This document summarizes Norman Geisler's views on the origin of sin from his book "Systematic Theology". It discusses how God can permit sin while not being the author of sin. It also examines Aristotle's six causes and how they apply to the origin of sin in humans. Specifically, it says the efficient cause was the person, the final cause was pride, the formal cause was disobedience, and the material cause was eating the forbidden fruit. Finally, it analyzes different views of free will and argues humans freely chose to sin through their self-determinism and disobedience of God.

1. Geisler, Norman
Systematic Theology
TH 513 Systematic Theology II
PPt by Dr. Mark E. Hardgrove

2. Systematic Theology II
Chapter Fifty-Five
“The Origin of Sin”

3. God’s Permission of Sin
Atheism affirms evil but denies God.
Pantheism affirms God but denies evil.
Theism affirms both God and evil.
Herein lies the dilemma for theists.

4. God’s Permission of Evil
Geisler’s answer the to theists’ dilemma:
God cannot produce sin
God cannot promote sin
God can permit sin
God can produce a greater good by allowing sin.

5. The Origin of Sin on Earth by Humans
Aristotle's “six types of causes” :
1. Efficient Cause—that by which something comes to
be(the carpenter)
2. Final Cause—that for which something comes to be (the
dwelling in which to live)
3. Formal Cause—that of which something comes to be (the
house’s form or structure)
4. Material Cause—that out of which something comes to
be (the building materials)
5. Exemplar Cause—that after which something comes to be
(the blueprint)
6. Instrumental Cause—that through which something
comes to be (the tools)

6. The Origin of Sin on Earth by Humans
Application of “six types of causes” to the cause of sin:
1. Efficient Cause—Person (that by which sin came to be)
2. Final Cause—Pride (that for which sin came to be)
3. Formal Cause—Disobedience (that of which sin came to
be)
4. Material Cause—Eating forbidden fruit (that out of which
sin came to be)
5. Exemplar Cause—None; it was the first human sin (that
after which sin came to be)
6. Instrumental Cause—Power of free choice (that through
which sin came to be)

7. The Nature of Free Will
Three basic logical possibilities regarding the nature of
free choice:
1. Determinism: the view that all human actions are
caused by another, not by one’s self. Hard
determinism does not allow for any free choice at
all. Soft determinism posits free choice but sees it
as completely controlled by God’s sovereign power.
2. Indeterminism: is the position that human actions
are not caused by anything. They are simply
indeterminate
3. Self-determinism: is the doctrine that human free
actions are self-caused, that is, caused by one’s self.

8. Origin of Earthly Evil
Through Human Free Will
Adam exercised free will, self-determinism, in
disobeying God.
Adam’s freedom involved a choice between
good and evil, he had the power to obey or
disobey.
Adam’s choice for evil could have been avoided,
evil was not inevitable for Adam. If it had
been inevitable, then he could not have been
held accountable for his actions.

9. The Nature of God’s Free Will
The original humans were free to sin or not to
sin. God is free, and yet God cannot sin, He
cannot even be tempted to sin (Ja. 1:13)
In heaven free choice becomes what it is for
God: the self-determined ability to choose
only good.
Heaven is not the destruction of true freedom,
but the fulfillment of it.