When is not doing good a sin?

[jesussaves]

I've been told that the Catholic Church doesn't believe that you have to merit salvation. The only thing that can prevent you from salvation is not a lack of good works, but sin.

My question is just out of curiosity to you, at what point if any does not doing good works become a sin? Obviously, if you have no good works, then you might reexamine yourself. But for example, if you pass the man on the sidewalk, you didn't do a good deed. Did you sin? Also, what do you consider that Jesus said if you don't do this sort of thing, then he'd put you onto the side of the goats.

If you say not doing good is a sin when you can do something good, then isn't that most of the time for most people? Then we'd be back to saying that not doing good is a sin. Is it such that not doing good if it's big and you could do good a mortal sin and smaller matters venial? How does this work?

I'd like a Catholic response to this.

[Brother Adam]

[quote]I've been told that the Catholic Church doesn't believe that you have to merit salvation[/quote]

The Catholic Church believes that we are saved by faith. Not faith alone. Not faith and works.

[quote]The only thing that can prevent you from salvation is not a lack of good works, but sin. [/quote]

You can lose your salvation by rejecting faith, and faith is a verb. (Romans 1:5)

[quote]My question is just out of curiosity to you, at what point if any does not doing good works become a sin?[/quote]

Anything contrary to the will of God is sin, this includes anytime we do not do what God is calling us to obey him to do.

James 2:
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18 But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? 21* Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, 23* and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25* And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

[quote]Obviously, if you have no good works, then you might reexamine yourself. But for example, if you pass the man on the sidewalk, you didn't do a good deed. Did you sin? Also, what do you consider that Jesus said if you don't do this sort of thing, then he'd put you onto the side of the goats.[/quote]

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1859
Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

[quote]If you say not doing good is a sin when you can do something good, then isn't that most of the time for most people?[/quote]

It must meet the conditions above. - It must be serious, you must give your complete free consent to it, and you must have knowledge of its sinfulness

[quote] Then we'd be back to saying that not doing good is a sin. Is it such that not doing good if it's big and you could do good a mortal sin and smaller matters venial? How does this work?[/quote]

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he

does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or

when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full

knowledge or without complete consent.




1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered 1394
affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise

of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal

punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us

little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not 1472
break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly

reparable. "Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying

grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal

happiness."134


While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least

some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call

"light": if you take them for light when you weigh them,

tremble when you count them. A number of light objects

makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number

of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all,

confession. . . .135

Thank you for your question! Hopefully we can be of some help.

Edited March 17, 2006 by Brother Adam

[Thy Geekdom Come]

When you knowingly and willingly neglect your responsibilities, moral or otherwise, you sin, especially if in a grave way, such as a father leaving his family.

There are sins of comission and sins of omission.

When we sin, either by comission or omission, we are failing to accept the graces God wishes to give to us (because a gift must be accepted and used...if you receive a gift and don't use it, then it is worthless and cannot help you). I think one of the problems with some Protestants is they think ONLY of being "prepared" for the next life..."I want to get to heaven, so I'll say this prayer, do these things, etc."...instead, the Catholic knows that there is something deeper at issue. Heaven is about being conformed to Jesus Christ...being like Him, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit...why wait to heaven to be like Him? He wants us to be like Him now...in fact, that's part of what salvation is...He wants to save us in this life and carry that salvation into the next. We have to accept the gift and exercise it, so that we may be conformed to Christ and thus sanctified.

[jesussaves]

So the Catholic Church teaches that not doing good is a sin. It depends on the gravity of the not doing good as to whether it's mortal.

There seems to be unspoken rules as to what's proactive violations in terms of mortal sins, such as masturbation, fornication, violating Church law etc. (is there an actual list? and if you say no list could be created because of the limitless possibilities of types of sins, is there at least a list for the sure things such as listed above?)

Also, is there any lists or common themes for when not doing good is grave? The man on the street might be grave. Anything else? Surely not spreading the gosple would be grave? Would you say not spreading the gosple when you can, which is almost always, is a mortal sin? It seems like then if we're not being evangelists 24/7 or at least a whole heck of a lot, then we're in mortal sin? (perhaps assuming that's your calling 24/7ish I would suppose... )

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='jesussaves' date='Mar 17 2006, 04:39 PM']So the Catholic Church teaches that not doing good is a sin. It depends on the gravity of the not doing good as to whether it's mortal.

