God created the heaven and the earth.” Gen. 1:1; John 1:3; Ps. 33:6.
God said: “Let heaven and earth be made; and thy word was a perfect
work.” 2 Esdr. 6:38.
“For thine almighty hand, that made the world of matter without form.”
Wis. 11:17.
“I beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven, and the earth, and all
that is therein, and consider that God made them of things that were
not; and so was mankind made likewise.” 2 Mac. 7:28.
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word
of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear.” Heb. 11:3; Acts 17:24; Ps. 146:6; 148:5.
Concerning the creation of man, read: “Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness.” Gen. 1:26.
“And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Gen.
2:7; Acts 17:25; 1 Cor. 15:45.
How man was created, read: “This only have I found, that God hath made
man upright.” Eccl. 7:29; Gen. 1:26; 5:1.
“For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his
own eternity.” Wis. 2:23; Syr. 17:1.
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.” Eph. 4:24.
“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very
good.” Gen. 1:31; Deut. 32:4.
ARTICLE VII.
_Of the fall and punishment of man_ we confess: The first man, Adam,
and Eve, having been thus gloriously created after the likeness of
their Creator, unto eternal life, did not continue long in this
estate; but as they were created with a free will, to choose what
they would, so that they could fear, serve and obey their Creator,
or, disobey and forsake him; and as their Creator had given them a
command, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for
in the day that they should eat thereof, they should surely die; they,
notwithstanding this, in their vain desire to be equal to their Creator
in wisdom and knowledge, were led and drawn away from God, and deceived
by Satan; and thus they disobediently and voluntarily transgressed the
command of their Creator. The woman, last created, was first deceived,
and turned her ears away from God to Satan, and, also seducing her
husband, they, through this sin, fell under the wrath and disfavor
of God, and, with all their posterity, became subject that very day,
to temporal and eternal death, and were thus divested of the divine
virtue, which is righteousness, and true holiness, and became sinful
and mortal.
On this account, God the holy and righteous Judge, in whose sight
wickedness can not endure, but who is of purer eyes than to behold
evil, or to look on iniquity; and who threatens from heaven with
his wrath and disfavor all disobedience and ingratitude of men; was
so incensed by the sin thus committed by Adam and Eve, that thereby
they not only fell into eternal condemnation, together with all their
posterity, but God the Lord moreover imposed upon Adam and Eve divers
temporal, bodily punishments, which also continually extend themselves
into all their generations. Who are so corrupted in Adam, that they
are all from their youth, by nature, inclined to sin and evil, and are
therefore deprived of the beautiful pleasure-garden, or paradise, but
must eat their bread, all their life, in sorrow and in the sweat of
their face, from the uncultivated earth, which because of this first
sin was so cursed and marred, that it brings forth of itself weeds,
thorns, and thistles; and cover the shame of their bodies made naked
by sin. The woman, as the chief transgressor, has to subject her will
and power to the man, and was constrained to bring forth her children
in pain and anguish. This punishment continues upon all men, until they
finally return to the dust and ashes whence they came.
Concerning how Adam, together with the whole human race, through
sin, fell into temporal and eternal death, and, in consequence of
this, became sinful, read: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men.”
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had
not sinned,” etc. “And not as it was by one that sinned ... for the
judgment was by one to condemnation,” etc. “For if by one man’s offense
death reigned,” etc. “Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came
upon all men to condemnation,” etc. “For as by one man’s disobedience
many were made sinners,” etc. Rom. 5:12,14–19.
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of
the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive.” 1 Cor. 15:21,22.
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive
me.” Ps. 51:5.
“Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?” Job 14:4.
“Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die.”
Syr. 25:24; Tit. 2:14; Wis. 2:24.
The prophet Esdra says: “The first Adam bearing a wicked heart,
transgressed, and was overcome; and so be all they that are born of
him.” “And he transgressed, and thou immediately, thou appointedst
death in him and in his generations.” 2 Esdr. 3:21,7.
“O thou Adam, what hast thou done! for though it was thou that sinned,
thou art not fallen alone, but we all that come of thee.” 2 Esdr. 7:48.
Read also: John 3:6; Rom. 8:5; Eph. 2:3; Syr. 17:16; Gen. 6:5.
Read further, how God announced unto Adam his punishment on account of
sin, which punishment God extends unto all his posterity: “Because thou
hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree,
of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of
thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
thou shalt eat the herb of the field: in the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast
thou taken: for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.” Gen.
