Todays Reading - Deadly Sin

[PeteZaHut]

1 Jn 5:14-21

Beloved:
We have this confidence in him
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have asked him for is ours.
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly,
he should pray to God and he will give him life.
This is only for those whose sin is not deadly.
There is such a thing as deadly sin,
about which I do not say that you should pray.
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.

We know that anyone begotten by God does not sin;
but the one begotten by God he protects,
and the Evil One cannot touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One.
We also know that the Son of God has come
and has given us discernment to know the one who is true.
And we are in the one who is true,
in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against idols.

What does that mean? We shouldn’t pray for people that commit serious sins?

 

[Shin]

‘Saint John did not absolutely forbid that prayer should be made for those who “sin unto death,” since he knew that Moses, Jeremiah, and Stephen had so prayed, and he himself implies that forgiveness is not to be denied them. Such intercessors, then, must be sought for after very grievous sins, for if any ordinary persons pray they are not heard. . . Stephen prayed for his persecutors, who had not been able even to listen to the Name of Christ, when he said of those very men by whom he was being stoned: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” And we see the result of this prayer in the case of the Apostle, for Paul, who kept the garments of those who were stoning Stephen, not long after became an apostle by the grace of God, having before been a persecutor.’

St. Ambrose of Milan, ‘On Repentance’

 

[COPLAND_3]

Deadly sin is mortal sin. For the lay person, we are not forbidden to pray for them but they need the intervention of a priest in order to get back into the state of grace. But our prayers for them are very effective when it comes to venial sins.

 

[Robbinson]

Jesus said that all sins may be forgiven, except, “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”. While it is not expressly defined in scripture, I believe this is the knowing and intentional rejection of the Holy Spirit . In the context of Jesus statement, it was the Pharisees attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

As this sin is not forgivable, that would be a deadly sin for which prayer would be of no avail.

Mortal sins (other than this) can be forgiven and intercessory prayer would be effective.

Mortal sins which remain unforgiven through lack of repentance I believe can/will harden our hearts to the Holy Spirit leading to the “unforgivable” sin.

Blessings,

Brian

 

[SeanTom]

Jesus said that all sins may be forgiven, except, “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”. While it is not expressly defined in scripture, I believe this is the knowing and intentional rejection of the Holy Spirit . In the context of Jesus statement, it was the Pharisees attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

As this sin is not forgivable, that would be a deadly sin for which prayer would be of no avail.

Mortal sins (other than this) can be forgiven and intercessory prayer would be effective.

Mortal sins which remain unforgiven through lack of repentance I believe can/will harden our hearts to the Holy Spirit leading to the “unforgivable” sin.

Blessings,

Brian

A quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church - Article 1864: “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart CAN (my CAPS) lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.”

Notice the word “CAN” in the preceding paragraph. There are Theologians whot say “CAN” does not men “WILL”. The word "CAN’ is not an ultimate action word, but rather a word that means a pesent or future possibility. You may tell someone you CAN do something, but that doesn’t mean you WILL do something. God’s final judgment will be the final determination as to who will spend eternity in Hell. :You have to remember, there may be reasons unknown to us, but not unknown to God, which mahy invoke God’s compassion on a paticular person. There are no limits to God’s mercy. This tells me trhat only God will know the mind of the person and will know if his reusal to accept God’s mercy is, in fact, deliberate, which is a prerequisite to be in full denial of the Holy Spirit.

In John 20: 21-22- 23, John said: (Talking to the apostles). “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (Notice there is no menion of not forgiving the sin of blaspheme to the Holy "Spirit).

I believe the only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. Of course his is only my opinion.