CAUSAE PECCATI ACTUALIS INTRA HOMINEM

The general cause of actual sin within man is the depraved nature, or the hereditary corruption. Paul declares (Rom. 7:17) that the “sin that dwelleth in me” does the evil which I would not do. As special causes Scripture mentions

a. The ignorance produced by the hereditary corruption. Paul sinned “ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13). But sin does not because of this, either wholly or in part, lose the character of sinfulness, for Paul adds (v. 15): “of whom [sinners] I am chief.” Christ, too, states that ignorance is the cause of actual sin when He prays (Luke 23:34): “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” as also Peter (Acts 3:17): “I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.”

b. Actual sins are caused by violent emotions and passions (affectus, passiones, ), such as fear, violent rage, natural love, etc. Examples: Peter walking on the water (Matt. 14:30), in the palace of the high priest (Mark 14:66 ff.), in Antioch (Gal. 2:12: “Fearing them which were of the circumcision”). That the affectas and passiones do not make the sin sinless we see from Luke 22:62: “Peter went out and wept bitterly.”

c. The evil habits, developed by repeating the sinful act, become a cause of actual sins. The dogmaticians speak, on the basis of Scripture, of an inclinatio ad malum acquisita, of a peccatum habituale acquisitum, of a habitus vitiosus acquisitus. Jer. 13:23: “Accustomed to do evil.” There is such a thing as being trained to do evil, just as men are trained to practice righteousness.