For our scripture reading this morning, I invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter 5. Romans 5, we read together the last half of the chapter, verses 12 through 21 of Romans 5. And also if you would turn in the back of the Psalter hymnal to our confessional reference this morning. Page 75, article 14 of the Belgian Confession, which begins in the bottom of the page and concludes at the top of the next page. page 75 for that the first part of Romans chapter 5 Paul talks about the beauty of justification through Jesus Christ even while we were dead in our sins Christ died for us now he gives that comparison death through Adam life through Christ beginning at verse 12 as we hear now the word of God therefore just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin. And in this way, death came to all men because all sinned. For before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many? Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin. The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many transgressions and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. So that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. I would like to also read at this time the article 14 of the Belgic Confession. The heading given says, The creation and fall of man and his incapacity to perform what is truly good. We believe that God created man out of the dust of the earth and made and formed him after his own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy. capable in all things to will agreeably to the will of God. But being in honor, he understood it not, neither knew his excellency, but willfully subjected himself to sin and consequently to death and the curse, giving ear to the words of the devil. For the commandment of life which he had received, he transgressed, and by sin separated himself from God, who was his true life, having corrupted his whole nature, whereby he made himself liable to corporal and spiritual death. And being thus become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all his ways, he has lost all his excellent gifts which he had received from God, and retained only small remains thereof, which, however, are sufficient to leave man without excuse. For all the light which is in us is changed into darkness, as the Scriptures teach us, saying, The light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not, where St. John calls men darkness. Therefore we reject all that is taught repugnant to this concerning the free will of man, since man is but a slave to sin and can receive nothing except it have been given him from heaven. For who may presume to boast that he of himself can do any good, since Christ says no man can come to me except the Father that sent me draw him? Who will glory in his own will who understands that the mind of the flesh is enmity against God? Who can speak of his knowledge since the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God? In short, who dares suggest any thought since he knows that we are not sufficient of ourselves to account anything as of ourselves, but that our sufficiency is of God? And therefore what the Apostle says ought justly to be held sure and firm that God worketh in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure. For there is no understanding nor will conformable to the divine understanding and will, but what Christ has wrought in man, which he teaches us when he says, apart from me ye can do nothing. Beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we continue our study of the Belgian Confession and our confession of the truths of Scripture, with Article 14, we now make a transition from what we confess Scripture teaches about God to what we confess Scripture teaches about mankind. And Article 14 summarizes the teaching of Scripture with regard to God's revelation of the truth of man. And now I think that we would agree that most people have a rather high view of themselves. Deep down, I think we all have to agree to that. Most people, and we like to include ourselves in this, have a favorable view of and like to say nice and good things about themselves. And of course we want others to share that favorable view about us with us, don't we? That's always nice. But the Word of God, as summarized by the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort, as well as other Reformed confessions, reveals, first of all, the truth that hurts. And Article 14 itself is summarized by the heading that has been given to it, the creation and fall of man and his incapacity to perform what is truly good. Now to unbelievers, this truth is a shock. If you were to walk up to them and say this to them, they would be offended. They would say, well, how dare you say this about me? What gives you the right to say that about me? But to those who have been born again for the sake of Jesus Christ, this is no surprise to us, is it? Oh, it's humbling to say the least. And it is indeed a truth that hurts. And even as God's people, we might wonder, well, why do we have to even consider something like this as redeemed people? What benefit is there in talking about man's fall into sin and the corruption that results from that? What good can there possibly be in talking about a truth like this that hurts? Well, the truth is, apart from