Is every wrong thought that passes through my mind considered a sin?
Question: Is every wrong thought that passes through my mind considered a sin?
And will I be held accountable for it, such as thoughts of blasphemy, for example,
which frighten me and make me feel that there is no forgiveness for me?
Answer: Not every wrong thought that passes through your mind is considered a sin,
because there is a great difference between wars of thought and sins of thought.
Wars of thought come to you from outside and press upon you, while you do not accept them.
Your struggle against them may continue for some time, during which they tire your mind, such as thoughts of blasphemy, for example.
These thoughts are not a sin, and your struggle against them has a reward and a crown.
As for the falls and sins of thought, they occur when you surrender to the evil thought and consent to it.
You may even reach the point of taking pleasure in it and keeping it in your mind for a longer period…
All these are sins counted against you, indicating that your heart loves sin and loves its thoughts,
whether the thought arose from within you or came to you as an external war and then you were defeated in this war and surrendered to it…
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in El-Keraza Magazine, Year Five, Issue Four, October 26, 1974.
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