There seems to be unspoken rules as to what's proactive violations in terms of mortal sins, such as masturbation, fornication, violating Church law etc. (is there an actual list? and if you say no list could be created because of the limitless possibilities of  types of sins, is there at least a list for the sure things such as listed above?)

Also, is there any lists or common themes for when not doing good is grave? The man on the street might be grave. Anything else? Surely not spreading the gosple would be grave? Would you say not spreading the gosple when you can, which is almost always, is a mortal sin? It seems like then if we're not being evangelists 24/7 or at least a whole heck of a lot, then we're in mortal sin? (perhaps assuming that's your calling 24/7ish I would suppose... )
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[/quote]
I sense a tone of ridicule. However, you are misunderstanding us.

First, anything defined as grave has the object of a mortal sin. Through in full mind and consent of the will and it's a mortal sin.

The vast majority of people do not think, "I could evangelize right now and win souls, but I'd rather not"...at least not with their full mind and will engaged in such a decision.

Spreading the Gospel is important, but preaching it with words and preaching it with actions are different. You accuse us of saying that failing to preach the Gospel is one of many sins. I tell you, every sin is a failure to preach the Gospel. We are to act in accordance with the Gospel...if we do that perfectly, then we preach the Gospel with the example of our lives. When we sin, we do not preach the Gospel, but contradict it. Therefore, it is exactly backward of what you were thinking. The most important question is not how often your preached and whether you ever skipped the chance. The most important question is how Christian you lived your life. The preaching follows from life.

In short, no, it is not always a mortal sin to neglect to preach the Gospel with words (because there may be other ways God intends for you to preach than with words), nor could it be mortal in the vast majority of cases (because that would require a conscious awareness of the opportunity to preach as well as a fully volative rejection of that opportunity). However, mortal sin is always the neglect of our obligation to preach the Gospel.

...but if you are given the opportunity to preach the Gospel and become aware of that option, then by all means do it in whatever way is best in the circumstances. If you are constantly aware of this opportunity, then you are one of the blessed few who have succeeded in freeing yourself from the cares of the world.

[Paphnutius]

[quote name='jesussaves' date='Mar 17 2006, 02:39 PM']So the Catholic Church teaches that not doing good is a sin. It depends on the gravity of the not doing good as to whether it's mortal.[/quote] One only sins by omission if one was bound out of something (e.g.: charity, justice, etc...) to perform an act. However binding something is depends on the nature and end of the act, the capabilites you have and the like. If a man were on a street in extreme danger of death by starvation and it was within my means to aid him, I would be bound by charity to assist him. To fail to do so would be a sin against charity.

[quote]Surely not spreading the gosple would be grave? Would you say not spreading the gosple when you can, which is almost always, is a mortal sin? It seems like then if we're not being evangelists 24/7 or at least a whole heck of a lot, then we're in mortal sin? (perhaps assuming that's your calling 24/7ish I would suppose... )[/quote]There are a variety of ways to spread and preach the Gospel, the foremost of these being our actions. One, as I mentioned above, only bound insofar as one is capable. So if one is not capable of going to some remote country to evangelize then one is not bound to do so. If one is not able to give a succinct defense of the faith due to some mental or emotional barrier then one is not bound to do so. If one is unable to go to stand on street corners proclaiming the Word because one must support his family with a job, one is not bound to do so. As you can see this is a rather subjective area that depends greatly on the disposition of the person and circumstances. Suffice it to say, though, that one is bound insofar as one is capable to do good when the situation calls for it (i.e.: one is not bound to attempt to save someone drowining when oneself cannot swim).

Edited March 18, 2006 by Paphnutius

[Paphnutius]

I worked an 11+hour shift today and so I am extremly tired. I am going to bed because I also have to work tomorrow morning. I will check in the morrow to respond to your posts.

Thank you for the questions JS and keep searching. You are assured of my prayers.