actual sin

American  

noun

Theology.

1. any sin committed by an individual of their own free will, as contrasted with original sin.

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actual sin British  

noun

1. Christianity any sin that a person commits of his own free will and for which he is personally responsible Compare original sin

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Etymology

Origin of actual sin

First recorded in 1450–1500

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

actual sin

Between 1983 and 2013, Felton published more than a dozen books, with the collective message that clutter was, if not an actual sin, at least a failure of self-understanding.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 8, 2014

By the dogma of the immaculate conception, Roman Catholics regard the Virgin Mary as a unique human person, by virtue of being without original or actual sin.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nothing but actual sin is so paralyzing to a young man's energies as debt.

From Architects of Fate or, Steps to Success and Power by Orison Swett Marden

But the actual sin of Adam is distinct from original sin which he transmitted to his posterity.

From Summa Theologica, Part III (Tertia Pars) From the Complete American Edition by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Though the system may contain some good moral principles, yet it has no power to save men from sin, since it denies the existence of actual sin.

From The Revelation Explained by F. G. (Frederick George) Smith