3:17–19,23,24. Concerning the punishment of the woman, read: Gen. 3:16;
1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 2:12.
ARTICLE VIII.
_Of the restoration or justification of man._ We confess that Adam and
Eve having thus fallen under the wrath and disfavor of God, and into
death and eternal condemnation, together with all their posterity, so
that no remedy or deliverance was to be found in heaven or earth, among
any created beings, who could help, and redeem them, and reconcile them
to God, the Creator of all things, who is the Almighty God (against
whose majesty they had sinned, and who alone could heal them), who is
rich and abounding in all grace and mercy, had compassion upon Adam
and his posterity, and, hence, promised them his only begotten Son as
a comforting Redeemer and Savior, whom he would put as enmity between
Satan and the woman and their seed, to the comfort and help of fallen
mankind, in order thus to bruise the head of Satan, and to deprive him
of his power; and, in this manner, to deliver Adam and his posterity
from the prison of sin, the power of the devil, and eternal perdition,
and to reconcile them to God.
And even as God the Lord, through this promise, clothed Adam and his
seed internally, according to the soul, with his grace and mercy, he,
in token of this, also covered the outward shame and nakedness of the
body, making coats of skins, and clothing them therewith.
And even as Adam, through this his first, one sin, brought, not only
himself, but with him also his whole posterity, without exception of
persons, and without their own actual evil works, into eternal death
and condemnation; so also, God Almighty, through this promise of the
only Savior Christ Jesus, redeemed, delivered, and justified from
condemnation, and placed into the state of grace and reconciliation,
all men, without exception of persons, without any of their good works,
only from pure grace and mercy. Seeing that Adam’s race was not born
of him when he stood under disfavor and condemnation before God; but
as all men proceed from Adam as being in a state of grace, peace, and
reconciliation with God, he could bring forth none but such as stand
with him in the same reconciliation.
Thus none of Adam’s race are created or born to condemnation, but all
are born and brought forth into the world in the same state of grace
and reconciliation with God. Hence, we hold it to militate not only
against the holy Scriptures, but also utterly against the nature of
God, which is just, righteous, holy, and merciful, that God should
punish with eternal death and damnation, simply on account of Adam’s
sin, so great a number of Adam’s race, who die in their infancy in a
state of innocence, before they have followed Adam in sin; seeing the
good God, through Christ and for Christ’s sake, so graciously forgave
Adam, (who had himself committed the sin) and placed him in a state of
grace.
But men having attained the knowledge of good and evil, and, through
the lust of the flesh, and their own desire, having been drawn away
from the path of virtue and innocence, so that they follow Adam in sin,
hence it comes that they separate themselves from their Creator, and,
consequently, do not perish, nor are condemned on account of Adam’s
transgression, but because of their own unbelief and evil works.
But the righteous God, who does indeed forgive sin, yet ofttimes does
not suffer it to go entirely unpunished, permitted the temporal, bodily
punishment to remain upon Adam and Eve, and their posterity, by which
they ought to learn to know, fear, and serve their Creator, and to
shun sin; such as this, that from their infancy they are by nature
inclined to sin and evil, against which they have a continual warfare,
are barred out from the beautiful paradise, must cover their nakedness;
the women must subject their power and will to their husbands, and must
bring forth their children in pain and anguish; and all must eat all
the days of their life, with sorrow, of the corrupted earth, until they
return to dust of the earth, whence they have come.
But all believers receive in this life the restoration or justification
of Christ only through faith, in hope, and afterwards in the
resurrection of the dead they shall receive it truly and actually, and
shall enjoy it forever.
Concerning these glorious and comforting promises of salvation, read:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed, and her seed; it shall bruise thy head.” Gen. 3:15; Eph. 2:14,15.
As to how this promise was renewed in the seed and race of Adam, read:
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of
thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” Deut.
18:15; Acts 7:37. To Abraham: Gen. 12:3; 22:18; Acts 10:43.
Concerning the fact that this promise of justification does not
extend only to a particular class of persons, but to all men without
distinction, read: “Therefore as by the offense of one, judgment came
upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one
man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous.” Rom. 5:18,19.
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of
the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive.” 1 Cor. 15:21,22.
“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world.” John 1:9,29.
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2.
