119. “The Devil made me do it”?
119. “THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT”?
Why didn’t God accept Eve’s excuse that “the Devil made me do it” (Gen. 3:13)?
. . . the proper principle (origin) of a sinful action is the will, since every sin is voluntary. Consequently nothing can be directly the cause of sin except that which can move the will to act. Now . . . that agent which moves the will inwardly to will . . . is no other than the will itself, or God. . . . Now God cannot be the cause of sin. . . . Therefore it follows that in this respect a man’s will alone is directly the cause of his sin. . . (I-II,80,1).
. . . [E]ither the devil or a man may incite to sin, either by offering an object of appetite to the senses or by persuading the reason. But in none of these . . . ways can anything be the direct cause of sin because the will is not of necessity moved by any object except the last end. . . (I-II,80,1).
Now the intellect, of its very nature, is moved by that which enlightens it in the knowledge of truth, which the devil has no intention of doing in man’s regard; rather does he darken man’s reason so that it may consent to sin, which darkness is due to the imagination and sensitive appetite. Consequently the operation of the devil seems to be confined to the imagination and sensitive appetite, by moving either of which he can induce man to sin (I-II,80,2).
Further, it is . . . written (James 4:7) . . . resist the devil, and he will fly from you, which would be said neither rightly nor truly if the devil were able to compel us in any way whatever to sin; for then neither would it be possible to resist him, nor would he fly from those who do (I-II,80,3).
No other person, neither the Devil, nor any other evil spirit, nor any human being, can make us sin, since sin is voluntary and free; that is why we are responsible for it.
But another can tempt (or “incite”) us to sin. (This is why it is so very important to have good friends rather than bad ones, especially at young and formative ages.)
However, no creature can directly move our will. It is free. Even if you are physically forced to act (e.g., if someone stronger than you puts a gun in your hand and then forces your finger to squeeze the trigger), they can force you to shoot but they cannot force you to will to shoot. Even when your body is chained, your will is free. “Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage” (Lovelace). God alone can move the will without removing its freedom.
Nor can any evil force, whether human or demonic, directly move the reason to truth, since that would not be a temptation. For truth is the enemy of sin, as light is the enemy of darkness. Temptation does not appeal to reason; reason is its enemy.
What can the Devil do to you, then, if you do not invite him in? (1) Only tempt you to sin, not make you sin. And (2) he cannot directly touch your intellect or will but only the less spiritual powers: he can present tempting images to your imagination and appetites. (This is why it is so important to have a well—trained and well-directed imagination!) It is your choice to look, or listen, or pay attention to these images or to refuse to do so. No matter how strong the temptation is, there is always the possibility of overcoming it. (See 1 Cor 10:13: that’s a divine promise!) That’s why we are responsible and guilty for succumbing to temptation, but not for being tempted. Jesus was tempted too.
Thus St. Thomas gives us a piece of realistic optimism in the last paragraph. The Devil is not like a dragon but like Dracula: he flees from the light. He is actually afraid of you insofar as you have Christ in your soul.
The Devil is also afraid of your guardian angel, who is a “being of light”. Darkness fears light. Pray to the angel God has appointed to guard you when you are tempted. Only important people in this world get bodyguards, but each of us is so important to God that He has given each of us a Heavenly soul-guard.