a true knowledge of our sin and misery, the gospel, the good news of God's saving grace means nothing. You see, the goal of teaching and preaching the truth of our sin and misery is not to wound a sensitive heart. It's not simply to make someone feel bad. But it is an essential ingredient of God's message of salvation. And the hurt of this truth is expressed, is experienced against the backdrop of man's original created glory and dignity. Zacharias of Sinus, one of the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism, in his commentary on the Catechism, talks about man falling from the height of dignity to the depth of misery because of sin. And that height of dignity or glory is talking about the creation of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Again, the article, Article 14 begins, We believe that God created man out of the dust of the earth and made and formed him after his own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy, capable in all things to will agreeably to the will of God. Indeed, as Genesis teaches us, God created all things. He spoke, let there be, and it was. But with Adam, we might say that God took special care and created him differently out of the dust of the earth and after his own image and likeness, the Bible says. And God breathed his very own breath into Adam to give him life. But again, man's original dignity includes the important truth that he was made in the image of God. Reformed believers have often spoken of this image of God in two senses, the broad sense and the narrow sense. The image of God in the broad sense is talking about the fact that Adam, man, was created with a soul, with the ability to think and reason. He was made with a moral nature, with understanding, and with the ability to exercise a will. All those things you see that distinguish man from the animal world, from brute beasts. The image of God in the narrow sense is talking about the truth that Adam was created with true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Question and answer 6 of the Heidelberg Catechism says it this way. Did God create man so wicked and perverse? No. God created man good and in his own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness, so that he might truly know God, his Creator, love Him with all his heart, and live with Him in eternal happiness for His praise and glory. See, this is the teaching of each of our three forms of unity and for good reason, because this is the teaching of Scripture. Now, Article 14 again says that man was made good, righteous, and holy, capable in all things to will agreeably to the will of God. We read in Genesis 1 verse 31 that after God created man that along with the rest of his, the whole of his creative work, God declared it to be very good. We know from Scripture that Adam and Eve enjoyed unhindered fellowship with the holy God in the garden, which means in order to stand in the presence of a holy God, they had to be holy and pure. Not only was man created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, he was created able to do this. And we also know all of this to be true because those who are in Christ Jesus are new creations, those who are being recreated or restored to the original glory and dignity. In Ephesians 4, verse 24, Paul speaks of putting on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And that threefold office of believer, prophet, priest, and king, from our great prophet, priest, and king, Jesus Christ, that threefold office of believer was a part of man's original created glory. He was fully capable as prophet to know the living God and as priest to dedicate himself in service and praise to this living God and ask King to have dominion under the living God over Himself and all creatures. Beloved, this is the truth of God about how He created man in the beginning. A truth revealed in His own Word. And then you might say, well, why is this beautiful truth then included in this sermon point which is entitled A Truth, The Truth That Hurts. Why would we do that? Because this is how it was. This is how it was. Again, it's true that for the unbeliever, this truth that we're talking about that hurts, that we will talk about, doesn't hurt. But for those who are born again for Jesus' sake, who understand the renewing grace of God, to them this truth hurts. by the grace of God because they understand the depths of depravity into which man, including themselves, had fallen. We confess in question and answer two of the catechism the three things that we must know in order to live and die in the joy of the comfort of God's saving grace includes that I must know how great is my sin and misery. Have you ever thought about that? In pre-profession class, I talk with those who take the class about that they even get that question often when they come before the elders. Why is that comforting? How does that fit with the joy of this comfort to know how great is my sin and misery? You see, beloved, without knowing how great it is, God's saving grace means absolutely nothing. But with knowing that, that causes the glory of God's saving grace to shine even brighter. Yet knowing how great is our sin and misery, we are to be humbled because indeed the truth hurts. Paul proclaims that truth which hurts. He proclaims it in