ORIGINAL SIN AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

The following extract from Thomas Boston’s excellent 3-volume A Body of Divinity on the Westminster Confession, portrays clearly how Adam sinned against each of God’s commandments in committing the sin of eating of the forbidden tree (original sin). The pervasiveness of this sin is abundant in Boston’s Human Nature in its Fourfold State as well — a classic that ought to be “must” reading for all interested in the doctrines of grace. Boston’s point is essentially experiential: original sin must be tasted by each person as being a matter of pervasive, heart-corruption, by which we have become totally depraved in the core of our beings, which, in turn, reflects itself in the detailed breaking of God’s commandments. Shall we ever attain to loving God above all, and our neighbor as ourselves, which is the spirit of the law, we must become subjects of God’s free grace in Jesus Christ.

We are convinced that one of the major reasons so little is known experientially of Jesus Christ in our time is because so little is known experientially of our tragic fall in Adam. Conviction of actual sin can make us miserable, guilty, and uncomfortable, but it is conviction of original sin (i.e., the Spirit-wrought knowledge that our entire being is polluted and guilty in God’s sight, so that no good thing can come forth from our flesh) that the Spirit particularly uses to drive a sinner to the end of the law to find refuge in Jesus Christ. Increased acquaintance with the first Adam within us leads to increased acquaintance with the Second Adam outside of us. Hence, Boston’s comments below are not only a sad commentary on Adam, but on each of us by nature. May God convince us of the pervasive corruption of our hearts for the first time or by renewal, in order to lead us to Him who is the only answer for both actual and original sin: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Commandment No. 1: Did they not choose new gods; when, by eating of this fruit, they made their belly their god; self their god, nay the devil their god, when they conspired with him against God, being filled with pride and ambition as to be like God; when they believed the devil and mistrusted God, and shook off the yoke of his dominion, turning rebels to him, and being most unthankful for the divine goodness expressed towards them? Rebel-man set up a trinity, (1.) Of his belly, by sensuality, (2.) Of himself, by ambition; and, (3.) Of the devil, by believing him, and disbelieving his Creator.

Commandment No. 2: Though man at first received, yet he did not observe that great ordinance of God about the forbidden fruit. He contemned that ordinance which God had most plainly appointed, and would needs carve out to himself how he would serve the Lord.

Commandment No. 3: He took the name of the Lord his God in vain, despising his attributes, whereby he makes himself known, his justice, truth, power, etc. profaning God’s ordinance, that sacramental tree; abusing his word, by not giving credit to it; and abusing his works, that creature which he should not have touched; and violently miscon-structing the work of providence, as if God, by that act of forbidding them that tree, had minded to keep them from happiness. And therefore thought there was no man to punish them, God suffered them not to escape his righteous judgment.

Commandment No. 4: He was so far from remembering the Sabbath to keep it holy, that he put himself out of all case for serving God ere it came, by this means. He kept not that state of rest wherein God had placed him.

Commandment No. 5: Adam honoured not his Father in heaven. Both our first parents minded not their relative duties. Eve forgets herself, and acts without advice of her husband, to the ruin of both; and Adam, instead of admonishing her to repent, yields to the temptation too, and so confirms her in her wickedness. They forgot all duty to their posterity. Therefore their days were not long in the land which the Lord their God gave them.

Commandment No. 6: He was the greatest murderer that ever lived. By this act he was a child-murderer, cutting the throats of all his posterity; and he was a self-murderer too.

Commandment No. 7: Our first parents were fain to cover their nakedness with fig-leaves, which their luxury and sensuality had brought them to.

Commandment No. 8: Adam committed theft; and was but a thief and a robber in taking that which was not his own, against the will of the great Owner. He was the Achan in the camp.

Commandment No. 9: He bare false witness against the Lord, when he ate of the forbidden fruit. It was an avouching, that God’s word was not to be believed, that the Lord dealt hardly and scrimptly with him, and grudged his happiness.

Commandment No. 10: He was discontented with that happy state wherein God had placed him. He was not content with his lot, and therefore, like another king of Babylon, he coveted an evil covetousness to his house; which ruined both himself and them.

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