actual sin

American  

noun

Theology.

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

---

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

---

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

Wherefore actual sin does not cause those defects, as original sin does.

From Summa Theologica, Part I-II (Pars Prima Secundae) From the Complete American Edition by Saint Thomas Aquinas

For actual sin is the result, not of gracious power, as this author supposes, but of a sinful nature voluntarily retained and indulged.

From Calvinistic Controversy Embracing a Sermon on Predestination and Election and Several Numbers, Formally Published in the Christian Advocate and Journal. by Wilbur Fisk

The end of Penance is to destroy actual sin.

From Baltimore Catechism, No. 3 by Anonymous