Romans 5. Verse 12 says again, Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men because all sin. And in the verses following, he talks about trespasses, disobedience, and condemnation. Now, Article 14 doesn't say much about Adam's sin itself, but it says a lot about the consequences of Adam's sin. Again, Paul calls Adam's sin disobedience. And with what Article 14 does say about it, it rightly points out that Adam's sin was a personal act. for which he was totally responsible. It says, he willfully subjected himself to sin. The Bible blames no one else but Adam. The idea of free will, which has been and continues to be hotly debated between those who hold to Arminian doctrine and those who hold to the Reformed understanding of Scripture, it's hotly debated. Adam truly had a free will. In the garden, with true righteousness and holiness, he had the ability to resist Satan's temptation and not sin, or to choose in favor of Satan's temptation and therefore sin. Now Satan, we know, is responsible for his tempting of Eve, but he didn't make Adam and Eve sin against their will. Adam and Eve sinned voluntarily. And therefore, even though our first parents tried to make excuses, they were completely without excuse and God would have been completely justified if He had willed to leave man without any hope of salvation. And then one more detail about Adam's sin is that it was decisive. It was decisive in its consequences both for Adam and his descendants, all of mankind. And what were those consequences? Paul clearly speaks about the consequences of condemnation and death. It's agreed that Paul is talking about death here in Romans 5 in the sense of physical death. But I believe also that even physical death represents the entire consequences of sin. As Paul contrasts the fall of Adam with restoration in Christ. God clearly said to Adam and Eve, When you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die. True life is in God alone. And when Adam sinned, he separated himself from God. He separated himself from his life source. Boys and girls, when you pull the flower off a plant in your mom's flower garden, the flower is dead. The flower lives from the plant. The plant which has roots that drink the necessary water and draws the necessary nutrients to keep the plant alive. But when that flower is cut off or broken off from the plant, it's cut off from the life source. In sin, man is cut off from the life source, from God. Isaiah 59 verse 2 says, But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. How devastating that is. When Adam sinned, he died spiritually. He lost the image of God in that narrow sense. He lost true righteousness, goodness, and holiness. He no longer agreed with, nor was he able to agree with, the will of God. But he decided that his own will was more important than God's will. His whole entire nature, everything about him, became corrupt and sinful. You know what we call this? We call this total depravity. The original light Adam enjoyed was immediately, in the blink of an eye, turned to darkness. His every thought and word and motive, desire, intention and action, everything about him was stained with sin in an instant. Boys and girls, like one drop of poison mixed in a glass of water poisons every last drop of water. Or just a smoke which fills a room fills every last nook and cranny of that room. In the same way, sin completely poisoned everything about or filled every nook and cranny of man. And as we will consider with Article 15, the Lord willing, this is that original sin that is a part of each and every one of us. You see, the familiar phrase that many of us learned is true. In Adam's fall, we sinned all. That's Paul's teaching in Romans 5 as he says again in verse 12, Death came to all men because all sinned. Adam's consequences are our consequences. In Romans 3, verses 10 through 18, Paul talks specifically about man's corruption because of sin from inside out. The throat being an open grave. The tongue, the lips. To show that we are sinful to the core. And in Genesis 6 verse 5, before the flood we read, The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. Scripture teaches that the consequences of sin include that man's understanding is darkened. Apart from the Holy Spirit, man can't understand the things of God. Then, of course, along with spiritual death is bodily, physical death, as we have said and as Paul teaches, and which is clear throughout Scripture. We read over and over again, and then He died, and then He died, and then He died. And we continue to experience that today. And we know that when physical death strikes, that bond between the body and the soul is broken, and those who are not born again by the grace of God, those who remain unrepentant in sin, enter eternal death, which is final and irreversible separation from the blessedness of God. Instead, to suffer the wrath and punishment of God in the eternal torment of hell. Beloved, the depths of man's depravity is summed up by Paul in Romans 6, verse 23, For the wages of sin is death. That's what Adam and all of mankind as represented by Adam chose by choosing sin instead of choosing to remain in his original created glory. That's the truth that hurts. But unfortunately, there's more. Not only did Adam lose all of his excellent