According to Catholic teaching, sins are divided into two primary categories: mortal sins and venial sins. Several other Catholic doctrines are strongly hinged to this belief, so proving or disproving this concept results in major doctrinal shifts in other areas.
Mortal sins (also called “cardinal sins”) are considered serious transgressions. One Catholic source explains, “Mortal means death; they are sins that cause death to the soul. Mortal sins completely sever one’s relationship with God and the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (commonly called Confession) is necessary to restore this relationship.”[1]
Venial sins, on the other hand, “usually involve a less serious action and are committed with less self-awareness of wrongdoing. While a venial sin weakens the sinner’s union with God, it is not a deliberate turning away from Him and so does not wholly block the inflow of sanctifying grace.”[2]
Is there truth in this unique interpretation of the human dilemma? Or is it completely erroneous? Most importantly, are there passages in the Bible that support this concept and enable us to draw a discernible line between these two categories? These are questions that need to be answered that we might lay hold to that precious thing the Bible calls “sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3, Titus 1:9; 2:1)
What Constitutes a “Mortal Sin”?
The contrast between mortal and venial sins is based primarily on the following passage of Scripture:
If anyone sees a brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should intercede for him, and God will grant him life—provided that the sin is not deadly. There is a sin that leads to death, and I do not say that you should pray about it.
All wrongdoing is sinful, but not all sins are deadly. (1 John 5:16-17 NCB)
Several Catholic-leaning translations even substitute the words “mortal sin” for the phrase “a sin that leads to death” (NRSVCE).
According to Catholic theology, for a transgression to be labeled a “mortal sin,” the following three conditions must be met:
- It must be a grave issue.
- It must be committed with full knowledge or awareness that the sinful action is a grave offense.
- It must be committed intentionally and deliberately, a premeditated act.
Another source offers, “Mortal sins cannot be done ‘accidentally.’ A person who commits a mortal sin is one who knows that their sin is wrong, but still deliberately commits the sin anyway. This means that mortal sins are ‘premeditated’ by the sinner and thus are truly a rejection of God’s law and love.”[3]
Catholics believe that breaking any of “The Ten Commandments” constitutes a mortal sin, as well as any of the transgressions listed in the following two passages of Scripture:[4]
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
All this information still falls short of drawing a definite doctrinal boundary. What other human error might fall under the heading: “a grave issue”? This question engenders a subjective response, not an easily-discerned objective truth-standard. What one person considers “grave” may not seem “grave” to another—even if those giving their opinion are respected leaders in the church.
Furthermore, for contentious, envious, and selfishly ambitious people to be in the same list as adulterers, sodomites, thieves, and idolaters creates an excessively wide spectrum of potential transgressions causing “death to the soul.” Who hasn’t been contentious at times or felt surges of envy; and how does a person correctly draw a line between selfishness and selflessness? That “line” can be adjusted drastically from one person to another, from one culture to another, and from one era to another. So, evidently, there are no definitive answers to these valid and probing questions. A mortal sin to one person may be considered a venial sin to another. Surely, we need God’s opinion on these matters most of all.
What Constitutes a “Venial Sin”?
Venial sins are described as “an illness of the soul rather than its supernatural death.”[5] “Deliberate venial sin is a disease that slackens the spiritual powers, lowers one’s resistance to evil, and causes one to deviate from the path that leads to heavenly glory. Variously called ‘daily sins’ or ‘light sins’ or ‘lesser sins,’ they are committed under a variety of conditions: when a person transgresses with full or partial knowledge and consent to a divine law that does not oblige seriously; when one violates a law that obliges gravely but either one’s knowledge or consent is not complete; or when one disobeys what is an objectively grave precept but due to invincible ignorance a person thinks the obligation is not serious.”[6] Isn’t that challenging to wrap your mind around? How complicated can you get in describing a person’s bad attitudes or unacceptable actions?
Though Catholics understandably would not be as distressed over this “lesser” kind of sin, the recommendation is still “to go to confession from time to time with venial sins to unburden your soul.”[7]
Once again, the lines are so blurred, and the boundary so indefinite, there is no possible way a person can know for certain if some sins are venial or mortal. However, it is far too dangerous to make a wrong decision in this area, because if Catholic doctrine is true, failing to confess mortal sins to a priest will result in eternal banishment from the presence of God. The Catechism warns: “To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice.” (CCC 1033)[8]
All Sin Causes Death to the Soul
A thorough study of the subject of “sin” reveals something bluntly antithetical—that all sins cause death to the soul, not just the more serious transgressions. Only one sin was committed in the beginning, and it is not even described in any of the lists just mentioned. However, partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused Adam and Eve to die both spiritually and soulishly, and they began dying physically. It also passed death on to all their offspring, verified by the following passage:
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)
Paul also gave a stern warning and a wondrous promise in one verse of the same epistle:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Notice, this verse does not say, “The wages of mortal sins is death”; it covers the entire spectrum. The Bible does indicate degrees of sin (see John 19:11), however, all sin has a death-dealing effect, even the most inconsequential. The following Old Testament prophecy is a blanket statement: “The soul that sins, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4 MKJV).
