Are venial sins and mortal sins defined in the Bible?

[typewriterman]

A friend asked me where in the Bible she could find reference to venial vs mortal sins. Are there passages in Holy Scripture that define the difference or is it only defined in Sacred Tradition?

 

[fhansen]

A friend asked me where in the Bible she could find reference to venial vs mortal sins. Are there passages in Holy Scripture that define the difference or is it only defined in Sacred Tradition?

There’s not a great deal in scripture about it but the Catechism references the following verses from 1 John 5:

**16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
**
The following paragraphs are from that section of the Catechism:

**1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,129 became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.

1855 Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. **

 

[typewriterman]

There’s not a great deal in scripture about it but the Catechism references the following verses from 1 John 5:

**16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. **

Thank you very much. I think this is the answer my friend is looking for. God bless you!

 

[Xntrik]

A friend asked me where in the Bible she could find reference to venial vs mortal sins. Are there passages in Holy Scripture that define the difference or is it only defined in Sacred Tradition?

A mortal sin would be something like the guy who touched the Ark in the O.T., or what Ananias and Sapphira did: iow, something where God strikes you dead right then and there.