The concept of mortal sin and its consequences as defined by the Roman Catholic Church has the powerful ability to enslave the repentant sinner to the dictates of the Church.  When the Catholic Church presents no clear-cut definition of mortal sin, a person is totally in the hands of the priest in order to define the severity of his sin and his penance, as well as his pardon.

The Bible simply says, “The wages of sin is death'”(Romans 6:23).  In this verse Paul was not speaking of any particular kind of sin, but of all sin.  Ezekiel says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (18:4).  When James said, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (2:10), he did not mean that the person who commits only one sin is guilty of all other kinds of sin, but that even one sin shuts a person out of heaven.  The gates of heaven have been shut to us because of our sin.  The Bible says, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  Since the fall of Adam humanity has been alienated from God and is in desperate need of a Savior.

We are all guilty of mortal sin.  It has separated us from God and we are hopeless in our condition.  There is no human means for removing the guilt of our sins.  No institution of man or individual can grant us eternal life.  This is why Jesus Christ came into this world, lived a sinless life and then gave His life willingly as a ransomfor all the sins of those whotrust on Him alone.  “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians 5:21).