To reduce some sins to a “venial” status could result in a Catholic feeling less pressured to overcome them, because the Catechism gives the assurance that: “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently, eternal happiness.” (CCC 1863)
However, we must repent of all sin, and our hearts must be cleansed of all sin, if we are to be in fellowship with God, sanctified by His grace, and ready for heaven. The Bible makes no lesser provision.
Revisiting the Main Scripture
Let’s revisit 1 John 5:16 (the New Catholic Bible Version) and dig deeper into its meaning:
If anyone sees a brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should intercede for him, and God will grant him life—provided that the sin is not deadly. There is a sin that leads to death, and I do not say that you should pray about it.
All wrongdoing is sinful, but not all sins are deadly. (1 John 5:16-17 NCB)
There are three more points that need to be made about these controversial verses:
(1) Only one sin qualifies—Many versions of this passage (including the Catholic version just quoted) use wording that implies a single sin leads a person to “death,” not many sins. Read it again carefully. “There is a sin that leads to death.” What sin would that be? Only one sin is labeled in Scripture as unforgiveable—a sin that irretrievably propels a person toward “the second death” (that ultimate expression of death—the death of both soul and body in the lake of fire). (Revelation 21:8). Jesus blamed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as the culprit and gave the severe warning:
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31-32)
It is useless to even pray for someone who has committed this grievous transgression, because most likely, such a wayward individual has been turned over to a “reprobate mind” and is under “strong delusion” and cannot be restored. Spiritual and eternal death are unavoidable, as well as ultimate physical death. (See Romans 1:28 KJV, 2 Thessalonians 2:11.) All other sins are forgivable.
According to Catholicism, only priests can grant forgiveness for mortal sins, through the sacrament of confession. According to the Bible, we can pray for one another and go directly to God ourselves.
(2) No priesthood necessary—Ironically, this passage, used quite often to prove the need for priestly intercession in the confessional, instead proves quite the opposite. It begins with the statement, “If anyone” (meaning any true Christian) sees a fellow believer sin in any way that is forgivable, “He should intercede for him, and God will grant him life” (the Greek word is zoe, which mean divine life, eternal life). Are you stunned? According to Catholic doctrine, only priests can minister in this way. Only priests can give absolution, prayerfully restoring a person to spiritual life! Not according to this passage. The restoration of divine life, life in Christ (a fresh infilling of “the Spirit of life”) is something that any devoted believer can pray for a fellow believer who has passed through a season of error and longs to be right with God again (Romans 8:2, see John 1:4). Teaching the absolute necessity of confessing to a priest to be forgiven of “mortal sins” religiously binds people to the Catholic organization and its doctrines in the fear that there is no other way to be restored to a right relationship with God. This is not only unhealthy; it is untrue.
(3) The false escape hatch of Purgatory—The unbiblical division between “mortal” and “venial” sins gives Catholics a false hope that is truly heartbreaking. It convinces many who sincerely love God that it is not critically important for them to repent of lesser sins, because if they die, they will simply go to Purgatory for a season until they suffer sufficiently to be released into the glory of heaven. But Purgatory does not exist (see the article on this website titled “Purgatory—Does It Exist.” It was never taught in the early church and was not absolutely established as Catholic doctrine until 1438 A.D. The Bible only teaches two destinations. It is vitally important that a person is “born again” and dies in a state of full submission to the Lordship of Jesus in order to spend eternity in fellowship with Him.
Now that you know the truth of the matter, it might be a good time to pray. Just go to God yourself. You don’t need a human mediator. The Bible clearly tells us:
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)
He is standing at the door of your heart and knocking. Let Him in.
_________________________________________________________________________
[1] https://www.aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/mortal-sins/, accessed 6/30/2022.
[2] https://www.britannica.com/topic/cardinal-sin, accessed 6/30/2022.
[3] https://stmaryofthesevendolors.com/prayers-2/list-of-mortal-sins-every-catholic-should-know/, accessed 6/30/2022.
[4] http://www.saintaquinas.com/mortal_sin.html, accessed 6/30/2022.
[5] https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=37060, accessed 6/25/2022.
[6] Ibid.
[7] https://www.aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/mortal-sins/, accessed 6/29/2022.
[8] https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/mortal-and-venial-sin, accessed 3/23/2023.
Please note: The acronym CCC refers to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It can be accessed online at the following link: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
Bible sources
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSVCE) are from THE NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION BIBLE: CATHOLIC EDITION, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (MKJV) are from the MODERN KING JAMES VERSION Copyright© 1962—1998 by Jay P. Green, Sr. Used by permission of the copyright holder.
Scripture quotations marked (NCB) are from THE NEW CATHOLIC BIBLE®, Copyright © 2019 Catholic Book Publishing Corp. Used by permission. All right reserved.