“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; and,
having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile
all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in
earth, or things in heaven.” Col. 1:19,20.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men.” Tit. 2:11. Read also: Rom. 3:24; 11:32; 1 Tim. 4:10; 2 Cor. 5:19;
1 John 4:10; Isa. 53:6; 1 Pet. 2:24.
As to how the kingdom of heaven is promised by Christ to infants,
without respect of persons, read: “Then were there brought unto him
little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and
the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children,
and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of
heaven.” Matt. 19:13,14; 18:3; Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15.
Concerning how God the righteous Judge will not punish infants for
the sin of their parents, or of Adam; but to requite each with
righteousness, according to his own works, read: “For so much then
as thou art righteous thyself, thou orderest all things righteously:
thinking it not agreeable with thy power to condemn him that hath not
deserved to be punished.” Wis. 12:15.
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of
the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him.” Ezek.
18:20,4. “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children,
neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man
shall be put to death for his own sin.” Deut. 24:16; Jer. 31:29.
“Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world
in righteousness.” Acts 17:31; Ps. 7:11; 2 Tim. 4:8.
“But he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16. “Tribulation
and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil.” Rom. 2:9.
ARTICLE IX.
_Of the free will or power of man before and after the fall; and of
the saving grace of God._ Of this we confess: That God Almighty
in the beginning created the man Adam and his wife in his image
and likeness, endowing them, above all creatures, with virtues,
knowledge, speech, reason, and a free will or power; so that they
could know, love, fear, and obediently serve their Creator; or could
voluntarily and disobediently forsake their God; as appeared in the
first transgression, when Adam and his wife, through the subtlety of
the devil, who appeared in the form of a deceitful serpent, departed
from the commandment of God; hence they did not sin through the
foreordination or the will of God; but as they had been created with
a free will, and to do as they would, they sinned through their own
voluntary desire, and transgressed the command of God contrary to his
will.
The man Adam and his wife having thus through their own sin fallen
under the wrath and disfavor of God, whereby they became sinful and
mortal, were again received into favor by God their Creator; so that
they were not utterly divested of their former wisdom, speech, and
knowledge, above all other creatures, nor of their previous free
will or power, as may be seen from their voluntarily accepting God’s
gracious promises unto life, and obeying the voice of the Lord; and
as also clearly appears from the fact that God the Lord very strictly
appointed an angel with a flaming sword to keep the tree of life from
Adam; lest through his free will or power he should eat of the tree
of life and live forever; which would have been in Adam’s power. And
this free will or power has been transmitted to all their descendants,
who proceed from them as branches from their stem; so that even as
men are endowed of God with knowledge, reason and voluntary power, by
which they can perform manifold works, and seek and desire from God
the health of their diseased and infirm bodies, and are not without
action, as the irrational creatures, blocks and stones, so likewise,
man, through the grace of God, and the moving of the Spirit, by which
men live, and are moved, may open the door of the heart to the salutary
grace of God--which through the Gospel is offered to all men, and
through which death and life is set before man--and seek the health of
his wounded soul; or he may voluntarily resist, reject and neglect this
offered grace and moving of the Spirit. Thus also, as men have eyes
and ears, to see and to hear, yet not of themselves, but only from God
the Giver, so they also, through the grace of God, have a free will or
power to do the good and to leave the evil.
But men, considered in themselves, seeing they are without the grace
of God, are of themselves incapable of thinking anything that is good,
much less are they able to do it. But it is almighty God, who through
his Spirit of grace works in man both to will and to do, moves, draws,
and chooses them, and accepts them as his children, so that men are
only recipients of God’s saving grace. Hence all Christians are in
duty bound, to ascribe the beginning, middle and end of their faith,
with all the good fruits thereof, not to themselves, but only to the
unmerited grace of God in Christ Jesus.
We confess moreover: That this saving grace of God is not limited to a
few particular men, but even as the Almighty God lets his sun rise and
shine on the evil and on the good, so he has extended his grace to all
of Adam’s race; as it is also evident, that God, in his goodness, did
not leave himself without witness among the heathen, doing them good,
and so moving their hearts, that their thoughts and consciences accused
and excused them, so that they could do by nature, without the hearing
of the law of Moses, the things contained in the law. This appears in
still greater clearness in the coming of Christ, that Almighty God has
proclaimed the saving grace through the Gospel to the whole world, for
a witness unto all nations, by which all excuse is taken from men, and
as an evidence, that God is not willing that any should perish, but
that all should repent and be saved. According to the import of the
holy and everlasting Gospel, a righteous, eternal, and irrevocable
judgment shall be pronounced, in the last day, through Christ Jesus,
the blessed, over all nations. Hence all men who now in this time of
grace believe and accept the Gospel, attain unto life; but all who do
not believe the Gospel, but voluntarily reject it, will receive death
as their portion.
