The purpose of classifying actual sins is to point out more definitely and to describe more clearly the numerous transgressions to which the believer is subject, Job 9, 2. 3. Our interest in the classification is therefore entirely practical. It urges us to consider the manifold temptations by which Satan, the world, and our own flesh are bent on seducing us into vice and shame, Matt. 26, 41; 1 Cor. 10, 12, to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit by daily repentance, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. 7, 1 ; He b. 12, 1. 2. Hence the classification of actual sins must not be regarded as unnecessary or useless, but rather as highly profitable, especially since Holy Scripture itself distinguishes between sins, 1 John 5, 16 ; J as. 4, 17 ; John 19, 11. Just because "all Scripture is profitable for ... correction and instruction in righteousness," 2 Tim. 3, 16, it vividly depicts either by express word, 1 Cor. 5, 9-11, or by example, 2 Sam. 11, 4. 24; Matt. 26, 48 f., the uncountable transgressions which threaten the Christian in his life on earth, Ps. 19, 12. 13.
a. Voluntary and involuntary sins. On the basis of clear Scripture statements we distinguish between voluntary and involuntary sins. The former (peccata voluntaria, malitiae, proaeretica) are such sinful acts in which man transgresses the divine Law by a deliberate volition, contrary to the dictates of conscience, John 13, 26. 27. 30. The latter (peccata involuntaria) are such sinful acts as are committed without sure knowledge (peccata ignorantiae, 1 Tim. 1, 13) or without a deliberate purpose of the will (peccata infirmitatis, peccata praecipitantiae, Luke 22, 55-62). Involuntary sins are accordingly divided into sins of ignorance and of infirmity. However, only in the case of Christians do we speak of sins of infirmity, since all unbelievers, being dead in trespasses and sins, Eph. 2, 1, and captive in the power of Satan, Eph. 2, 2; 2 Tim. 2, 26, desire the very sins into which they are misled by the devil, Eph. 2, 3; John 8, 44. But the believer, as a new creature in Christ, 2 Cor. 5, 17, detests the sins which he commits, Rom. 7, 15, and earnestly wills that which is good, Rom. 7, 19. 22-24. As sins of infirmity, or involuntary sins, we must regard also the sinful emotions, that is, the inordinate thoughts and desires (motus inordinati subitanei), which suddenly arise in Christians out of their carnal heart (σάρξ) without and against their will, Gal. 5, 17. 24. Cp. Luther, St. L., IX, 1032. Infants cannot be said to be guilty of deliberate sins (peccata proaeretica; Deut. 1, 39; Jonah 4, 11); but they may not be declared free from actual sins, because they are flesh born of the flesh, John 3, 6, and as such always in opposition to the divine will, Gal. 5, 17; Gen. 8, 21; Ps. 51, 5. On the other hand, also in infants the Holy Spirit, through the means of grace (Baptism, Titus 3, 5) works faith, Matt. 18, 6, and the works of faith, Ps. 8, 2, so that they, as new creatures in Christ, resist the evil emotions of the flesh, Matt. 18, 3. 4.
Voluntary sins must be considered not only with respect to the will, but also with respect to conscience. For this reason we regard as voluntary sins also those committed against conscience. These are fourfold, inasmuch as a person may sin a) against a correct conscience (conscientia recta), which is in agreement with the divine Law, Rom. 1, 32; or b) against an erring conscience (conscientia erronea), in which case he sins both when he disregards (Rom.14, 14; 1 Cor. 8, 7.10-12) and when he follows his misguided conscience, which is at variance with the divine Word. An erring conscience therefore leads to sin both when it is obeyed and when it is disobeyed (cp. the case of a person who is bound by his conscience to worship saints); or c) against a probable conscience (conscientia probabilis), as in that case he either neglects the duty of ascertaining the right course of action, Ps. 119, 9. 11, or acts in doubt, Rom. 14, 23; or d) against a doubting conscience (conscientia dubia), since in such cases he should not act at all, Rom. 14, 23.
