Gooning As Habitual Sinful Behavior

Habitual Sinful Behavior in Biblical and Theological Perspectives

The concept of habitual sinful behavior is rooted in biblical teachings and has been explored by various theological traditions. In Exodus, the Bible illustrates the concept of habitual sin through the example of a bull that has a history of goring, emphasizing the owner's responsibility when the animal kills someone due to negligence ^[3].

Biblical Foundations

The biblical perspective on sinful behavior emphasizes both the act and the state of being sinful. Psalms 109:18 describes a person clothed in cursing, indicating a deep-seated condition ^[4]. The biblical text also differentiates between unwitting sins and those committed with knowledge, as seen in Numbers 15:27, where a sin offering is prescribed for unwitting sin ^[2].

The New Testament continues this theme, with I Corinthians 6:18 urging believers to flee fornication, highlighting the personal and bodily nature of certain sins ^[1]. The apostle Paul's writings underscore the complexity of sin, suggesting that habitual sin can lead to a state of being enslaved to sin.

Theological Interpretations

Theological traditions have grappled with understanding habitual sin. According to Charles Hodge, sin is not just an act but also a state or condition, with the Bible condemning evil dispositions or habits as sinful ^[8]. This view is supported by Aquinas, who discusses the concept of habit in the context of sin, distinguishing between habits that incline a person to act and the disposition of a complex nature ^[7].

The Catholic Scholastic tradition, as represented by Aquinas, further nuances the understanding of habitual sin. Aquinas argues that mortal sin can produce a disposition or habit in the soul, especially when acts are repeated frequently ^[9]. This disposition remains even after the guilt of the sin is forgiven, indicating a lingering effect of habitual sin.

Consequences and Atonement

The consequences of habitual sin are a significant concern in both biblical and theological discussions. The Babylonian Talmud discusses the atonement for unwitting acts, suggesting that a sin offering for one unwitting act can also atone for another related unwitting act ^[11]. This highlights the complexity of dealing with sin, whether it is habitual or not.

In Christian theology, the issue of habitual sin is addressed through the concept of penance and the role of fear in prompting repentance. Aquinas notes that penance can originate from fear, and it involves both a habit infused by God and acts that cooperate with God's operation ^[13].

Habit Formation and Sin

The formation of habits and their relation to sin is a critical aspect of understanding habitual sinful behavior. Augustine observes that sins become less noticeable and even seem trivial when one becomes accustomed to them, leading to a point where they are not only tolerated but also boasted about ^[10]. This habituation can result in a deeper entrenchment of sin.

The distinction between incontinence and intemperance is also relevant. Aquinas argues that the incontinent person sins due to passion, whereas the intemperate person sins by choice, having developed a habit through custom ^[14]. This distinction highlights the complexity of addressing habitual sin, as it involves both the immediate act and the underlying disposition.

Conclusion

Habitual sinful behavior is a multifaceted issue, addressed in both biblical texts and theological traditions. It involves not just the commission of sinful acts but also the development of sinful states or dispositions. Understanding and addressing habitual sin requires a nuanced approach that considers the biblical foundations, theological interpretations, and the complexities of habit formation. The various traditions represented in the sources offer a rich and varied perspective on this issue, underscoring the need for a thoughtful and informed approach to dealing with habitual sin ^{[5, 6, 12]}.

