Q: Did God create humans unable to perfectly obey the laws in the Bible?
The Explanation
Great question! The short answer is: no, God did not create us that way. But something happened that changed everything. Let’s walk through it.
Adam Was Made Upright
When God made Adam and Eve, He made them good. Genesis tells us God looked at everything He made and called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). That includes us! Adam was created “upright” — he had a real ability to love God and obey Him perfectly.
This period is sometimes called the Probation of Adam. Think of it like a test. God gave Adam one clear rule: do not eat from one tree (Genesis 2:17). Adam had everything he needed to pass.
Adam Failed — Three Times
Sadly, Adam chose to disobey God (Genesis 3:6). And when he did, he failed in three big ways:
- He failed to obey God — he broke God’s command.
- He failed to fix his sin — he could not pay the penalty on his own.
- He failed to make peace with God — he hid from God instead of running to Him (Genesis 3:8).
We Are All Stuck with Adam
Here is the hard part. Adam was not just one man living his own life. He was the head of the whole human family. When he fell, we all fell with him. This is called original sin — we are all born already bent toward sin, and on our own we cannot stop sinning (Romans 5:12).
This does not mean God made us sinful. It means Adam’s choice broke something that was meant to be good. It is like a grandfather who gives away the family’s money — the children are born into poverty, not because they chose it, but because of what he did.
So Why Did God Give Us the Law?
If we can’t perfectly obey, why did God even give us commandments? Paul answers this clearly in Romans. The law does three things:
- It shows us our sin. The law acts like a mirror. When we look at God’s perfect standard, we see how far we fall short (Romans 3:20). That drives us to ask for help.
- It points us to Jesus. The Old Testament’s whole sacrifice system was a picture pointing forward to Christ — the one who would do what Adam could not. Jesus obeyed God perfectly, paid for sin completely, and made peace between us and God. That is why the Bible calls Him the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45).
- It guides us as God’s children. When you trust Jesus, His perfect obedience becomes yours (Romans 5:19). And now, because we love God and the Holy Spirit lives in us, we want to follow His law — not to earn anything, but because it is good (Romans 7:22).
Jesus Is the Second Adam
This is one of the most exciting ideas in the whole Bible. Adam failed; Jesus succeeded — perfectly. And because Jesus is your Savior, you get credit for His perfect obedience. God looks at you and sees Jesus’s record, not your failures.
You were created for something wonderful. Sin broke it, but Jesus is restoring it — and one day He will finish the job completely.
What Doctrine Says
- God created Adam good and able to obey. Sin, not creation, is the reason we fall short (WCF 6).
- Because of Adam’s sin, all people are born in a state of sin and cannot obey God on their own. This is called original sin (WCF 6).
- The law shows us our sin and our need for Christ (WCF 19).
- Jesus, the “last Adam,” obeyed God perfectly on our behalf. His obedience is counted as ours through faith (WCF 11).