Adam, free completely 
from anything in the way of the imputation of guilt or the corruption 
of nature conveyed. Jesus Christ is holy, harmless, 
and undefiled. And so this is speaking simply 
to every other man and woman, boy or girl, who has ever breathed, 
who is currently breathing, and whoever will breathe, save for 
the Lord Jesus Christ. The guilt of sin is imputed, 
that is, it's accounted to all the posterity of mankind. They 
bear the guilt of the first man. Not only that, but that nature 
that is corrupted is conveyed also to all of mankind. And notice 
now the inheritance, being now 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 set them free. So this amplifies the very significance 
and seriousness of sin. We've seen it in total depravity 
and total inability. Here we see it in the inheritance 
of everlasting damnation, and not only spiritual and eternal 
miseries, but also temporal. that we are the children of wrath, 
the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all these other 
miseries. I mean, a number of passages 
both brought forth in the confession of faith and others that we could 
bring forth speak to this reality. I think one of the passages that 
are in view is the stuff that we talked about earlier in Ephesians 
2.1, where we were dead in our trespasses and sins. We are in 
that context. We're under the sway of the prince 
of the power of the air. We're under the sway of the allurements 
of the world. We're under the sway of the corruption 
of our own flesh. We are the miserable inheritors 
of the effects of sin and the corruption of nature. And I want 
us to turn to 1 Peter 1 for a moment just to see, because this next 
clause is glorious, unless the Lord Jesus set them free. But 
I want us to see here the connection between the negative imputation 
of guilt and the negative inheritance that comes by virtue of our connection 
to our first parents, the contrast between that and the imputation 
that we get by virtue of Christ, and the inheritance that we get 
by virtue of Christ. Because in Jesus Christ, we have 
this imputation negated, if you will. Christ is imputed. The 
imputation of sinners, or Christ receives the imputation of sin, 
and we receive the imputation of his righteousness. Notice 
in 1 Peter, in chapter one, We have this language of imputation 
and inheritance. And first off, imputation, I 
want us to see here, it's not explicit, but I believe it's 
implicit and it is the point of Peter. First, Peter one, Peter, 
an apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion 
in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according 
to the foreknowledge of God the Father in sanctification of the 
spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. 
That for obedience isn't our obedience. That's not that we 
were, though we were, saved for obedience, that we might be those 
vessels that shine the light of God's grace to those who are 
around us. This is the obedience of Christ 
imputed to us. It's his, notice his active and 
passive obedience here in one clause. for the obedience, we 
could say, and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. 
His active obedience imputed to us, and his passive obedience 
in his death, that is the sprinkling of his blood. And so the imputation 
of sin that is incurred by virtue of our connection with Adam is 
reversed, if you will, because we receive, by God's grace, the 
imputation of the righteousness of the second or last Adam. And 
now notice inheritance in verse 3 and what follows. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy 
has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ from the dead. Notice, to an inheritance incorruptible 
and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven 
for you. Now, remember what we read. Notice this language, incorruptible 
and undefiled. Notice what we read at the end 
of paragraph two, wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts 
of soul and body. And notice what we read at the 
beginning of paragraph three, the guilt of the sin was imputed 
and corrupted nature conveyed. And then we read this language 
of inheritance. the inheritance that we receive 
by virtue of the second and last Adam is an incorruptible and 
an undefiled inheritance that's reserved in heaven for us. So 
hopefully you see the connection here between what we are in Adam 
and the imputation and inheritance we have by virtue of our connection 
to our first parents. but the salvation that we get 
through Jesus Christ where we receive something incorruptible 
and undefiled, not because we deserved it, but because God 
is a gracious God who has condescended to pluck us up from out of the 
miry pit of corruption and defilement. Paragraph four, we see the source 
of actual sin. Well, just before that, John 
Owen on this reality of imputation and inheritance. The scripture 
is clear that the sin of Adam is the sin of us all. Not only 
by propagation and communication, whereby, not his singular fault, 
but something of the same nature is derived unto us. but also 
by an imputation of His actual transgression unto us all, His 
singular disobedience being by this means made ours." Again, 
that's why that last clause in paragraph 3 is so glorious, unless 
the Lord Jesus set them free. It speaks to the necessity that 
Jesus Christ liberates, that Jesus Christ frees us, that Jesus 
Christ saves us, the condition of man is so grave, so severe, 
and so significant, that the only answer is this second or 
last Adam who comes in the fullness of the times to save his people 
from their sins. Paragraph four, the source of 
actual sin, actual sins proceed from our corrupted nature. Notice, from this original corruption, 
whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to 
all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual 
transgressions. And so our sin comes from the 
reality Now let's just qualify this. Prior to, you know, prior 
to amazing and victorious grace, the all sin comes and proceeds 
from that original corruption whereby we are, notice they didn't 
just say, from this original corruption do proceed all actual 
transgressions, because that's the clause without those qualifying 
clauses. From this original corruption 
do proceed all actual transgressions. That would have been okay, but 
lest we not grasp the severity, the significance of sin, they 
add these qualifying clauses, whereby we are utterly indisposed, 
we're disabled, we are made opposite to all good, and we are wholly 
inclined to all evil. So from that original corruption 
do proceed all transgressions. The sin is not environmental. Sin is not genetic. It is anthropological. Sin arises from our fallenness. And we see that in the Gospel 
of Matthew when Jesus is disputing with the unbelieving 
Jews. And he talks about the fact that 
it's not what goes into our mouths that defile us, but what comes 
out of our mouths. In other words, those things 
that proceed from the heart are those things which reflect a 
defilement and which are defiling. murders, blasphemies, all of 
those things that flow forth from our heart, and that reflects 
this reality that from this original corruption do proceed all actual 
transgressions. I don't know if it was Turretin. 
