The Fall from Original Righteousness: Sin as Rebellion and Missing the MarkThe Westminster Confession of Faith affirms that through sin, humanity falls from original righteousness—our initial state of perfect harmony with God—and becomes dead and entirely corrupted in both soul and body. Moreover, it emphasizes that breaking even one part of God's law incurs the full weight of its curse, for the law is a perfect reflection of God's holy character.Sin is missing the mark or the standard required to be righteous. Adam chose pride because he believed Satan offered him self knowledge that God had hid from him. So Adam chose to think under the domination of sin. I believe this is what it means for Adam to know good and evil. Sin is rebellion against Gods authority. God told Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam defied God and ate.The biblical narrative in Genesis underscores this fallen state by highlighting the root of our temptation: the desire for autonomy, independence from God's authority. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, it was more than a simple act of disobedience; it was an act of rebellion rooted in unbelief and pride. This act inverted their dependence on God's word into a self-sufficient rule, claiming the right to define good and evil on their own terms. As the Puritan commentator Matthew Henry observes, the fall was both an act of unbelief—doubting God's goodness—and an act of pride—coveting forbidden knowledge—practical atheism in action. It was a direct denial of divine sovereignty, asserting self-sovereignty where God alone should reign.Sin as Crookedness, Inversion, and Total DepravitySin is to go astray or its to be crooked. Sin is being deformed in some way. I do not mean physically but its like the personality of addiction rather than the addiction itself. Basically its calling good >evil and evil >good. Its doing what is rite in your own eyes. Sin is acting as if God does not exist. Its practical atheism. When we sin we ignore Gods clear requirements acting as if Gods word has no value. We cast His words aside and set up our own standard in its place. In doing this we become our own god.This also portray sin as inherently “crooked,” a deformation at both relational and personal levels—an inversion of what is good, true, and right. This moral distortion is vividly described in Isaiah 5:20, which condemns those who call evil good and good evil—an inversion that justifies self-rule and moral chaos. The biblical narrative, from the Judges’ cycle of apostasy to Proverbs’ warnings against relying on one's own understanding, reveals a recurring pattern: people doing what seems right in their own eyes, forsaking divine moral order and wisdom.The long-standing Christian tradition, from Augustine’s teachings through the Reformation and into the confessional standards, describes this condition as total depravity. This doctrine asserts that every facet of human nature—mind, will, affections, and body—has been warped by sin, rendering us utterly incapable of initiating or contributing to our salvation. Our faculties are so corrupted that we cannot even desire God without divine grace.You affirm the biblical doctrine that humanity is born in sin—completely unable to save itself. This foundational truth is vividly depicted throughout Scripture, emphasizing our total spiritual depravity and helplessness apart from divine intervention. For example, Psalm 51:5 declares, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me," highlighting the innate corruption present from birth. Similarly, Ephesians 2:1–3 describes us as "dead in trespasses and sins," emphasizing our spiritual deadness and alienation from God. These passages underscore the profound reality that, by nature, we are incapable of awakening ourselves to righteousness or seeking after God on our own.John Calvin reminds us that mankind is “spiritually dead,” meaning incapable of turning to God or seeking salvation first. Grace must precede faith because, in our fallen state, we are spiritually inert and blind to divine truth. Jonathan Edwards echoes this by describing the natural inability of the human will, which has been enslaved by sin, to choose good or turn toward God without divine intervention. Only God's sovereign act of mercy can break the chains of spiritual bondage and set the will free.The Curse of the Law and Christ's Substitutionary SatisfactionSin brings a curse. Because God demands absolute obedience to all of His law. One small misstep and we are obligated to be judged under the weight of the whole law. Every time we break the law we receive the curses of the law.This curse is what Christ willingly bore on the cross, as the Apostle Paul reminds us, proclaiming that Christ was "made a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). Christ’s perfect obedience—both active (fulfilling the law's demands perfectly) and passive (bearing the wrath due to sinners)—fulfills divine justice in our place. The Puritan John Owen emphasizes that Christ’s obedience, both in life and death, satisfies the holy demands of God's law, providing the basis for our justification and salvation.Because man is a sinner he is unable to be made rite in himself. The consequences of his sin demands that he is set in his own way. Man has become his own god. He has set himself on his own course. Everything that he thinks about.. everything that he plans.. everything that he does in community is for the purpose of defying and His word. Man under sin is without hope. Man under sin is dead even tho he lives. He is lost and under the curses of the law. He is unable to help himself.Regeneration and Sovereign Grace: Divine Initiative in SalvationThis is not a mere matter of moral or psychological effort; it involves divine renewal—what the Bible calls regeneration. This divine rebirth changes the very nature of a person, awakening love and trust toward God, and transforming the heart from stone into flesh. It is a radical restructuring of the human being, whereby the Holy Spirit produces new desires and affections that align with divine truth.In this light, salvation is entirely God's gracious act—initiating, awakening, and transforming the sinner. Recognizing our spiritual deadness, God extends unmerited favor, granting new life through the Holy Spirit. This divine renewal involves the regeneration of the heart, renewing the mind, and transforming the will and affections. It is not psychological therapy but a divine rebirth—an act of divine power that changes our very nature.God must come to man. God must initiate the first knowledge of salvation. God must show man his own state of death. So God extends to man an unmerited favor. God must save man and deliver him from the course of death he is taking. God must give a man new life and place in him a new mind and will. God must destroy the old will and put man on a course of eternal life.So we say that salvation is being delivered from the consequences of our sins. We are no longer under the curses of the law. But now we are on a path of blessing. But we still are sinners. We still approach God as sinners. The difference is that we know that all of salvation is a gift because we are sinners by nature. We are not playing psychological games with God but we accept what He has said about us and how He defines the problem. We no longer are secure in our own goodness.Relational Restoration: Brought into the Father's HouseI like to describe this as being brought into the house. We are children of our Father. The relationship we have is based upon His love for us. Our salvation is given to us by grace because of His great love for us. So i do not think sin is just displeasing to Him but it also blinds us from how we understand this relationship. This is what i call being too weak to know the depth and height of His love for us. So this is like being dumb and not willfully rebellious. Because when God places His love on someone they cannot be drawn to love something in its place. The problem is one on understanding and believing.Owen assures believers that they are “precious in God's sight,” loved beyond measure, though sin blinds us to this divine affection. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 4:4, the god of this age—the devil—shuts our eyes to the truth of God's love and our own spiritual need. Our blindness is not accidental but a work of spiritual deception, designed to keep us from recognizing and embracing divine mercy.Your perspective masterfully balances the horror of sin with the triumph of grace—highlighting the relational healing and divine mercy that underpin the Christian gospel. Sin, in its core, is not merely a moral failure but an act of rebellion—a turning away from the divine throne, an act of outright defiance against God's sovereign authority. Yet, in God's mercy, salvation is offered freely through Christ, who absorbs the curse, restores the broken relationship, and grants new life to all who believe.These titles create a natural progression: from the fall and nature of sin, through its total effects and curse, to Christ's redemptive work, God's sovereign initiative in regeneration, and the relational joy of adoption. They are scholarly yet pastoral, mirroring your tone. If you'd like modifications (e.g., more emphasis on certain sections, additional subheadings, or direct quotes integrated), expansions, or a different style, let me know!