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pollution of sin is clearly taught in such passages as Job 14:4; Jer. 17:9; Matt. 7:15-20; Rom. 8:5-
8; Eph. 4:17-19.
5. SIN HAS ITS SEAT IN THE HEART.
Sin does not reside in any one faculty of the soul, but in the
heart, which in Scriptural psychology is the central organ of the soul, out of which are the issues
of life. And from this center its influence and operations spread to the intellect, the will, the
affections, in short, to the entire man, including his body. In his sinful state the whole man is
the object of God’s displeasure. There is a sense in which it can be said that sin originated in the
will of man, but then the will does not designate some actual volition as much as it does the
volitional nature of man. There was a tendency of the heart underlying the actual volition when
sin entered the world. This view is in perfect harmony with the representations of Scripture in
such passages as the following: Prov. 4:23; Jer. 17:9; Matt. 15:19,20; Luke 6:45; Heb. 3:12.
6. SIN DOES NOT CONSIST EXCLUSIVELY IN OVERT ACTS.
Sin does not consist only in overt acts,
but also in sinful habits and in a sinful condition of the soul. These three are related to one
another as follows: The sinful state is the basis of the sinful habits, and these manifest
themselves in sinful deeds. There is also truth, however, in the contention that repeated sinful
deeds lead to the establishment of sinful habits. The sinful acts and dispositions of man must be
referred to and find their explanation in a corrupt nature. The passages referred to in the
preceding paragraph substantiate this view, for they clearly prove that the state or condition of
man is thoroughly sinful. And if the question should still be raised, whether the thoughts and
affections of the natural man, called “flesh” in Scripture, should be regarded as constituting sin,
it might be answered by pointing to such passages as the following: Matt. 5:22,28; Rom. 7:7;
Gal. 5:17,24, and others. In conclusion it may be said that sin may be defined as lack of
conformity to the moral law of God, either in act, disposition, or state.
C. THE PELAGIAN VIEW OF SIN.
The Pelagian view of sin is quite different from that presented above. The only point of
similarity lies in this that the Pelagian also considers sin in relation to the law of God, and
regards it as a transgression of the law. But in all other particulars his conception differs widely
from the Scriptural and Augustinian view.
1. STATEMENT OF THE PELAGIAN VIEW.
Pelagius takes his startingpoint in the natural ability of
man. His fundamental proposition is: God has commanded man to do that which is good; hence
the latter must have the ability to do it. This means that man has a free will in the absolute
sense of the word, so that it is possible for him to decide for or against that which is good, and
also to do the good as well as the evil. The decision is not dependent on any moral character in
man, for the will is entirely indeterminate. Whether a man will do good or evil simply depends