gifts, as Article 14 says, his true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, but because his whole nature became depraved and corrupted, he severely tarnished, messed up, disfigured, deformed, whatever word you like to use. The image of God in the broad sense. We know, of course, that man still possesses intelligence and the ability to think and reason. All we need to do is look around at the world of technology and that's plain to see. For boys and girls, as students in the classroom, you can tell that you are able to learn as you learn to read and write and add and subtract and learn facts, maybe historical facts. None of your pets can do that, I trust. Unregenerate man can also perform natural, civil, and outwardly religious good. Jesus says in Luke 6, verse 33, and if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. See, this is all a part of the remnant or small remains of the image of God in man for which credit is due to God, not man. It's only by God's hand that restrains evil that even though man is totally depraved, completely saturated like a sponge filled with water, saturated with sin, he's not absolutely depraved. That is, absolutely as bad as he can be all the time. Yet man in sin can do no spiritual good in relation to God. Instead, he exercises sinful motives and desires for all that he does. Even that so-called civil good is done out of selfishness and not for the glory of God. But ultimately, the depths of depravity means that dead in sin, man cannot. He is completely incapable of turning to God in true faith of His own free will. Again, this is that major wedge that divides Reformed believers from Arminian teaching. Some teach that God elected or chose us in eternity past because He looked down through His telescope of history and He saw that here in our age, in our lifetime, that we would hear the Gospel message and then all by ourselves, without any help from the Holy Spirit, of our own free will, we would believe it. We would say that's a good thing that we would choose for God. In the same vein, others teach that God makes salvation possible for everyone through Christ's sacrifice. But again, it's up to us to accept it, to reach out and grab it and hang on to it. But none of that is possible because a dead person can't do anything. And that's what man is in sin. Again, that teaching says that we are to exercise true faith in order to be born again. But it simply doesn't make sense. Because I repeat, a dead person can't do anything. And that's what we are in sin. Paul says in Ephesians 2 verse 1, you were dead in your transgressions and sin. Adam was able to sin or not sin. But when sin corrupted, poisoned the human nature, that nature became a slave to sin. And Adam, as the church father Augustine rightly pointed out, became not able not to sin. By nature, man's will is in bondage to sin. Augustine speaks to the fourfold state of the soul. We've mentioned two of them. That in His created glory, able to sin, able not to sin. In the fall, not able not to sin. and in a few moments we'll get to the other two. But you see, if you want to put all of this in terms of free will, all we can say is that the will is only free to choose in a way that is consistent with its nature. Dead in sin, man doesn't think he needs God. He doesn't want God. He doesn't want the things of God. Like Paul says in Romans 8, verses 7 and 8, the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. The fallen human nature is irresistibly drawn toward the way of sin, can only act in a way that is consistent, that matches its nature. Article 14 clearly teaches the truth of Scripture, which says that after the fall, man cannot save himself, nor can he even cooperate, not even 1%, with God's grace in His salvation as Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism teach. Left to himself, man only casts himself further into the depths of hell. Now the last paragraph of Article 14 includes a number of Scripture passages to support all of this, all that we have said. John 8, 34 teaches that man is a slave to sin. And if you still have the confession open before you, you see all the italics in that last paragraph. Those are all Scripture passages. We can take them one after the other. John 3, verse 27, A man can receive nothing except it have been given him from heaven. John 6, verse 44, No man can come to me except the Father that sent me draw him. Romans 8, 7, The mind of the flesh is enmity against God. A little different translation than the NIV that I just read a moment ago. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 4, For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. 