4.2 The fall into sin

4.2 The fall into sin guilt before God or their neighbour, and reveals where they have transgressed against God’s will and violated His ordinances, whether in thought or deed. First and foremost, human beings must recognise themselves and give ac- count to their own conscience. If the conscience attests that they have sinned and incurred guilt, and—provided they allow themselves to be guided by re- morse and repentance—God in His grace offers forgiveness through the merit of Christ. This is the path God has established for the justification of man- kind who has fallen into sin. Human beings can experience Holy Baptism with water as the healing care of God: “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3: 21). God’s word strengthens human beings so that they can continue along the path they have begun toward salvation. Thereby the conscience undergoes a constant sharpening process, which aids human beings in recognising God’s will more and more clearly. The experience of grace fills the heart with the peace of God, and the con- science, which had previously condemned the individual on account of his sins, is calmed. John sums this up with the words: “And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (1 John 3: 19–20). SUMMARY The authority of conscience can help make decisions in accordance with the will of God. It is the conscience that weighs the question of what is good and what is evil. (4.2.1.3) If the conscience is defined by reason and faith, it helps human beings to act wisely, and allows them to recognise whether they have incurred guilt with God or their neighbour. (4.2.1.3) 171 4 Mankind in need of redemption 4.2.1.4 Reason Reason is a gift of God that distinguishes human beings—as the image of God—from all other creatures. It is of particular help in structuring their existence and comprehending their environment. Reason is revealed when human beings think and act while engaging their intellect and knowledge. In so doing, they are accountable before God and themselves, whether they know it or not (see 4.2.1.3). Human beings are cap- able of recognising circumstances and interpreting the connections between them. They recognise themselves as individuals and see themselves in rela- tionship to the world. Ultimately, reason is a gift of God to human beings, which can guide them to proper conduct: “Counsel, and a tongue, and eyes, ears, and a heart, gave He them [mankind] to understand” (Ecclesiasticus 17: 5–6). Mankind received from God the commission to “subdue the earth” (Genesis 1: 28). With their inquisitive minds, human beings seek to access and make use of that which is available to them in the creation. When they do this out of a sense of responsibility toward God and the creation, human beings act in a reasonable manner, in accordance with the gift of God. In the Bible, reason is also described using the term “wisdom”. Under- stood as the ability to know, it is attributed to the activity of God. “For He [God] hath given me certain knowledge of things that are, namely, to know how the world was made, and the operation of the elements ...” (Wisdom of Solomon 7: 17). Apostle Paul also used the term “human wisdom” to refer to reason. It equips human beings with the cognitive faculty by which they en- deavour to penetrate divine mysteries (1 Corinthians 1: 20–21). If human beings were to elevate themselves over divine ordinances and thus over God Himself, they would thereby dismiss divine wisdom as foolishness. Ultimately this means that reason would reject faith (1 Corinthians 2: 1–16). In so doing, human beings would ultimately fail to understand the purpose of their lives. Since the Age of Enlightenment, such a tendency can be clearly identified in many areas, especially in the industrialised world. It always reveals itself 172