3. Divine Providence and sin.
If we ask about the effect of God in the actions of moral beings (men and angels), we must distinguish between evil and good actions. With regard to evil actions, according to Holy Scriptures, three things stand first: 1. that God does not will them according to his holy will: "Thou shalt not have other gods beside me"; "Thou shalt not kill," etc.; 2. that God often prevents their happening, as with Abimelech of Gerar, Gen. 20:1 ff.3. that God turns the sins that actually occur from their evil purpose to His good purpose, as in the case of Joseph's sale to Egypt, Gen. 60:20. But a much discussed question is how God's involvement in the sinful acts during their occurrence is to be understood. What the doctrines of Scripture teach on this matter can be summarized thus: God cooperates in evil actions insofar as they are actions (quoad materiale), because Scripture says of men that they have life, movement and existence in God, Acts 17:28. God does not cooperate with evil actions insofar as they are evil (quoad formale), because Scripture says of God: "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak lies;
1491) Baier II, 169: Deus manifestum facit, se non esse alligatum ad causas physicas et ordinem libere a se institutum . Baier points out the following examples: Causae secundae, in actu per naturam nondum constitutae, ad agendum divinitus applicantur-, vid. 1 Reg. 18, 44 de accelerata pluvia. Aliquando Deus causis secundis virtutem agendi vel plane supernaturralem confert, vel naturalem amissam aut debilitatam restituit et confirmat aut auget; vid. Iud. 16:28. 29 de robore Simsonis restaurato auctoque, Gen. 17:16. 17. 19 de potentia generandi Abrahamo centenario et Sarae nonagenariae atque alias sterili collata. Denique nonnunquam causas secundas per naturam in actu constituendas impedit Deus, quominus effectus sequatur, prout Deut. 28:23 minatur, se pluviam subtracturum populo inobedienti. [Google]
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596 ><w:t xml:space="preserve"> Divine providence. [English ed. 490]
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and the false," Ps. 5:5-7. We know very well that this distinction between material and formal peccati does not declare anything for our human understanding. But we also know that with this distinction the limits are marked out in which we men have to keep ourselves with our thoughts for the time being, namely in this life. Further conclusions, which we think to be able to give, are based either on self-deception or on denial of the two factors in question. Either we deny the participation of God in the evil actions, in so far as they are actions (as, according to the report of Jerome, Pelagius is said to have said that he could move his hand, bend his finger, sit, stand and walk even without God's participation),1492) or we deny the evil in the human actions by charging it to God and abolishing the human responsibility. Both are contrary to Scripture as well as contrary to human experience. It is contrary to Scripture. For that the thief or the murderer cannot perform his actions without God's cooperation is clearly in Acts 17:28, where it is said of all men, including thieves and murderers, that they live, move and exist in God. It is contrary to experience, because the thief and the murderer hold themselves responsible for the evil of their actions in their conscience. All pantheistic phrases that man is not responsible for his actions because God provides existence, power and movement for them are refuted by the fact of the evil conscience.1493)