Q.16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first disobedience?

A. Since the covenant was made not only for Adam but also for his natural descendants, all mankind sinned in him and fell with him in his first disobedience.

In the New England Primer, children learned the letter A with the phrase

In Adam’s Fall
We sinned all.

Many people find this Biblical doctrine to be offensive. “It’s not fair,” they say. “How can I be held responsible for what someone else has done?”

There are several responses to this argument.

1. Every day we are responsible for the actions of others who represent us. For example, we who live in the United States of America are not subjects of the Queen of England because our forefathers rebelled against England and successfully established the independance of our country.

   We elect people who make laws and negotiate treaties on behalf of everyone in the country. We are responsible for their actions, because they act on our behalf.

   Adam was our legal representative. He was our federal head. In his actions, he was acting on behalf of all of us, and in his Fall, we fell all.

2. The doctrine that all of mankind sinned in the Fall of Adam is clearly taught in the Bible.

   Romans 5:12-21

   ¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned– ¹³ for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

   ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷ If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

   ¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

3. Finally, notice from the Romans passage that Paul links the doctrine of Adam being the federal head who represents all of mankind with the doctrine of the atonement of Christ.

   If you have trouble with the idea of one person being guilty for the action of another, you also have a problem with the doctrine of the atonement, where Jesus Christ pays the penalty for the sins of all those who come to Him in faith.

   If you deny that Adam represented you, you must also deny the substitutionary death of Christ.

“In Adam’s fall
We sinned all.”