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 … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? A. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Commentary: My former professor of Systematic Theology told us a (fictional?) story about a young man who had been raised in a Reformed and Presbyterian home and who had been taught the … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression? A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression. Commentary: Adam, the first human being, and Jesus, who is … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 15. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created was their eating the forbidden fruit. Commentary: As noted in WSC 13, our first parents, being left to the freedom of … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 14. What is sin? A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. Commentary: We are not the captain of our own ship. God made us, takes cares of us, and rules over us. We are under his authority, and we are required to do what he … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. Commentary: Adam and Eve were the first two human beings, and every other human being … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created? A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 11. What are God’s works of providence? A. God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. Commentary: Providence is one of the ways in which God carries out his eternal plan (decree) for the universe, with creation being the other … [Read more…]
Shorter Catechism Q. 10. How did God create man? A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. Commentary: When God created man, that is, human beings, he created them male and female. He created the male, Adam, first, and then the female, Eve. … [Read more…]