The First Part—Of the Misery of Man
A. Out of the law of God.[1] [1] Romans 3:20.
A. Christ teaches us that briefly, Matthew 22:37–40, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.[1] This is the first and the great commandment; and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [1] Luke 10:27.
A. In no wise;[1] for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbour.[2] [1] Romans 3:10; 1 John 1:8; [2] Romans 8:7; Titus 3:3. |
Commentary Because of the Fall of Adam, all men descending from him by natural generation are under God’s wrath and curse. And so every person deserves damnation, not only because of the guilt of Adam imputed upon him, but also because of his corrupt nature and rebellion against God. Now, man is created in the image of God, and so every man has a natural conscience (Rom 2:14–15). But the mind is darkened by the Fall and the conscience dulled so that unless God reveals to us in clear concerning the misery to come, most of us will simply drift along and fail to take heed to the danger that awaits our souls. This is why God gives us His laws, especially the Moral Law which is summarised in the Ten Commandments. These commands show us the standard of holiness required by God, and so at the same time shows how far short we fall: “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). We may say that the Law of God is like a portrait displaying the holiness of God and, at the same time, a mirror reflecting our shortfall.
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