Where do we draw the line?!

[Doitsu Rutovihhi]

Rednal

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in the catholic faith that there are two types of sin. Venial sins and Mortal sins

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Venial sins are forgivable sins

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Mortal sins are different. They are typically viewed as unforgivable sins

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However, some mortal sins are said to be forgivable

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I don't understand. Why are they in the category of "unforgivable" (by human definition, apparently) when they are supposedly able to be forgiven? This makes no sense.

They can be forgiven, but only with confession. Without confession, they taint the soul and can seriously harm the love and friendship that god offers. So while you can be forgiven of a mortal sin, you must confess to be obsolved.  

[Rednal]

But only some, right? Why are the ones "Forgiven if you confess" in the same category as "Cannot be forgiven at all"? For a person new to the religion, they might find it hard to tell the difference, at least until they've had some fairly thorough instruction.  

[DustQueen]

Doitsu Rutovihhi

Here's the issue I have with the idea of "forgivable" and "unforgivable" sins, as you put it. The enitire purpose of Jesus taking the penalty for our sins is that there is no sin too big for God to forgive through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

While the Bible is clear that not all sins are equal, they are equal in their consequences, if you don't accept Jesus for who he is and the price only he was able to pay.

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Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Furthermore you should never allow your freedom in Christ to excuse sin committed knowingly and on purpose. Once you are alive in the Holy Spirit you nolonger are shackled by sin and are able to live without it. Committing a sin knowing you will get away with it by asking forgiveness is a paradox. You are not remorseful if you intend to keep sinning in the same way.

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1 Peter 2:15-16 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s servants

 

[Rednal]

Well, I think traditional Christianity holds that there is at least one unforgivable sin (although, actually, I suppose it could be debated whether it counts as a "sin" or not). The item in question being outright rejecting God (some think it only counts on Judgment Day), in which case you will absolutely not be saved. Because, y'know, you chose to not be saved.  

[DustQueen]

Luna_LoneWolf

Unfortunately many of the sinful things we have available to us today didnt exist when the bible was written even if the same underlying tones exist, bc lets face it evil has always taken new forms. Therefore not all sins or sinful actions are specifically warned against...we need to use the Spirit within us, speak with Christian mentors who are more mature in their faith whenever we are unsure. As well as use verses in context to guide us without lending our own opinion. These last two words can be very difficult.

Here are a series of questions MY mentor and Pastor gave the Youth Leaders at my church ni order to better guide us and help us in discerning God's will.

1. Will it be helpful?
1 Corinthians 10:23 "Everything is permissible (when in accordance with the new law), but not everything is beneficial."

2. Will is be constructive?
1 Corinthians 10:23 "...Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. "

3. Will it enslave me or cause me to lose control?
1 Corinthians 6:12 "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me but I willl not be brought under the power of any. "

4. Will it hinder me from giving my best?
Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us."

5. Am I using "grace" or "freedom in christ" to justify a secret sin or mask my true motives?
1 peter 2:15-16 "For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover up for evil; live as servants of God. "

6.Will it better position me to lead others to christ?

7.Would I want others to follow my example?

8. Will it prompt others to ask me about my faith?

9. Will it violate my conscience?

10. What would Jesus do?
1 cor 10:31 "anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.

11 Will it bring honor to God?
1 cor 10:31 "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

12. Will it move me a step closer to accomplishing God's plan for my life?
John 17:4 "I glorified you on earth completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do.


If any thing you are doing or confused about seems to conflict with any of that or seems like it might... then you should really evaluate your decision and if you are ready to follow jesus with all aspects of your life. I hope I provided some clarity. God bless you and may the Spirit guide you.  

[Blaise-Ingram]

Rednal

So~

Did Jesus ever address this personally, or are we just looking at letters written by one of the early founders of the church, a human who is therefore imperfect and may have been expressing his own personal interpretation and beliefs? I'll admire the works of an early Church leader, and take that into consideration, but I don't give Paul's teachings the same weight as the actual words of Jesus.

^^^ This.

But to answer the OP's question, what I'm aware of is that when Christ came, he not only fulfilled the law of the Old Testament, but also turned it on its head, essentially saying that "we don't do things like XYZ anymore". And thus he brought in a new world order that is based around kindness and mercy and above all, love. Stoning hookers or lesbians to death is not love.

For example, Jesus hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors, thieves, conspirators, and other unsavory people at times, but as the story goes... "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."

God is the judge, not us, and he will administer judgement as he sees fit. After all, he is without err, and knows all things, and therefore can be completely objective/subjective/etc. in how he goes about such things.

I'm glad that someone finally posted a topic on this. I wanted to at some point, but you got around to it before I did. Thanks.

The only point I'd like to add is the logic behind a couple of the laws in the Old Testament that actually do make sense scientifically.
As for eating fish without scales, shellfish are really high in cholesterol anyways, and people already throw a fit about whaling and catching sharks and dolphins for meat (they all play an important part in our ecosystem, and whales are needed to keep the plankton population under control), so most people are on the right track there, for the most part.
Also, catfish eat fish poop and other waste that sinks to the bottom of a pond/lake/water, so there's a good reason not to eat them. Eating an animal that eats poop all its life can only be so healthy for you in the long run, really.