Question One: On the Tempting of God

S. Th. II-II, q. 97.

791. Sinful tempting of God (beproeving of proefstelling Gods) is a saying or deed by which someone rashly makes trial of God, so that something may be known concerning Him, or by which rashly and without utility he demands the intervention of God.

It is twofold:

1. Formal, when someone by express intention explores something in God and, by doubting, intends to prove either a) an absolute attribute (power, knowledge, goodness), and this is tempting strictly so called; or b) a relative attribute, namely, His good pleasure toward a creature, or His free operation, and this is less strict.

Examples are: to expose someone to beasts to see whether God can or wills to deliver him; not to cultivate a field as an experiment of God's providence toward oneself; to ask that Christ appear in the Eucharist, to see whether He is present or whether He wills to manifest His presence.

2. Interpretative or material, when someone intends to make no proof, but asks or does something which can be useful for nothing except for making an experiment concerning God. "As when someone makes a horse run in order to escape enemies, this is not to make an experiment concerning the horse; but if he makes a horse run without any utility, this seems to be nothing other than to make an experiment concerning the horse's speed." Thus he who rashly rejects ordinary means, or without cause puts himself into dangers, implicitly asks special or miraculous aid from God, and interpretatively tempts God.

Such were formerly the judgments of God; in such a way acts he who rejects medicine and asks health from God; or an unlearned cleric who, wishing to preach without preparation, hopes for thoughts from God; likewise he who exposes himself to danger of death or mutilation for bearing martyrdom without a just cause (a. 1).

792. Sinful tempting of God is a mortal sin from its genus. - It is proved:

a) From Scripture: Deut. VI, 16 together with Ex. XVII, 7; Ps. LXXVII, 18, 19, 56; Mt. IV, 7.

b) By reason: One tempting arises from doubt in a matter of faith and therefore is supremely injurious to God, and is always mortal (Mt. XXVII, 40); another arises from vain curiosity or presumption and temerity, and this provokes God to show His power uselessly or to foster curiosity; which is very injurious to God and therefore of itself mortal.

Yet often it will be venial because of imperfection of the act, even sometimes because of lightness of matter, that is, because of smallness of aid or danger, as if someone by excessive confidence expects a special aid of God but not a miraculous one. Thus if someone not prepared for praying hopes to obtain ordinary things, or if in a light illness he hopes for health without remedies and without a miracle (a. 2 and 3, and ad 2).

It is a sin against religion, because it includes irreverence toward God.

The various modes of tempting God seem to be of one species under the account of tempting; but they always have diverse adjoined sins of infidelity, curiosity, or presumption, and often sins against charity toward oneself or another, on account of which those circumstances must be declared in confession.

793. Corollaries. - A. The tempting of God is not sinful if someone, with due reverence and submission,

a) asks from God a special sign, while he inculpably doubts concerning a divine attribute, or a truth of faith, or divine goodness;

b) or from just necessity asks a sign for the instruction of others, for convincing infidels and confirming the faithful (a. 1, ad 2; a. 2);

c) or asks the manifestation of the divine good pleasure, when he altogether needs such knowledge and cannot gather it from elsewhere (a. 2, ad 3).

B. On the contrary, he who rashly seeks danger or rejects ordinary means, but expects no special aid from God and only commits himself to fortune, does not tempt God, although he sins. Thus one preaching or undergoing an examination without being prepared, or exposing his life without reason.

794. Observation. - Superstition is graver, other things being equal, than tempting God. For "in sins which are opposed to religion, something is so much the graver, the more it is opposed to divine reverence. But that someone doubt concerning divine excellence is less opposed to this than that he think the contrary with certitude. For just as he who is confirmed in error is more an unbeliever than he who doubts concerning the truth of faith, so also he who by his deed protests an error against divine excellence acts more against reverence for God than he who protests doubt. But the superstitious man protests error... But he who tempts God by words or deeds protests doubt concerning divine excellence... And therefore the sin of superstition is graver than the sin of tempting God" (a. 4).