Mortal vs Venial Sin

[Just_Michael]

What's the difference between mortal and venial sin? I get one severs the grace of God from the believer, but what all is involved in reconciliation? Or is that purely a Catholic doctrine?

If it is something that must be confessed, what exactly must be confessed? Has this ever caused believers legal trouble? What dispensations are typically required?

 

[Hopeful 2]

What's the difference between mortal and venial sin? I get one severs the grace of God from the believer, but what all is involved in reconciliation? Or is that purely a Catholic doctrine?

If it is something that must be confessed, what exactly must be confessed? Has this ever caused believers legal trouble? What dispensations are typically required?

"All unrighteousness is sin." (1 John 5:17)
Mortal and venial sins are the product of one sect's trying to differentiate between levels of disobedience to God.
All disobedience to God manifests one is still walking in the "flesh", so have not repented of sin or been reborn of God's seed.
If one wants to be reconciled to God, they must quit sinning.
It is written..."Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

 

[Just_Michael]

That's what I thought, too. I heard an interesting thing today in regards to catholics versus protestants, and it has to do with interpretation of the word "worship." For catholics, prayer is not worship, but conversing with God, whereas the mass is what they consider worship. However, for the protestant, prayer is worship and they're one and the same.

I bring this up because I wonder if it's not the same thing happening with the interpretation of sin. Catholics seem to rely upon 1 John 5:16-17 to establish the precedent for sins that do and do not lead to death.

Please don't mistake this as a catholic vs protestant thing. I'm only trying to get a better understanding to give me clarity and discernment. My understanding is that there is sin (which leads to death), and there is the unforgivable sin (which was committed by the Jews who blasphemed the Holy Spirit by rejecting Christ while He was still alive).

 

[Hopeful 2]

That's what I thought, too. I heard an interesting thing today in regards to catholics versus protestants, and it has to do with interpretation of the word "worship." For catholics, prayer is not worship, but conversing with God, whereas the mass is what they consider worship. However, for the protestant, prayer is worship and they're one and the same.

Just semantics...right ?

I bring this up because I wonder if it's not the same thing happening with the interpretation of sin. Catholics seem to rely upon 1 John 5:16-17 to establish the precedent for sins that do and do not lead to death.

If you think about it, any sin not repented of is "unto death".

Please don't mistake this as a catholic vs protestant thing. I'm only trying to get a better understanding to give me clarity and discernment. My understanding is that there is sin (which leads to death), and there is the unforgivable sin (which was committed by the Jews who blasphemed the Holy Spirit by rejecting Christ while He was still alive).

The only unforgiveable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, done by the Jews when they attributed the good works done by Jesus as works of the devil.

 

[Just_Michael]

Thank you. That's sort of my take on it as well. I think I need to do some more praying over it because I want to be able to answer more effectively when stuff like this comes up. I appreciate your help in this.

 

[for_his_glory]

No matter whether one is Protestant or Catholic or whatever religion they claim, sin is sin and needs to be confessed to Jesus as He is our intercessor before God as only He can forgive us when we repent of our sin. As a true child of God we are to walk in obedience to God's commands which are not burdensome and sin no more. But, which is no excuse, we are still living in this fleshly body as flesh is weak, but the Spirit in us is stronger. Flesh and Spirit can not mix as flesh is a hostile enemy against the Spirit and flesh is where the nature to sin dwells. Sometimes we will fall short if we take our focus off of God, but if we are willfully sinning then we will pay the consequences for that sin as there is no more sacrifice for sin.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

[Tenchi]

What's the difference between mortal and venial sin? I get one severs the grace of God from the believer, but what all is involved in reconciliation? Or is that purely a Catholic doctrine?

If it is something that must be confessed, what exactly must be confessed? Has this ever caused believers legal trouble? What dispensations are typically required?

James 2:10
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

The law of God has been described as a chain: Break one link of the chain and the chain is broken. This is what James is saying, I believe, in the verse above. So, then, distinguishing among sins is an illegitimate thing to do. While particular sins may vary in their consequences here on earth, God sees them all as breaking the "chain" of His law and gives to any and all sinners the "wages" of their sin: Death (Romans 6:23; James 1:14-16).

We can see something of God's view of our sin, the horizontal way they stand in relation to one another, in the following passage:

Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

God's list of abominations that He hates begins, not with murder, or rape, or adultery, but with a proud (haughty) look. God hates an arrogant expression on the face of a person; it's an abominable thing, according to Him! He hates the abominable act of lying, too, which is stated above without qualification. Big or small, God says lying is an abomination to Himself. In fact, God condemns lying twice in the list from Proverbs 6, which suggests how abominable lying is. It's so awful, in God's estimation, that it stands in the same list with murder (shedding innocent blood). Anyway, that God would put a prideful expression on a person's face on par with murder tells us that He doesn't have the hierarchical arrangement of sins that we like to construct.

All sin must be confessed. What is confession? It is simply agreeing with God, admitting to Him, that our sin is actually what He says it is. See 1 John 1:9.

Has confessing sin caused a believer legal trouble? I'm not sure what you mean.... I know of people who have come to faith in Christ who have had to go to the police station and confess to crimes. Certainly, dire crimes - rape, murder, robbing a bank, selling illicit drugs to children, etc. - require this sort of action. Restitution, too, is often appropriate in other less legally-dire but still sinful instances, like having stolen your neighbor's snow shovel, or purposefully poisoned their rose bushes, or slandered a fellow employee at work, and so on.

I don't know what you mean by "dispensations." I'm guessing this is some sort of Roman Catholic thing. Regardless, nowhere in the Bible are Christians ever commanded to obtain a "dispensation" for sin from the Roman Catholic church. Instead, they find forgiveness of their sin through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross for their sin. He has paid the penalty for the sin of all mankind (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:7-10), fully satisfying God's holy, just demands (Hebrews 9-10:21), and by repenting of life lived apart from His constant control (Acts 3:19), confessing one's sin (1 John 1:8-10), and trusting in him as Savior and yielding to him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), the forgiveness he has obtained for us is applied to us and we are thus made acceptable to God (Colossians 1:19-21). This is God's "dispensation" for all sinners mediated, not by any human priest, but by Christ.

1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all...

1 John 2:1-2
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

 

[Josef]

Hey All,

"What's the difference between mortal and venial sin? I get one severs the grace of God from the believer, but what all is involved in reconciliation? Or is that purely a Catholic doctrine?" Quote from Just_Michael

Forgiveness.

Keep walking everybody.
May God bless,
Taz