b. Sins of commission and of omission. Sins of commission (peccata commissionis) are positive acts, by which negative precepts of God are violated. Sins of omission (peccata omission is) consist in the neglect of acts prescribed by affirmative precepts of God (Hollaz). In sins of commission accordingly that is done which God has forbidden, Ex. 20, 13-17; in sins of omission that is omitted which God demands, Jas. 4, 17. Although sins of omission are not always done intentionally or by an express purpose of the perverted will, yet every omission of that which is good is a sin in the true sense of the term, since man has been created for the very purpose of serving God by always doing that which is good, i.e., commanded by Him. Ipsum non facere, quod praeceptum, peccatum est, Matt. 28, 20; Ezek. 37, 24.
c. Sins against God, against the neighbor, and against oneself. Sins against God are those which are directed against the First Table of the Decalog, Matt. 22, 37. 38; Gen. 39, 9. Sins against the neighbor are directed specifically against the Second Table, Matt. 22, 39; Lev. 19, 17. Sins against oneself are those which, like fornication and impurity in general, defile the body, 1 Cor. 6, 18. Nevertheless we must remember that every sin against the neighbor or against oneself is a sin only because it is primarily committed against God, Ps. 51, 4; Gen. 39, 9. Omne peccatum in Deum committitur.
d. Grievous and less grievous sins. Every transgression of the divine Law is rebellion against God (ἀνομία, lawlessness, פֶּשַׁע) and therefore damnable, Gal. 3, 10. From the viewpoint of damnability therefore we cannot speak of "smaller" and "greater" sins. Still Scripture itself distinguishes degrees in sinning (John 19, 11, μείζονα ἁμαρτίαν). Children before the years of discretion (anni discretionis) are less culpable than are adults, Deut. 1, 39. Servants who know the will of the Lord and yet refuse to do it shall be beaten with many stripes, Luke 12, 47, while such as sin against Him in ignorance shall receive only few stripes, v. 48. From this it is clear that as there are degrees in sinning, there are degrees also in the eternal punishment which the damned will suffer. The most grievous of all sins is unbelief, John 3, 18. 19; 16, 9. - The classification of sins into sins of the heart, of the mouth, and of the actual deed (peccata cordis, oris, operis) does not always indicate degree, since a sin of the heart (unbelief, implacability, etc.) may be more grievous than a sin of the mouth or of the actual deed (cf. an angry word spoken in haste; an evil deed done without malice, on the spur of the moment). When judging whether one sin is more grievous than another, we must consider a) the person sinning; b) the impelling cause; c) the object involved; d) the Law violated; and e) the consequence of the sin. Nevertheless every sin renders man guilty before God, Rom. 3, 19.
e. Mortal and venial sins. Mortal sins (peccata mortalia) are all sins which actually precipitate the transgressor into a state of wrath, death, and condemnation, so that, if he should die without repentance, his punishment would be eternal death, John 8, 21. 24; Rom. 8, 13. All sins of unbelievers are mortal sins since unbelievers reject Christ, for whose sake alone God pardons sin, Rom. 3, 24; Eph. 1, 7; Acts 4, 12. When we speak of mortal sins of "believers," we mean such sins as grieve the Holy Spirit, Eph. 4, 30, and destroy faith (David's murder and adultery, Ps. 32, 3. 4). "A mortal sin is that by which the regenerate, overcome by the flesh and not remaining in a regenerate state, transgress the divine Law by a deliberate purpose of the will, contrary to the dictates of conscience, and thereby lose saving faith, reject the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit, and cast themselves into a state of wrath, death, and condemnation." (Hollaz.)- Venial sins (peccata venialia) are the involuntary sins of believers, which, though in themselves deserving eternal death, are forgiven for Christ's sake, in whom the believer trusts and in whose strength he continually repents of his sins, Ps. 19, 12. 13; 51, 9-12.
