WLC 27

Q27. What misery did the fall bring upon mankind?

The fall brought upon mankind the loss of communion with God, his displeasure and curse; so as we are by nature children of wrath, bond slaves to Satan, and justly liable to all punishments in this world, and that which is to come.

Proof texts

• Gen. 3:8,10,24 — [8] And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. [10] And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” [24] He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
• Eph. 2:2-3 — [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — [3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
• 2 Tim. 2:26 — [26] and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
• Gen. 2:17 — [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
• Lam. 3:39 — [39] Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?
• Rom. 6:23 — [23] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Matt. 25:41,46 — [41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
• Jude 1:7 — [7] just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Gen. 3:8,10,24 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 8 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q13 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. WCF 6.1 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q13 · WCF 6.1 · HC Q3 · BC 4.1 · BC 4.2 · 1689 6.1 · 1689 6.2 · 1689 6.3 · 1689 6.4 · 1689 6.5