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Article 14

THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN, AND HIS INCAPACITY TO PERFORM WHAT IS TRULY GOOD

We believe that God created man of dust from the ground (1) and he made and formed him after his own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy. (2) His will could conform to the will of God in every respect. But, when man was in this high position, he did not appreciate it nor did he value his excellency. He gave ear to the words of the devil and wilfully subjected himself to sin and consequently to death and the curse. (3) For he transgressed the commandment of life which he had received; by his sin he broke away from God, who was his true life; he corrupted his whole nature. By all this he made himself liable to physical and spiritual death. (4)

Since man became wicked and perverse, corrupt in all his ways, he has lost all his excellent gifts which he had once received from God. (5) He has nothing left but some small traces, which are sufficient to make man inexcusable. (6) For whatever light is in us has changed into darkness, (7) as Scripture teaches us, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn 1:5); where the apostle John calls mankind darkness.

Therefore we reject all teaching contrary to this concerning the free will of man, since man is a slave to sin (Jn 8:34) and a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven (Jn 3:27). For who dares to boast that he of himself can do any good, when Christ says: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (Jn 6:44)? Who will glory in his own will, when he understands that the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God (Rom 8:7)? Who can speak of his knowledge, since the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:14)? In short, who dares to claim anything, when he realizes that we are not sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God (2 Cor 3:5)? Therefore what the apostle says must justly remain sure and firm: for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil 2:13). For there is no understanding nor will conformable to the understanding and will of God unless Christ has brought it about; as he teaches us: apart from me you can do nothing (Jn 15:5).

1. Gen 2:7; 3:19; Eccles 12:7.

2. Gen 1:26,27; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10.

3. Gen 3:16-19; Rom 5:12.

4. Gen 2:17; Eph 2:1;4:18.

5. Ps 94:11; Rom 3:10;8:6.

6. Rom 1:20,21.

7. Eph 5:8.