On this point the papists err, who teach that certain sins are in themselves mortal (superbia, avaritia, luxuria, ira, gula, invidia, acedia), while others in themselves are venial and so deserve only temporal punishments. The Calvinists err in this matter by teaching that the elect never lose faith or fall from grace, even when they commit enormous sins (peccata enormia).
With mortal sins may be identified the so-called dominant and with venial sins the so-called non-dominant sins. In unbelievers all sins are dominant, since they are dead in trespasses and sins and are in the power of Satan, Eph. 2, 1-3. The blessed state in which sin is no longer dominant in man is found in believers only, Rom. 6, 12. 14. If believers give up the struggle against sin, Gal. 5, 16. 17, so that it again reigns over them, they have fallen from grace and lost faith, Gal. 5, 4; 1 Cor. 5, 11.
f. Crying sins. Crying sins (peccata clamantia) are such as invoke God's punishments in a special degree. Examples of crying sins mentioned in Scripture are the following: a) the fratricide committed by Cain, Gen. 4, 10; b) the sins of the Sodomites, Gen. 18, 20; c) the oppression of the Israelites by the Egyptians.t Ex. 3, 9; d) the oppression of widows and orphans, Ex. 22, 22. 23; e) the withholding of wages from hired laborers, J as. 5, 4; f) the persecution of Christians, Rev. 6, 9. 10. In general, we may describe as crying sins all crimes committed against the helpless (widows, orphans, the poor, the oppressed, etc.), whose cause God Himself must champion and defend, Ex. 3, 7-9; 22, 21-24; Is. 3, 13-15.
g. Pardonable sim and the unpardonable sin. A pardonable sin (peccatum remissibile) is a sin of which it is possible to repent, while the "unpardonable sin" (peccatum irremissibile) excludes the possibility of repentance. Since all sins are pardonable except the sin against the Holy Ghost, Matt. 12, 31. 32; Mark 3, 22-30; Luke 12, 10, which is the only irremissible sin that Scripture recorda, this sin requires special consideration. However, the classification just given must not be abused in the interest of carnai security and indifference toward sin. Every sin is pardonable only if the sinner in true repentance trusts in the vicarious satisfaction of Christ. It is only from the viewpoint of divine grace that sins are pardonable, not from that of human merit, Rom. 4, 5-8. There is no "guiltless sin" before God, Rom. 3, 19; Gal. 3, 10.
h. The sin against the Holy Ghost. The sin against the Holy Ghost is described in Scripture as ''blasphemy against the Holy Ghost," Mark 3, 28. 29. This blasphemy is distinguished from that directed against Christ, Matt. 12, 32, which, as our Savior expressly teaches, is pardonable. As Scripture references to the sin against the Holy Ghost our dogmaticians consider also 1 John 5, 16 and Heb. 6, 4-6; 10, 26. 27.
The sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable because it isdirected, not against the divine person of the Holy Ghost, but against His divine office or His gracious operation upon the human heart. Peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum non in personam, sed in officium Spiritus Sancti committitur. That is the nature, or essence, of this sin. However, not every resistance against the work of the Holy Ghost comes under the head of this sin; otherwise every person in the world would commit this unpardonable sin~ since by nature all men resist the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 2, 14; Rom. 8, 7.
The sin against the Holy Ghost is committed only when the Holy Spirit has clearly revealed the divine truth to the sinner and the sinner nevertheless utters blasphemies against it. Hence this sin must not be identified a) with that of final impenitence (impoenitentia finalis) nor b) with blasphemy of the divine truth flowing from spiritual blindness, 1 Tim. 1, 13, nor c) with the denial of the divine truth through fear, Luke 22, 61. 62. The sin against the Holy Ghost consists in the perverse, persistent denial and rejection of the divine truth after the latter has been sufficiently acknowledged and accepted as such, joined with voluntary and atrocious blasphemy. In other words, it is the malicious and blasphemous rejection of the Gospel by a hardened sinner, wh<> through the gracious illumination of the Holy Ghost has been fully convinced of its divine truth. Hollaz writes: "Peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum est veritatis divinae evidenter agnitae et in conscientia approbatae malitiosa abnegatio, hostilis impugnatio~horrenda blasphematio et omnium mediorum salutis obstinata et finaliter perseverans reiectio."