2 Corinthians 3.5 We are not sufficient of ourselves to account anything as of ourselves, but that our sufficiency is of God. Philippians 2.13 God worketh in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. What a sampling. And then the last one, John 15.5 Apart from me, Jesus says, ye can do nothing. But therein lies our hope, beloved, Apart from Jesus and His accomplished work applied to us by the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. But, as Paul says in Philippians 4.13, I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. And this strength comes with the gift of new life. Paul says in Ephesians 2, 4 and 5, but because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved. Beloved, very simply and to the point, Jesus Christ is the truth that saves. He is the truth that saves. Paul clearly teaches in Romans 5 that the only answer for the plight and the deadly predicament of man is the power of God in Jesus Christ. Death is in Adam, But life is only in Jesus Christ. And the divine irony here, as we've mentioned a little bit already, is that only those who are made alive, only those who are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, only they understand that they were spiritually dead, dead in sin. Those who are spiritually dead don't know it. They're ignorant to that truth, ignorant to that fact. Boys and girls, when does the truth hurt? When you know it's the truth, right? If you don't know it's true, it doesn't hurt. It doesn't bother you because you don't care. And that's man lost in sin, ignorant. He doesn't care. Only those who are hurt and bothered by the truth of their sin are those who have already been given the truth that saves. They are those in whom the Holy Spirit of God has already begun a good work. Article 14 closes, For there is no understanding nor will conformable to the divine understanding and will, but what Christ has wrought in man, which He teaches us when He says, Apart from Me, ye can do nothing. Beloved, the Lord's table is a reminder to us of the truth that saves. And at that table we are nourished in our souls by that truth as the Holy Spirit nourishes our souls with the body and blood of Christ by faith. And only those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good can truly heed the call to self-examination and that faithful examination will again and again reveal in ourselves the truth that hurts even as the form says we consider our sin and guilt against which the wrath of God is so great that He has punished it in His beloved Son with a bitter and shameful death of the cross. And for those who are filled with that godly sorrow which works repentance unto salvation, self-examination strengthens them in the knowledge and assurance of the truth that saves, even Jesus Christ. And in the joy of salvation with the goal that we desire, as the form again leads us, that we desire in all sincerity and gratitude to serve Jesus Christ as Lord and in all things to live by His commandment. Beloved, that fourfold state. Before the fall, Adam was able to sin or not to sin. After the fall, man is not able not to sin. In other words, only able to sin. But in the grace of new life, believers are able not to sin. In the strength of the Holy Spirit, we are able to obey God by His grace. But until glory, when those made perfect in Christ are no longer able to sin, and what a day that will be. May we desire that day. Until that day, though, we still sin. We still fall short of the glory of God. And when we do, and the Holy Spirit arouses our consciences to that truth of sin, may that truth hurt. And bring us to our knees in repentance and faith only to be lifted up higher and higher in the joy of the saving grace of Jesus Christ who gives us life and gives it abundantly. Adam represented the entire human race, every last person, and all he represented received that which was his, the corrupt human nature, condemnation and death. Jesus Christ, the Bible clearly teaches, represents all those the Father has given to Him. All those who are in Christ Jesus by God's electing love, who believe on Him by God's grace. And all those whom the Father has given to Him for whom He died, they receive that which is His. Righteousness and life. Did you notice? As we read Romans 5, the grace of God in Jesus Christ does more than just return believers to Adam's original state of innocence. He gives us far more. We are made positively righteous in Christ and He earned and freely gives to us that which Adam failed to earn, namely eternal life. God's grace in Christ Jesus turns death into its very opposite. It's no longer a loss. But as Paul says, it's gain. Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving sacrifice will remain in and suffer condemnation and death to the fullest extent of God's wrath. But for His believers, those who turn to Him in repentance and faith, what certainty! What a guarantee! Jesus Christ replaces our condemnation with justification, forgiveness of all of our sins, His perfect righteousness to stand before God and eternal life. That's God's truth revealed. And beloved, what a blessed truth that is. Amen. Shall we pray. Father, we thank you for the power and the truth of your word, which not only teaches us, but also reminds us as your people of that precious gift of salvation. Indeed, of our need for that, of that truth that hurts, the truth because of our sin and misery. but yet such a joyful outcome through Jesus Christ the truth that saves Father may we continually live in the joy of your salvation may we desire to live before you in a way that is pleasing to you and demonstrates thanksgiving and praise for your gift so rich and so free and Father may we indeed look forward that day in eternal glory when we shall be presented without spot or wrinkle, able to obey you perfectly in the heavenly courts. May we desire that day, O Lord. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.