Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof, VI:1

Our first parents, being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory.

As the Confession takes up the topic of the fall of man into sin and rebellion, it does not shy away from what has previously been established regarding the sovereignty of God and his providence in creation. If God had not willed the fall, it would not have happened. That it happened, and that he obviously willed it, can then be seen as a manifestation of his "wise and holy counsel" and that the underlying purpose, as it is in all things, is for the glory of God. This is difficult for men to appreciate, all the more so because we regard these things from the perspective of our fallenness.

Nevertheless, the Confession does not let the principal players off the moral hook. It recognizes the actions of Satan--the Deceiver was and is a subtle tempter--but plainly Adam and Eve sinned by their action of disobeying God. They bear the responsibility. They were not coerced, but did sin freely out of the desires of their own wills. How this worked itself out subsequently is the subject of the next several paragraphs.

The day after tomorrow: Sin's consequences.