Shorter Catechism Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? A. All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.
Commentary: When God created the world, he made everything very good. Life for Adam and Eve was beautiful. They lived in paradise. That all changed when Adam rebelled against God. Now we live in a fallen world, which involves sin and misery. Question 18 looked at the sin part of our fallen existence, whereas question 19 considers the misery part.
One aspect of our misery is that we lost communion with God. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. But we don’t experience that. By nature, we are without God in the world (Eph. 2:12).
In the musical The Sound of Music, Max Detweiler humorously says, “I like rich people. I like the way they live. I like the way I live when I’m with them.” True life is only experienced when you live with God. He is rich. He owns all things, and he is the giver of all good things. Moreover, he is good and generous and kind. To know him is to have life, and to have it abundantly (John 10:10). In his presence there is fullness of joy; at his right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11). To lose communion with God, therefore, is an incalculable loss.
Another aspect of our misery is that we are under God’s wrath and curse. We all stand condemned before God, the judge of all the earth, because we are all sinners. We don’t deserve to be blessed but cursed. Consequently, we are made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.
This is why life is hard. It is why it is appointed for man to die once, and after that the judgment (Heb. 9:17). The fall plunged us into a miserable estate.