The Trouble With Me Part 2

In the second place, 

• things such as sickness and death are sufficient to tell me that there is misery, 
• but they cannot tell me why there is misery.  
• That is certainly what I have in mind when I write about knowing my misery.

Still further, 

• although my sins and misery should be apparent to me from what I experience in daily life, 
• my mind does not register the signals that come to me.  
• That is because my mind has become impaired through sin. 
• Scripture says that the mind of fallen man has become darkened and senseless (Romans 1:21).  
• Because of this mental darkness, I do not come to know my sins by what I experience in life.

Another reason for having to learn about my sin and misery is because I am like everyone else.  

• All men are conceived and born in sin.  
• All men are by nature corrupt.  
• All men are the same.  
• And if all are the same, I can conclude that this is normal.  

All men are depraved.  

• Thus, I can tend to think that sin is natural.  
• Imperfection is a part of humanity.  
• "To err is human," they say.  
• Yet it is not; imperfection is abnormal.  

God created me perfect but I have become depraved through our fall into sin.  

• This teaches me that I should not judge the correctness of what I do by looking at what most other people do.  
• Sometimes I might say, "everybody does it" which seems to imply that it must be acceptable.  
• However, what society in general accepts or what our friends accept is not necessarily what God accepts.

There is no way 

• in which I can come to know my misery from what I experience in myself, in fellow man or in daily life.  
• Yet I have seen that it is very important that I possess a true knowledge of my sins and misery, 
• otherwise I will not turn to God, and seek forgiveness of my sins and redemption from my misery.  
• From where, then, shall I come to know my sins and misery?

Adapted Excerpt from Only By True Faith by Van Delden

The Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 2