CONCERNING MORTAL SINS, PARDONABLE SINS, AND SINS OF OMISSION
(Source: Part I, Chapter 3 from the Exomologetarion (A Manual of Confession) by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite.
According to Gennadios Scholarios, George Koressios, the Orthodox Confession, and Chrysanthos of Jerusalem, mortal sins are those voluntary sins which either corrupt the love for God alone, or the love for neighbor and for God, and which render again the one committing them an enemy of God and liable to the eternal death of hell. Generally speaking, they are: pride, love of money, sexual immorality, envy, gluttony, anger, and despondency or indifference.
Pardonable sins are those voluntary sins which do not corrupt the love for God or the love for neighbor, nor do they render the person an enemy of God and liable to eternal death, to which transgressions even the Saints are susceptible, according to the words of the Brother of God: “For in many things we all sin” (St. James 3:2), and of St. John: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (St. John 1:8), and according to holy Canons 125,126, and 127 of Carthage. These sins, according to Koressios and Chrysanthos, are: idle talk, the initial inclination and agitation of anger, the initial inclination of lust, the initial inclination of hate, a white lie, passing envy, or that which is commonly called jealousy, which is slight grief over the good fortunes of one’s neighbor and the like.
(continues with sins of omission)