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Sin (Condition that is not simply)

a condition that is not simply moral evil as recognized by the awakened or the gods. Some doctrine of sin, and of the mode of averting the anger of the ing from the guilt, is accordingly part of most religions, ancient and modern. holiness. The central doctrine of Budholiness. The central doctrine of Budactions and human life, which must be actions and human life, which must be sacred books is the sense of sin so keen and developed as in the Bible in the writings of the prophets of the God of holiness, in the Psalms, in the Gospels, and in Paul's epistles.

Throughout the the Scriptures sin appears as that element in man which puts him at enmity with God, and for his salvaas that element in man which puts him at enmity with God, and for his salvafathers regarded sin as opposition to the (see CHRISTIANITY). The early Greek fathers regarded sin as opposition to the affirm that the guilt of Adam's sin or the corruption of his nature descended to all mankind. Tertullian, in virtue of his doccorruption of his nature descended to all mankind. Tertullian, in virtue of his docpropagated from Adam to his descendants. But it was reserved for Augustine propagated from Adam to his descend- Adam's sin completely corrupted his whole nature; that the corruption of his of the weakenhis children. PELAGIUS (q. v.) maining of his powers through hereditary sin- fulness man is yet not wholly inclined gianism insists that in spite of ing of his powers through hereditary sinfulness man is yet not wholly inclined to evil. The Greek Church continued to Thomas Aquinas taught that hereditary will as free as Adam's before the fall.

Thomas Aquinas taught that hereditary sin is truly sin, and the unbaptized infant is damned. At the Reformation both Zwingli looked on hereditary sin as an garded as Augustinian and Pauline views.

Zwingli looked on hereditary sin as an sin altogether. In modern German specu- Socinians practically denied hereditary sin altogether. In modern German specua necessary condition of the development a necessary condition of the development of mankind.

The doctrine of the Thirty-nine Articles (Art. ix.) is as follows: "Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam of the na- (as the Pelagians do vainly talk); but ture of every man, that naturally is enof ture of every man, that naturally is enby man is very far gone from original by man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature always contrary to the spirit; and therealways contrary to the spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world The Westminster Confession teaches (chap. vi.): "By this sin" (i. e., the eating of the forbidden fruit) "they" (i. e., our first parents) "fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions."

Sins have been divided into categories, as sins of omission and of commission, deliberate voluntary sins and involuntary sins, sins of infirmity, etc.