“Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner.”
Westminster Confession of Faith 6.6

Chapter six of the Westminster Confession of Faith lays out what man did in God’s perfect creation. It answers the question of how this good world became such an awful place. 

The first thing established in this chapter is that even the fall of man is not outside of God’s control. God permitted Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. In fact it is part of God’s purpose for this world for the sake of His own glory.

The consequence of that sin is tremendous. Man is no longer righteous, but corrupt. He no longer is in communion with God but hostile toward Him. He is no longer alive, but dead in ever part.

What is more, the guilt of Adam’s sin, because he is the representative of the whole of humanity, is charged to every person who conceived in the normal way. This truth is often seen as unfair, and yet 1 Cor. 15:21-22 apply the same principle to man being credited with righteousness because of Christ, his representative.

Because man is no longer righteous, but corrupt, his inclinations are now also different. They are only evil, all the time which can be seen in the sinful acts he commits. This corruption remains also in the Christian and is manifest even in temptations that originate in man’s heart. In other words, the desire to sin is itself sinful.

That sin, whether Adam’s original sin, or man’s sins which flow from it, is enough to condemn man to God’s curse, wrath, and judgment. The good news is that God does not leave His people there.