For some reason, I think it was Turretin, but I may be wrong. 
Jim, you may know, but we sin because we're sinners. We're 
not sinners because we sin. And that reflects this certain 
truth that from this original corruption conveyed by our first 
parents do proceed all actual sins. And then the chapter closes 
with sin remaining in the regenerate. Even believers retain the remnants 
of corruption. Paragraph 5, the corruption of 
nature during this life doth remain in those that are regenerated, 
and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both 
itself and the first motions thereof are truly and properly 
sin. So we still do sin, but we praise 
God that we are the blessed but undeserved recipients of the 
fact that the Lord Jesus has set us free. We're the blessed 
and undeserved recipients of an amazing grace that has brought 
us forth from the deadness of sin to life in Christ, that has 
answered the defilement, that has answered the corruption, 
that has answered total depravity and total inability. We are now 
those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes, and though we do, we 
are still marked by this remaining corruption. It's not eradicated, 
it is mortified. We see Paul as a Christian speaking 
about this in Romans chapter 7, where he talks about the facts, 
speaking to remaining corruption, that the things that he wants 
to do, the good that he wants to do, he finds himself not doing. The evil that he wishes not to 
do, he finds himself doing. But praise God for the work and 
the spirit-giving reality of the Lord Jesus Christ, who does 
equip us to mortify sin, to put to death the deeds of the flesh. And so this reality Well, two 
things, the reality of original sin and sin, largely speaking, 
necessitates the work of Christ and so it necessitates the proclamation 
of Jesus Christ as the one who saves sinners. The reality, the 
significance, the severity of sin ought to drive the Christian 
church to proclaim the holiness of God, the severity of that 
sin, but the Blessed One, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sets free 
sinners from their captivity to death in the devil. And for 
believers, this ought to, the reality of remaining sin, ought 
to constantly call us and impress upon us the reality that we're 
to go to Christ, we're to go to the Advocate with the Father, 
the Righteous One, who, by His shed blood and by virtue of the 
perfection of His work, intercedes for us. We go with boldness to 
the throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in time of need 
because Jesus Christ, our great high priest, has gone before 
us, securing our salvation. Praise God. for the second or 
last Adam. That we were not left with the 
nature conveyed, that we were not left with the guilt imputed, 
that we were not left in that state of whole defilement, but 
that in time and in history Christ came forth to bring a multitude 
of sinners to glory. What a joy, what a what a perfect 
grace, what perfect salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Let's 
pray. God, we thank you for our Savior, 
the Lord Jesus Christ. We rejoice in your goodness towards 
us in saving us from such a state of deadness and sin. We thank 
you for the perfection and the glory of your grace for your 
divine purpose. We rejoice in Jesus Christ, our 
Savior, who is that one who provided a righteousness that avails with 
you that's imputed to us, that one who provided that shedding 
of blood upon Calvary's cross to bring many sons and daughters 
to glory. We do pray that we'd go into worship now, that we 
would rejoice in you, we'd sing the praises of grace, and that 
we'd be resting holy and alone upon the perfect work of our 
Savior, Jesus Christ. And it's in his name that we 
pray, amen. Any questions about the topic 
of that chapter? Leslie? In what sense would they have 
broken the fourth? That's a good question. I mean, it's a breaking of the 
worship of God. Jim, in your reading about the 
breaking of the, I know I'm deferring now to Jim, but I know you've 
read more on this topic. Yeah, we'd have to dig that up 
for you, Leslie. That's a good question, though. 
How did they break the, we'll seek out Fisher and I'll send 
you an email. A day set aside, I mean the Sabbath 
is linked to the creation and the resting of God after the 
perfection of his creation. and so to violate the law of 
their creator and their creator, that creation being connected 
as a very ground for the Sabbath day, there might be a connection 
there, but I'd have to dig it up, dig into it a bit further. 
Yeah. What's that? Oh, maybe, yeah. They did not long abide in this 
honor, yeah. Yeah, any other questions? All right, enjoy. Worship.