Sins against the Holy Spirit are extremely dangerous to salvation, because they do not arise from mere frailty or ignorance, but are generally accompanied by willful malice and obstinacy against the Spirit of God and the known truth. Persons entrenched in such sin are seldom converted, however, there is no sin that God cannot or will not forgive. These include:

1. Presumption;

2. Despair;

3. Resisting the known truth;

4. Envy of another’s spiritual good;

5. Obstinacy in sin;

6. Final impenitence.

The sins crying out to heaven for vengeance are the four dreadful crimes of deliberate murder, the sin of Sodom, oppression of the poor, and defrauding labourers of their wages. The innocent victims of such sins can call upon God’s justice to punish the evil-doers not only in the next life, but even in this life.

It is possible to share in the guilt of another’s sin even if we have not committed the sinful act ourselves. There are nine ways this can be done:

1. Counsel: Giving advice or direction to the evil-doer;

2. Command: Ordering or inducing another to commit sin;

3. Consent: approving of the sin, before or after its act;

4. Provocation: Inciting or urging one to commit sin;

5. Praise or flattery: Inciting or urging one to commit sin by praise;

6. Concealment: helping one to commit sin by offering to conceal the crime;

7. Partnership: Sharing the fruits of another’s sin;

8. Silence: Not speaking out when we should, or not acting to prevent sin when obliged;

9. Defending evil: Attempting to justify the evil actions of others.