The Distinction of Sin

Sins are essentially distinguished one from another by their objective reality as things out of line with reason and God’s law. That is, sins are distinguished from one another as objects. Thus we distinguish sinful words from sinful deeds, and both of these from sinful desires.

A sin comes from inordinate desire for some creaturalgood or from inordinate pleasure in a creatural good. Thisinordinateness may be in things of the mind (as, for instance,prideful thoughts or undue love of praise) or in things of sense(as, for example, food or sex). Thus there is a distinction of sins(still on the score of their objective reality) as spiritual sins and carnal sins.

Sins are not specifically distinguished on the score oftheir causes except in the case of the final cause, that is, the intention or end-in-view of the sinner.

Sins are distinguished as: (a) sins against God, suchas blasphemy, heresy, and sacrilege; (b) sins against self, such asintemperance; and (c) sins against others, such as theft, murder,or slander. Of course, all sins are against God, but those that have this specific name are directly against God or the things of God.

Sins are not specifically distinct on the score of the punishment due to them. All mortal sins are at one in deservingeternal punishment, although there are essential distinctions among mortal sins, as, for example, between blasphemy and murder. And while mortal sins (which deserve eternal punishment) are essentially distinct from venial sins (which deserve temporal punishment only) this distinction does not find its cause in the punishment due.

Neither are sins specifically distinct on the score of commission or omission. A man who steals ten dollars, and the thief who omits to restore ten dollars he has stolen, are guilty of thesame kind of sin against injustice.

In each species or essential kind of sin we distinguish sins of thought (involving imaginings and even desires), word,and deed (involving the deed of omission). Thought precedes word,and word may lead on to action. Sin may be in thought alone, or in thought and desire, or in thought and word, or in all three-thought, word, deed.

Sins are distinguished specifically as sins of excess and sins of defect or deficiency. One sins by excess ininordinately loving a crea-tural good; one sins by defect in beinginsensible to good. Inordinate love and sinful indifference are notthe same species of sin.

In sins that spring from a single motive, circumstances may change the degree of sin but not its species or essential kind. Sins that spring from a manifold motive have circumstances which really enter into the essence of the act and introduce new species. Thus a man who steals money from a church to bribe a politician to enact unjust legislation, really commits three distinct sins against justice and one against religion.