Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?

Which Bible passages support this answer?

The Westminster Assembly attached these Scripture proofs to answer 16. Read them together and ask what each one shows about the answer.

1. Genesis 2:16-17

   ¹⁶Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, ¹⁷but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” (NET)

2. Romans 5:12

   So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned— (NET)

3. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22

   ²¹For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. ²²For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (NET)

What does this answer mean?

God made the covenant of life with Adam as the head of the human race, for himself and his descendants. So all people who descend from him by ordinary generation, meaning ordinary birth, sinned in him and fell with him in his first sin. The words 'ordinary generation' leave out Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

What can we ask our children?

1. Who did Adam represent in the covenant?
2. Did Adam's sin affect only Adam?
3. Why does the answer say 'ordinary generation'? Who was born differently?