In my marriage to my wife the quality of our relationship is dependent upon our level of commitment. But the fact that I am married does not change. So it is with God. The quality of my walk with God is contingent upon my commitment to Him. It is not contingent upon God. But my salvation does not waver upon whether or not I love Him more or less than someone else.
You are still not getting it, sir. Go read Deut. 28-29 to see the terms of a covenant. One thing I hope you will notice is that a covenant is NOT permanent. It is breakable.
The same thing exists with your wife. If you are a nasty cad to her, she is going to sever fellowship with you. Oh, you will be married still, but you will definitely NOT being enjoying it!!
That is what "venial sins" are. They are those sins which break our fellowship with God and make us miserable. We do not enjoy the comfort of His presence with us, for He is "in another room" so to speak, and will continue so until we come in repentance and ask His forgiveness.
Now, my friend, go commit ADULTERY and tell me if you still have a marriage covenant when your wife finds out! That covenant is OVER -- TOAST -- DONE -- FINITO!! You will no longer be married, unless you
BEG forgiveness and only IF she decides to give you one more chance.
That is a description of mortal sin. It completely severs the relationship between us and God. Do you know why that is? Because in choosing sin, we choose to covenant with the will of the evil one and commit
spiritual adultery. Take a word tour of the Bible and notice how many times God compares sin to adultery and harlotry. There is a very good reason for that.
The marital bed is the physical picture of the unseen love union between man and wife. And believe me, if you do not have a love union with your wife, if you are not in union of mind, will, and soul, if there is animus between you for offenses, there is not going to be any physical union!!
BET ON IT!!
In like manner, the works we do in keeping God's Law, both works of abstention from sin as well as positive works of charity, are the outward evidence of the union of our love and will with God. When we commit sin, we "make love to the devil". We covenant with him and tell God that He is not as important as our divine lover as the evil one is.
BAAAAAAD.
And certain sins (adultery, murder, apostasy) are so grievious that they totally sever the covenant union between us, just as adultery between you and your wife would END your marriage.
Some people on this planet are walking corpses and don't know it. They were entered into the family of God by grace and tossed it all away for a life of sin.
That is why on the Judgment Day, their Judgment will be far more grievous, for they sinned against God as a family member. Pagans who never heard will be held to a lessor account than they.
I hope I made that clearer. I am trying. You just have to remember....covenants are breakable, for a covenant is a relationship/union and we can leave a relationship with another.
What you are talking about is a contract. Contracts are unbreakable. But our relationship to God is not a contract. It is a covenant -- the New Covenant.
Cordially in Christ through the Theotokos,
Brother Ed