PONDERING... Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

This is part of a catechism study we're doing on Sunday mornings.

Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

The fall brought mankind into a state of sin and misery. The sinfulness of that state 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 from it. 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.

• Romans 5:18-19 ESV - "18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."
• Romans 3:10 ESV - "10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;"
• Ephesians 2:1 ESV - "1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins"
• Psalms 51:5 ESV - "5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."
• Matthew 15:19 ESV - "19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."
• Genesis 3:8, 24 ESV - "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. ... 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."
• Ephesians 2:3 ESV - "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."
• Galatians 3:10 ESV - "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.""
• Romans 6:23 ESV - "23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
• Matthew 25:41 ESV - "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."

The fall

When we sinned in the garden of Eden.

brought mankind into a state of sin

A state is "the condition of a person or thing, as with respect to circumstances or attributes" (Dictionary.com). Hence, the state of sin is our condition of being sinners. This is our most influential natural attribute. This answers the perspective debate: are men mostly good at heart or mostly evil.

Likewise, the fall brought us into this state. We didn't start this way.

and misery.

"...wretchedness of condition or circumstances" (Dictionary.com). This is the result of sin. We are captives. Slaves to sin. By nature, we oppose that which we need. Even when we're saved by Grace, we will continue to struggle against the state.

The sinfulness of that state whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin,

We talked about this last week. Adam, as our representative, sinned. We fell when he fell. We are held responsible.

the want of original righteousness,

Losing our original relationship with God, how we were made: in perfect communion with Him. Sin separates us from the righteous God.

and the corruption of his whole nature,

Like we said before, it is our state.

which is commonly called original sin,

Yep. (This state, or sin nature).

together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.

We sin everyday in many ways.

All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God,

See above

are under His wrath and curse,

Sin results in punishment

and so made liable to all the miseries in this life,

The world was not like this originally...with all the hardships and suffering

 to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.

Without forgiveness, we will suffer eternally in Hell.

This brings up all kinds of questions. Especially in the area of human understanding and "fairness". Was it fair for God to punish everyone for the sins of Adam? Was it an overreaction? I know a lot of people don't like to hear the "we're not God explanation" (though I find the point supremely valid...because we're not, and cannot claim to be better equipped than Him to do what is right.) However, we are not punished for what Adam did, but rather for our own sins. Yes, when He fell, we fell. However, if it had not been Adam, it would have been.... Anyone else. In his position, I would have done the same thing. God's plan is best. I trust that.

Also, Adam was chosen by God to be our representative. We choose representative today, too. However, our knowledge is limited, and sometimes our choices aren't ideal. God doesn't have this flaw. So, by chosing Adam to represent mankind, He was clearly choosing the one best equipped for this position.

LISTEN: After typing this up, I listened to this sermon. The last half addresses this question, but the whole thing is worth listening to. http://www.ligonier.org/learn/sermons/death-adam-life-christ/