The sermon, delivered by Eric Bechler, explores the theological implications of the fall of man, original sin, and the resulting punishment, referencing chapter 6, paragraph 1 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession (SLBC). It begins by establishing that man was created upright and perfect by God, as evidenced in Genesis 1:31 and Ecclesiastes 7:29, and was placed in the Garden of Eden with a command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The sermon explains that this command served as a test for Adam. Despite his perfect creation, Adam was not immutable and chose to disobey God, leading to the fall. The sermon discusses the role of Satan, who deceived Eve, and highlights that while Eve was deceived, Adam willfully transgressed God's command, as noted in 1 Timothy 2:14. This act of disobedience brought sin and death into the world, affecting all mankind, a point emphasized through Romans 5:12. The sermon further explores why God allowed this, suggesting that it was part of His divine plan for His own glory, as per Romans 11:32-34. The sermon concludes by reminding the congregation of God's plan for redemption through Jesus Christ and encourages believers to study scripture to combat temptation, citing Ephesians 6:11.

Last week Levi finished the chapter of Divine Providence and this week we start a new chapter on of the fall of man of sin and the punishment thereof. I find it interesting that I received a text from Mr. Stern this past week about total depravity from Steve Lawson. He thought it was a great sermon and wanted to pass it on. And I agreed.

I thought it was a good sermon. It's very timely in that we will be briefly touching on original sin, federal headship, and total depravity over the next number of weeks in our chapter here in the confession. As we turn to paragraph one, we find that there's nothing here that's very difficult or too confusing. Our main focus will be just showing the scripture proofs to support this paragraph. The first word that we begin here with is although, which lets you know right away that there's a problem or a surprising result coming.

Our paragraph starts at the beginning and it starts at creation. Although God created man upright and perfect. So man is good, upright, perfect. He was made in the image of God. He can be in fellowship with God, and at this point there's no sin in him.

We read from Genesis, Genesis 1.31, and God saw everything that he had made and behold, it was very good. And from the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 729, see this alone I found that God made man upright. God had given Adam to work to do in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2.15 to dress it and to keep it, and noticed that it was not good for man to be alone in Genesis 2.18. So God created Eve from the rib of Adam. However, before this, God set up some boundaries for Adam.

He gave a command to Adam that he should not eat of a particular tree within the Garden of Eden, and gave him a righteous law which had been unto life had he kept it and threatened death upon the breach thereof. We read in Genesis 2, 16 and 17 that Russell read, and the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." The consequences of disobeying being death. We know that man was created upright and perfect, but man was not created immutable. Man had but one restriction. He had only to obey this command of God to maintain direct communion with God to stay good, upright, and perfect.

So why did God give this command? I think to test Adam. Here was Adam in the Garden of Eden. This is, I mean, the perfect place, right? It's the great temperature, light breeze, fresh air, peace, tranquility.

It's our image of this really nice place. But he blew it. We read more in the confession here, yet he did not long abide in this honor. We can't exactly know how much time passed from the time that God created Eve until the fall. We do know that Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born from Genesis 5 3 and Adam lived 130 years and begat a son in his own likeness after his image and called his name Seth and sometime before that they had Cain and Abel.

In all Adam lived to 930 years and with this in mind we can conclude that from that perspective, not much time had passed in Adam's life before the fall. In their transgression, there was no coercion. God did not force them to eat from the forbidden tree. We continue to read from the confession. Satan, using the subtlety of the serpent to subdue Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who without any compulsion did willfully transgress the law of their creation and the command given unto them in eating the forbidden fruit.

So did Adam let Eve know about this restriction, God's command that they not eat of this specific tree in the midst of the garden. We don't know specifically what he said. It seems that Adam had told Eve something based on her answer to the serpent. We see quickly that it's not exactly the same command that God gave to Adam. Eve mentioned about not touching the fruit, and Adam didn't receive that specifically from God.

The serpent here is Satan using the tools of deceit and guile. I'll read Genesis 3, 1 through 7. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest ye die.

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the days ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God's knowing good and evil and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes. In a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." Note the wording here, the serpent subdued Eve. She was deceived.

Then we read further. Then by her seducing Adam, it doesn't say Adam was subdued or deceived. It doesn't say he was beguiled. What does scripture say to this? Paul in his first letter to Timothy states in 2 14 and Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Despite this, Adam willfully transgressed God's command to not eat the fruit of that tree. He knew the command, he knew the restriction, and he knew what the consequences would be, yet he still disobeyed. Reading from Paul's letter to the Romans, we understand more fully the consequences of this transgression, not only applying to Adam and Eve but to all mankind from Roman 512. Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. As we move forward we see an answer to the question, why did God allow this in the confession here, which God was pleased according to his wise and holy counsel to permit having purposed to order it to his own glory.

Why does God do anything? It's all for his glory, always for his glory. God in his great wisdom had by his decree and by his divine providence ordained and permitted to fall for his glory. We read from Romans 11, 32 through 34. God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out, for who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor?" So through Adam, sin entered the world. But this isn't the end of the story. God had a plan, a plan of redemption. And we read from Romans 5, 14, and 15. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one, many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many." Are there things in your life where Satan is trying to deceive you or to tempt you? Scripture gives us an example of how Christ himself responded to Satan's temptation. He responded with scripture. It would be wise for us to respond likewise, but we can't do this unless we know scripture.

To know scripture, we must be reading our Bibles. We need to be studying God's Word regularly. I'll close with Ephesians 6-11. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Amen.