Sources

I Corinthians “I Corinthians 6:18 (LITV) — Flee fornication. Every sin which a man may do is outside the body, but he doing fornication sins against his own body.”
Numbers ““‘If one person sins unwittingly, then he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. -- Numbers 15:27”
Exodus “But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and it has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death. -- Exodus 21:29”
Psalms “He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment. It came into his inward parts like water, like oil into his bones. -- Psalms 109:18”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 44: sin and all sin, everything which bears its nature, is not only hateful in the sight of a holy God, but is the object of his wrath and indignation, the just ground for the infliction of punishment. This is admitted, and cannot be denied. The only question is, What is necessary in order to the sense of guilt as it exists in the conscience? Or, What is required to constitute anything a just ground of punishment in the sight of God? Is it sufficient that the thing itself should be sinful? Or, Is it necessary that it should be due to our own ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 50: that he abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes. David’s Penitential Psalms are filled not only with the confessions of sin, but also with the avowals of his deep depravity in the sight of God. Isaiah cried out, Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. The ancient prophets, even when sanctified from the womb, pronounced their own righteousnesses as filthy rags. What is said of the body politic is everywhere represented as true of the individual man. The whole head is sick, and the whole h”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part (Prima Secundae), Of Original Sin, As to Its Essence, Art. 1: Article: Whether original sin is a habit? I answer that, As stated above (Question [49], Article [4]; Question [50], Article [1]), habit is twofold. The first is a habit whereby power is inclined to an act: thus science and virtue are called habits. In this way original sin is not a habit. The second kind of habit is the disposition of a complex nature, whereby that nature is well or ill disposed to something, chiefly when such a disposition has become like a second nature, as”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 44: conformity to the nature of God, that it condemns evil dispositions or habits, as well as all voluntary sins, whether deliberate or impulsive. According to the Bible and the dictates of conscience there is a sinfulness as well as sins; there is such a thing as character as distinguished from transient acts by which it is revealed; that is, a sinful state, abiding, inherent, immanent forms of evil, which are truly and properly of the nature of sin. All sin, therefore, is not an agency, activity, or act; it may be and is also a condition or”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Effect of Penance, As Regards the Pardon of Mortal Sin, Art. 5: Article: Whether the remnants of sin are removed when a mortal sin is forgiven? I answer that, Mortal sin, in so far as it turns inordinately to a mutable good, produces in the soul a certain disposition, or even a habit, if the acts be repeated frequently. Now it has been said above (Article [4]) that the guilt of mortal sin is pardoned through grace removing the aversion of the mind from God. Nevertheless when that which is on the part of the aversion has been taken awa”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 80.--SINS, HOWEVER GREAT AND DETESTABLE, SEEM TRIVIAL WHEN WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO THEM.: Add to this, that sins, however great and detestable they may be, are looked upon as trivial, or as not sins at all, when men get accustomed to them; and so far does this go, that such sins are not only not concealed, but are boasted of, and published far and wide; and thus, as it is written, "The wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth."(11) Iniquity of this kind is in Scripture called a cry. You have an i”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 71a.1: Nevertheless, in that case, the sin-offering that atoned for the unwitting act of reaping, which he performed when his action was unwitting with regard to Shabbat, draws with it atonement for the second unwitting act of reaping, which he performed when his action was unwitting with regard to the prohibited labor, and for which he also was liable to bring a sin-offering. And similarly, the sin-offering that atoned for the unwitting act of grinding, which he performed when his action was unwitting with regard to Shabbat, draws with it atonement for the unwitting”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 50: become corrupted by our apostasy from God, and therefore every imagination ( i.e. , every exercise) of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually. See also Gen. viii. 21 . This is the Scriptural and the only rational solution of the undeniable fact of the deep, universal, and early manifested sinfulness of men in all ages, of every class, and in every part of the world. Evasions of the Foregoing Arguments. The methods adopted by those who deny the doctrine of original sin, to account for the universality of sin, are in the highe”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of Penance as a Virtue, Art. 5: Article: Whether penance originates from fear? I answer that, We may speak of penance in two ways: first, as to the habit, and then it is infused by God immediately without our operating as principal agents, but not without our co-operating dispositively by certain acts. Secondly, we may speak of penance, with regard to the acts whereby in penance we co-operate with God operating, the first principle [*Cf. FS, Question [113]] of which acts is the operation of God in turning the heart, according to Lam. 5:21: "”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Incontinence, Art. 3: Article: Whether the incontinent man sins more gravely than the intemperate? I answer that, According to Augustine [*De Duab. Anim. x, xi] sin is chiefly an act of the will, because "by the will we sin and live aright" [*Retract. i, 9]. Consequently where there is a greater inclination of the will to sin, there is a graver sin. Now in the intemperate man, the will is inclined to sin in virtue of its own choice, which proceeds from a habit acquired through custom: whereas in the incontinent ma”

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