WSC 19

Q19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?

All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever.

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.
• Gal. 3:10 — [10] For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
• 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.”

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. 6 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WLC Q21 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. WLC Q27 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WLC Q21 · WLC Q27 · WLC Q28 · WLC Q29 · 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