Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The Unpardonable Sin.

Today in class we had a heated discussion about what Jesus meant when he spoke of the unpardonable sin. Unfortunately a lot of people when away discouraged and upset; I myself didn't leave as either of these.

This was something I hadn't really thought about before... and so today during break I read, prayed and asked God for understanding. And as I was sitting with my laptop I got this crazy revelation... this is how I am understanding this piece of scripture:

So, Jesus says you can blaspheme against him and the Father and be forgiven -- yet if you blaspheme against the Holy Spirit then your sin is unpardonable! As I meditated upon this kept thinking: "why is it unpardonable to blaspheme the Holy Spirit yet not so with the father and son."

This is what came to me. You cannot be forgiven because the Spirit's job is to convict us of our sin so that we may be forgiven. Therefore if we do not listen to the Holy Spirit we cannot be convicted of sin. Without conviction there is no confession (or even the idea that we might need Jesus to die for our sins); and without confession (or seeing our need) there is no asking and no forgiveness.

When we have hard hearts and reject the Spirit's testimony then we are blaspheming and sinning. And because only the Spirit can convict us, how could we know our own need?

3 comments:

  1. That's very good Chance! Here's what Charles Stanley has to say on the subject. I heard him speak on it awhile ago... You're the man!

    Q & A
    Sin
    Q: What is the "unpardonable sin"?

    I have talked with Christians and non-Christians who were afraid they had committed the unpardonable sin. Just about everyone had a different understanding of exactly what it was, but they all felt hopeless. Believers who believe they have committed the unpardonable sin have a difficult—if not impossible—time accepting the doctrine of eternal security. Where there is no assurance of God’s acceptance, there is no peace, joy, or hope. This is the main reason we need to deal with the issue.

    Hundreds of verses in the Bible promise the forgiveness of our sins. But only one passage refers to an unforgivable sin. Jesus had healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and could not speak (Matthew 12:22). The multitudes following Jesus began to say, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can He?” They wondered if He was the Messiah.

    On the other hand, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. Jesus’ response to their accusation is found in Matthew 12:31-32. In this passage, He refers to blasphemy. The term “blasphemy” may be defined “defiant irreverence.” We would apply the term to sins such as cursing God or willfully degrading things considered holy. The Pharisees had witnessed undeniable evidence that Christ was performing miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they attributed the miracles to Satan.

    I agree with a host of biblical scholars that this unique circumstance cannot be duplicated today. The Pharisees had seen proof of Christ’s deity. But they attributed the supernatural power to Satan instead of the work of the Holy Spirit.

    Christ is not in the world as He was then. Although the Holy Spirit still accomplishes supernatural things through His servants, they are merely representatives of the King. The circumstances of Matthew 12 make it impossible for this sin to take place today. And this incident is the only one in which a sin is declared unforgivable. The Bible states, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). No invitation to salvation carries with it an exception clause, “unless you have committed the unpardonable sin.”

    No matter how evil our sins, there is pardon for them. God forgave David for his adultery, dishonesty, and murder (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51). Simon Peter’s denial of our Lord accompanied by profanity was forgiven (Matthew 26:74-75). The apostle Paul was forgiven of his merciless persecution of Christians (Acts 9:1). Just about every possible sin is listed somewhere in the New Testament. And every one of them falls into the category of forgivable.

    Although there is no unpardonable sin today, there is an unpardonable state—the state of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in unbelief. The Bible refers to this in terms of having a hard heart. The hardening of the heart is not a one-time act. It is the progression in which sin and the conviction of the Holy Spirit are ignored. The hardened heart has no desire for the things of God. But if you have desire in your heart for God, demonstrated by your concern that you have committed some sort of unpardonable sin, you do not have a hardened heart. Your concern confirms your innocence. God always welcomes those whose hearts are sensitive toward Him.

    On the other hand, if you are unsaved, that can be remedied this very moment. Salvation is by faith alone—faith in the death of Jesus Christ for your sin. You can place your faith in Him by praying a simple prayer expressing trust in Christ alone for the payment of your sin. Acknowledge your sin, accept Christ’s payment, receive His forgiveness, and thank Him for the gift of eternal life.

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  2. Good stuff B) I came upon the same conclusion

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