Most dogmaticians teach that the sin against the Holy Ghost can be committed only by those who were regenerated, though others, and among these Baier, maintain that it occurs also in theunregenerate, namely, in the very moment when the Holy Ghost is about to convert them and to this end convicts them of the divine truth. The reason why the sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable is because it is malicious and persistent resistance against the converting and sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost, through which alone sinners are saved.
The Calvinists err in teaching that the sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable for the reason that God from eternity has predetermined to damnation those who maliciously resist the divine truth. Over against this error it may be shown that Christ earnestly desired to save the very Pharisees who rejected His Word and committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, Matt. 12, 22-32; 23, 37.
The question whether the sin against the Holy Ghost still occurs must be answered in the affirmative, since Matt. 12, 31. 32 and its parallel passages are general statements and so apply at all times. From 1 John 5, 16 we conclude that in certain cases those who commit the sin against the Holy Ghost may be known; for in this passage believers are asked not to intercede for such ("I do not say that he," etc.). At the same time we must not be hasty in charging with this sin a person who may appear to us to be guilty of it, but rather continue in the testimony of the truth as we have opportunity, warning the wrong-doer against the dreadful offense which our Lord so strongly condemns, just as He Himself earnestly warned the Pharisees against it, Matt. 12, 22-32.
Whether Reb. 6, 4-6 and 10, 26. 27 treat of the sin against the Holy Ghost is an exegetical question, though many scholars believe that these two passages speak of this sin. In Heb. 12, 17 the word "repentance" refers to Isaac rather than to Esau, the meaning of the text being that Esau with all his tears could not prevail on his father to change his mind and turn Jacob's blessing to his advantage, Gen. 27, 34-38.
Only divine grace can preserve us from the sin against the Holy Ghost. If they were left to themselves, all who have come under the gracious operation of the Spirit of God would commit this heinous sin. Those who are in great distress of mind because they fear that they have committed it should take comfort from the fact that this unforgivable sin is committed only by such as maliciously spurn and blasphemously reject the grace of God in Christ Jesus, not, however, by any one who repents of his sins and longs for the forgiveness which the Gospel offers. To him apply such passages as Matt. 11, 28; 9, 13; John 6, 37.
i. Other classifications. 1. Secret sins and manifest sins. Secret sins are those which are known either to the transgressor alone (Ps. 32, 3-5) or besides to him only to a few others who either rightly (Matt. 18, 15. 16) or wrongly (Lev. 5, 1; Prov. 29, 24) desire them to remain hidden. Open sins are such as have become known to many, 1 Tim. 5, 20; 1 Cor. 5, 1. This division is of great importance for the proper treatment of disciplinary cases.
Holy Scripture warns us most emphatically against participating in the sins of others, Eph. 5, 7. 11 ; 1 Tim. 5, 22 ; 2 John 11 ; Rev. 18, 4. In particular, believers should avoid false teachers lest they share in their offense of publishing false doctrine, 2 John 11 ; 2 Cor. 6, 14-18; Rom. 16, 17. 18. But we offend in this point also by taking pleasure in the sins of others, Rom. 1, 32. Such pleasure in the sins of others is awakened especially by listening to immoral or blasphemous conversation, 1 Cor. 15, 33; Eph. 4, 29; 1 Tim. 6, 20; 2 Tim. 2, 16, or by associating with wrong-doers in general (unionism, Ps. 1, 1; Eph. 5, 11; Ps. 26, 4. 5).