The Cause of Sin

Rev. D. de Wit, Barneveld, the Netherlands

(Fifth of six articles about sin based on The Treasure Book by Zacharias Ursinus)

We are acquainted with the questions from the Heidelberg Catechism which ask if God is the author of sin. Could He not have created Adam so that he could not fall? The Treasure Book deals extensively with the question as to what is the cause of sin.

Immediately at the beginning of this subject The Treasure Book states clearly and succinctly that God is not the cause or the author of sin. That is apparent from the Word of God. Immediately, upon the completion of creation, God could say that “It was good.” It is remarkable that in the answering of this question The Treasure Book points to God’s attributes. The Lord is the highest perfection, good and holy. In addition to that, God forbids all sin in His law. If the Lord forbids sin, how can He then be the origin of sin? Yea, He punishes all sin severely. How unrighteous the Lord would be if He punished the sin of which He Himself had been the origin. That could never be. He does not destroy His own image (wherein God’s attributes appear) in man. In this way The Treasure Book does not deal with issues from sinful man but takes its position from God and His attributes. A remarkable lesson!

The Lord re-creates and converts. Thereby, He testifies that man has not received his depravity and the evil of nature from God in creation. The Lord has an aversion to sin and hates it with a righteous hatred. The actual cause lies in the will of the devils and of man. It is for that reason that they have voluntarily fallen away from God and have robbed themselves of God’s image. The cause of all actual sins committed by the descendants of Adam is original sin, and from that one actual sin there follow again more new sins.

It is now exactly that sinful, proud individual who will think of and contrive reasons to place the cause of sin upon God and to justify himself. The one says that he was born under an “unlucky star.” The next one blames the devil, and others will cast the blame upon God by saying that God wanted it that way; otherwise it would not have happened. The Lord could have prevented it, but He did not do that; that is why He is the author of my sin. It is not new that man directs his slanderous tongue against God. Adam and Eve did the same thing. God’s majesty, truth, and righteousness are severely offended thereby.

Human nature is also not the cause of sin, for God has created man good and upright. Sinfulness has entered into him via the fall. It, therefore, does not essentially belong to his human nature. After the fall this sinfulness has become a natural characteristic of man.

The devil is not the only author of sin. He is not the only one at fault. The devil, with much subtlety and power, can suggest and recommend, but he cannot force a person to sin. God by means of His might and dominion keeps the devil under His control. He continuously instills in man that which is good. The Treasure Book intends to say that against the good which the Lord promotes, man has sinned, and not because the devil has such unbridled power that man cannot but listen to him.

Against the “disgusting sophisms of the ungodly” that God had desired the fall and not prevented it and, therefore, is Himself guilty, The Treasure Book states that God through His perfect and absolute power could have prevented sin; however, He deals with man in a natural and human way. He placed before Him His law with its promises and punishments. In order to accomplish this He did not decline His grace. God only required of man obedience and faith so that he would be completely dependent upon Him, not that he would be pressured but could deal without restraint. For that reason God had given man a godly understanding and a will which was completely free and holy. When man now does what he should not do, the sins of omission or negligence are ascribed unto him and not unto God even though He could have prevented it. He should not have hindered it, however, so that He would not disturb His ordinances and destroy His creation. Therefore, God is not the author of sin. The devil and the depraved will of man who obeyed the devil are the true authors of sin.

(To be continued)

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