Sin and Forgiveness CH.6 of Text

Seven Capital Sins Pride Greed Envy Anger Lust Gluttony Sloth

Pride An unlimited appreciation for one’s worth; arrogance, excessively high opinion of oneself “I’m da man!!”

Greed Immoderate desire for earthly goods; love of money or possessions rather than loving God

Envy Sorrow over another’s good fortune; covetousness; jealousy over another’s possessions or characteristics Happy that someone else gets injured or sad when they do well Ex. Watching football

Anger (Wrath) Intemperate desire for revenge; hostile and wrathful feelings toward others “I’m gonna knock you out…”

Lust Inordinate, unrestrained craving for pleasure, esp. sexual pleasure Get some…

Gluttony Unrestrained, immoderate consumption of food or drink Getting hammered… Whose in control? You or the alcohol?

Sloth Laziness in keeping the faith or practicing right living; neglecting to do one’s duties because of laziness. “As a door turns on its hinges, so to does the lazy man turn on his bed.” (Proverbs)

Examples of Sin Gossiping Hate and prejudice towards any group Drunk or drugged persons who make poor choices (driving, rape, etc.) Abortion Greed of Multinational Companies Ex. Pharmaceutical companies exploiting poor countries as seen in “Constant Gardener” Environmental degradation Prejudice: race, religion, ethnicity, etc.

Old Testament Three words describing sin: Hattah Pesha Avon

Hattah Means “missing the mark” in Greek Related to the sport of archery Doing God’s will in our life is our target Deliberately choosing to be less than we can be Ex. Push-ups at NBC

Pesha Means “rebellion” or “transgression” Deliberately violating God’s law Jesus taught that rebellion is rooted deep in the human heart Examples of rebellion: Apathy, lack of interest in anything (i.e. the poor are not my problem). Refusal to take correction based on the attitude that “no one can tell me what to do.” Hostility toward people who are different

Avon Means “guilt” or “iniquity” Refers to the consequences of sin

Effects of Sin Alienates us from God Alienates us from ourselves Alienates us from others

Alienates us from God Sin deprives us of the glory of God Romans 3:23 “For all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God If a serious or mortal sin, it results in the loss of sanctifying grace and leads to both spiritual and physical death Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death” Originally God did not intend for us to die, but this came as a consequence or wage of sin

Alienates us from Ourselves Sin crushes the lives of sinners, hardens our hearts, weakens our intellects, and enslaves our wills. By sinning we get into the habit of sin An evil desire once conceived gives birth to sin and leads to death (James 1:15) Temptation is not sinning, but when entertained it becomes sin (ex. Bird flying over your head) Small sins if unchecked can lead to greater sin

Alienates us from Others “I can do whatever I want as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody.” Sin is relational and will always hurt and affect others. This is related to “original sin”

Different Kinds of Sin Original Sin vs. Personal Sin Mortal Sin Venial Sin Social Sin

The Forgiveness of Sins Reflect Mark 2 Forgiveness was an essential part of Jesus’s ministry. Jesus instructed his disciples to continue to forgive sins in his name: “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:22-23) Baptism is the primary sacrament of forgiveness because it wipes away sin and unites us to Christ. Through Baptism we receive forgiveness of both original sin and personal offenses

Original Sin The story of Adam and Eve. Why did God put the tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden? They were tempted to believe that God was holding out on them. God’s ways aren’t the best for us.

Original Sin

Original Sin vs. Personal Sin We don’t commit it But we are all born into a sin-damaged, relationally damaged world which we inherited from our first parents Leads us to concupiscence an inclination to evil Personal Sin Any free and deliberate act, word, thought or desire that turns us away from love Personal sin either weakens (venial sin) or kills (mortal sin) our relationship with God

Mortal Sin A grave violation of God’s law that destroys God’s love and life within us. “There is a sin that leads to death” (1 John 5:16) Involves three conditions: Grave matter—breaking one of the comt’s Full knowledge—we know that what we’re doing is wrong Complete consent—the person is not being forced to do it. They’ve have freely chosen to do so.

Venial Sin Venial means “easily forgivable” “… there is sin that does not lead to death.” (1 John 5:17) Venial sin occurs when we fail to follow the moral law in less serious matters or without full knowledge or complete consent of what we’re doing. It weakens God’s life within us, but does not destroy it within us like mortal sin.

Mortal or Venial? Lying under oath? Not stopping at the scene of an accident you caused? Verbally abusing someone with a disability Cheating on a test Torturing political prisoners Suicide Refusing to forgive someone who asks Having sex outside of marriage

Social Sin: cooperating in another persons sin Ex. Joining classmates in cutting someone down Order, advise, praise the sins of someone else. Concealing someone else’s sin or protecting evil-doers Ex. Lying about someone’s sinful behavior Being a friend means calling that person to accountability (i.e. Roger Boyer & Ella)

The Unforgivable Sin God will forgive any sin of anyone who approaches him for forgiveness It is his promise The only unforgivable sin is the deliberate refusal and rejection of God’s forgiveness God does not force his love on us

The Prodigal Son

Conversion and the Sacrament of Reconciliation This is where we continually restore our relationship with God We can do this alone with God but there is a power in doing it with someone who acts in Christ’s place—the priest.

Elements of the Sacrament Examine your conscience Have contrition for your sins Confess your sins Absolution Do the penance assigned

New Testament You are probably feeling like Paul in Romans 7… What do we do about the sin within us and around us?? Jesus asks us to do three things: Repent of your sins (turn around) Believe in the gospel of God’s love for you. With the strength of the Holy Spirit, begin to live the good news of love.

Test Review: Know and explain the seven capital sins The three Old Testament words for sin and their meanings The three effects of sin What is original sin? What is the difference between personal sin and original sin? What is the difference between mortal sin and venial sin? What is social sin? What is the unforgivable sin? What does repentance mean? Elements in the sacrament of reconciliation.

Personal Story My personal testimony and baptism story Feeling a weight lifted after reading Ps. 51 after feeling guilty the night before. Show clip from Jesus film Do you want to know Jesus’ love and forgiveness and power to change in your life? Then ask him to come into your life.