Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a one—to those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, July 30, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Is there really such thing as Mortal sin? Is there a sin that is absolutely unforgivable and results in a “Go to hell. Go directly to hell. Do not pass ‘Go.’ Do not collect $200.” card? Honestly, I don’t buy it. So much so that—probably sacrilegiously—I kind of laughed out loud when I read the “Yeah, there are mortal sins, but we’re not going to touch that” line.
Sin is sin, I think. And sin is simply obsession with self—specifically looking to ourselves to be god in our own lives. This obsession drives every single form of outward behavior that could be classified as “sin” in terms of causing harm to self, neighbor, or creation. Nasty words. Physical violence. Dishonesty. Littering. Complicity in systems that oppress others (which, sadly, is pervasive and seemingly unavoidable, but is still sin in my book—yep, I’m a sinner.)
The good news is that all of this sin is forgivable—God gives us life in spite of them. Also good news is that all of this sin can be overcome with God’s help. We can pray for God to remove our sins and for God to help us discern the necessary changes in our choices and behaviors and the willingness to practice alternative behavior. It’s a lifelong undertaking, but if we’re committed to it, if nothing else we’ll develop plenty of humility, which itself goes a long way to helping us give up our self-obsession.
Mortal sin? We won’t even talk about that. (LOL)
How do I define “sin”? How do I address my own sins on a day to day basis?
