THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
What is the unpardonable sin, people ask? The unpardonable sin is sin against the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Spirit? Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.” John 6:63.
In Matthew 12:31 Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.” Showing disrespect toward the word of God is blasphemy, e.g. abolishing the word of God. Jesus said to His disciples, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.” When we show disrespect to God’s words, that is sin against the Holy Spirit. There are various ways that we can show disrespect to God's words, more than one way. This means that we must be careful how we respond to God's words.
If the individual who committed the sin can repent and stop disrespecting the Holy Spirit, I believe that God will forgive him. He may sin more than a couple times, ask God to forgive him, and the Lord will forgive him. But if the sinner cannot or would not repent, or change his behavior, there is nothing that God could do for him. God is willing to give us second, third, fourth, or fifth chances, but if we repeatedly ignore the opportunities or the chances that he gives us to change, God cannot force us to change. There is nothing more that He would or could do for us except to hand us over to the ruler of this world.
The Holy Spirit works in us through our good conscience and logic. Unless we are receptive, open-minded, or responsive to our good conscience and logic, we, like King Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, will reject the work of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit cannot work for us if we have already decided to reject His words. The Holy Spirit cannot work in us if we have decided to filter it out from our conscience and logic.
In Matthew 12:31 Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.” (Acts 7:51).
A good example of sin against the holy spirit is found in the Old Testament, Exodus 8-11. This is part of a story in which King Pharaoh of ancient Egypt refused to let the Israelites free from bondage to worship their God! I want you to read closely about King Pharaoh who was already determined in his heart to do what he wanted to do against the work of the Holy Spirit. He has already made up his mind to resist the Holy Spirit regardless of what God had shown him, and the bad experiences that he went through; he had hardened his heart, preventing him from repenting from doing what God wanted him to do. When we have hardened our "hearts" because we believe that we are right and that everybody else is wrong, no amount of persuasion can change our hearts; we do what we want to do, like King Pharaoh, Adam and Eve, Lucifer, and millions of others - commit sin against the Holy Spirit, the unpardonable sin.
They cannot repent because they have refused to listen to their good conscience, the work of the Holy Spirit. They have plenty of chances to decide what they want to do, they have plenty of opportunities to think and rationalize their decision, but they have chosen to harden their heart instead, and made the decision to commit the unpardonable sin - sin against the Holy Spirit that has no chance of repentance.
They have refused to change! And when they did so, hardened their hearts and refused to change, the Holy Spirit left them. That’s what King Pharaoh had done. There is little or nothing that the Holy Spirit can do when we persistently refuse to listen to the Truth. And God can do nothing for us either when we refuse to change (repent).
The Lord could do nothing to Lucifer because he too had refused to change or to repent. In legal terms, this is the equivalent of a first-degree crime. Repeated offenders of first-degree crime who refused to change often have to face death in the electric chair! Repeated offenders against the Holy Spirit have committed the unpardonable sin and will face everlasting fire in the end. Now, what are we going to do? Are we going to continue to commit the unpardonable sin, sin that has no chance of repentance because we have hardened our hearts? Or, are we going to be reasonable with ourselves and with Him, and accept His invitation, "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land"(Isaiah 1:18 -19).
I am concerned that many, if not most of today's Christians, will not change their behavior and belief because they are already fixed in their mind and happy traveling on the broad road with the wide gate. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it" (Matthew 7:13).
Many of today's Christians are already happy with the choice that they made by refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit, and by hardening their hearts - they refused to be born again and change.
In Matthew 12:31 Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.” Showing disrespect toward the word of God is blasphemy, e.g. abolishing the word of God. Jesus said to His disciples, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.” When we show disrespect to God’s words, that is sin against the Holy Spirit. There are various ways that we can show disrespect to God's words, more than one way. This means that we must be careful how we respond to God's words.
If the individual who committed the sin can repent and stop disrespecting the Holy Spirit, I believe that God will forgive him. He may sin more than a couple times, ask God to forgive him, and the Lord will forgive him. But if the sinner cannot or would not repent, or change his behavior, there is nothing that God could do for him. God is willing to give us second, third, fourth, or fifth chances, but if we repeatedly ignore the opportunities or the chances that he gives us to change, God cannot force us to change. There is nothing more that He would or could do for us except to hand us over to the ruler of this world.
The Holy Spirit works in us through our good conscience and logic. Unless we are receptive, open-minded, or responsive to our good conscience and logic, we, like King Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, will reject the work of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit cannot work for us if we have already decided to reject His words. The Holy Spirit cannot work in us if we have decided to filter it out from our conscience and logic.
In Matthew 12:31 Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.” (Acts 7:51).
A good example of sin against the holy spirit is found in the Old Testament, Exodus 8-11. This is part of a story in which King Pharaoh of ancient Egypt refused to let the Israelites free from bondage to worship their God! I want you to read closely about King Pharaoh who was already determined in his heart to do what he wanted to do against the work of the Holy Spirit. He has already made up his mind to resist the Holy Spirit regardless of what God had shown him, and the bad experiences that he went through; he had hardened his heart, preventing him from repenting from doing what God wanted him to do. When we have hardened our "hearts" because we believe that we are right and that everybody else is wrong, no amount of persuasion can change our hearts; we do what we want to do, like King Pharaoh, Adam and Eve, Lucifer, and millions of others - commit sin against the Holy Spirit, the unpardonable sin.
They cannot repent because they have refused to listen to their good conscience, the work of the Holy Spirit. They have plenty of chances to decide what they want to do, they have plenty of opportunities to think and rationalize their decision, but they have chosen to harden their heart instead, and made the decision to commit the unpardonable sin - sin against the Holy Spirit that has no chance of repentance.
They have refused to change! And when they did so, hardened their hearts and refused to change, the Holy Spirit left them. That’s what King Pharaoh had done. There is little or nothing that the Holy Spirit can do when we persistently refuse to listen to the Truth. And God can do nothing for us either when we refuse to change (repent).
The Lord could do nothing to Lucifer because he too had refused to change or to repent. In legal terms, this is the equivalent of a first-degree crime. Repeated offenders of first-degree crime who refused to change often have to face death in the electric chair! Repeated offenders against the Holy Spirit have committed the unpardonable sin and will face everlasting fire in the end. Now, what are we going to do? Are we going to continue to commit the unpardonable sin, sin that has no chance of repentance because we have hardened our hearts? Or, are we going to be reasonable with ourselves and with Him, and accept His invitation, "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land"(Isaiah 1:18 -19).
I am concerned that many, if not most of today's Christians, will not change their behavior and belief because they are already fixed in their mind and happy traveling on the broad road with the wide gate. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it" (Matthew 7:13).
Many of today's Christians are already happy with the choice that they made by refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit, and by hardening their hearts - they refused to be born again and change.
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