On the other hand, we reject the belief of those who say that Almighty
God has indeed caused the word of reconciliation to be preached to
all, or many, but does nevertheless withhold his grace from many of
them, so that the greater part of mankind cannot accept the word of
reconciliation and be saved, but will, through the purpose or eternal
counsel and will of God, inevitably have to perish forever, and be
damned.
On this subject, read various Scripture passages ascribing a will to
man. And the holy Spirit does not speak in vain in the Scriptures:
“He himself made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of
his counsel; if thou wilt, to keep the commandments, and to perform
acceptable faithfulness. He hath set fire and water before thee;
stretch forth thy hand unto whether thou wilt. Before man is life and
death; and whether him liketh shall be given him.” Syr. 15:14–17; Deut.
11:26; 30:15; 2 Esdr. 7:59.
God the Lord said to Cain: “If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the
door: and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”
Gen. 4:7.
Concerning man’s free will, read: “Let him do what he will, he sinneth
not; let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth steadfast in his
heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will.” 1 Cor.
7:36–38.
“And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to
accomplish his vow, or a free will offering.” Lev. 22:21,23.
“Who might offend, and hath not offended? or done evil, and hath not
done it?” Syr. 31:10.
And Paul also says: “For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond
their power they were willing of themselves. Now therefore perform the
doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a
performance also.” 2 Cor. 8:3,11; Phil. 14; Mark 14:7; 1 Cor. 7:36.
“Man can do nothing good of himself, by his own power; but through
the grace of God, he, in his imperfectness, is able to keep God’s
commandments. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do
of his good pleasure.” Philip. 2:13.
“Thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to
see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not.” Ezek. 12:2.
“For to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good
I find not.” Rom. 7:18–21.
Read here all the Scriptures which unanimously testify that God does
not desire the death of the sinner, but that he be converted, and live.
Ezek. 18:32; 33:11; Wis. 1:13; Is. 55:7.
And that God has extended his saving grace not only to the elect, but
to all of Adam’s race; and that he also died for those that perish.
Concerning this, read: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all men.” Tit. 2:11.
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Is. 45:22.
“Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came
upon all men unto justification of life.” Rom. 5:18.
“Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness,” etc. Acts 14:16,17;
Rom. 1:19; 2:15.
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction.” 2 Pet. 2:1.
“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose
again.” 2 Cor. 5:15. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son,” etc. John 3:16.
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” John
1:29.
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who
will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the
truth.” 1 Tim. 2:3,4.
“He is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet. 3:9; Rom. 2:4; Jas. 4:6;
Acts 13:46. Read also: Matt. 23:36,37; Luke 13:34; 2 Esdr. 1:30.
As to how God the righteous Judge will pronounce the final judgment
upon those who disobey[218] the Gospel, read: “When the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire,
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thess. 1:7,8; Mark 16:16. “This is
the book of the commandments of God, and the law that endureth forever:
all they that keep it shall come to life; but such as leave it shall
die.” Bar. 4:1.
[218] The original says _obey_, which evidently is an error.--_Trans._
ARTICLE X.
_Of the providence of God, the election of believers, and the rejection
of unbelievers._ Of this we confess: As we believe and confess that God
is omnipotent; and that with him nothing is impossible; so likewise
is he also prescient and omniscient, so that nothing is hid from him
in heaven and in earth, neither that which is to take place until the
end of all things, nor that which has taken place from all eternity.
And through this exceeding high prescience (foreknowledge), knowledge
and wisdom of God, which are unfathomable, he very well saw and knew
from the beginning in eternity until the consummation of the world, who
would be the truly believing recipients of his grace and mercy; and,
again, who should be found unbelieving despisers and rejecters of said
grace. And, consequently, he from the beginning and from eternity knew,
foresaw, elected and ordained all true believers to inherit eternal
salvation through Christ Jesus; and, on the other hand rejected all
unbelieving despisers of said grace to eternal damnation. Hence the
perdition of men is of themselves, and their salvation only through the
Lord their God, without whom they can do nothing that is good.