What IS the “Unpardonable Sin”?
The One Sin God Will NOT
Forgive!
Is there an “unforgivable sin”? What did Jesus Christ mean when He said
“All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blas-
phemy against the Holy Spirit shall NOT be forgiven unto men”? What sin
is this -- and how does one commit it? Can one sin after they have been “saved” and fall away, and lose salvation? Did Judas Iscariot commit the “unpardonable
sin”? Here is the shocking TRUTH!
The "unpardonable sin" has mystified and confused millions! Is there a "sin" which is unforgivable in the sight of God? If so, what is it? How does one commit it? Just what is the so-called "unforgivable sin"?
Before; answering this question, we need to understand, "what is SIN?" No question is more confusing and debated among religious folk than this one. To some, singing in Church constitutes "sin." To others, the taste of alcoholic beverage would be "sin" -- even a sip of wine. To still others, movie-going, dancing, or card-playing would be "sin. " Still other people would say it is a "sin" to marry outside one's own race.
Some claim that "sin" is something which only involves "spiritual" things -such as transgression of one of the Ten Commandments. To them, if one breaks any "physical law" of God. that is not "sin. " Thus, if you break the law of gravity, or laws of nutrition, or overeat, or even smoke cigarettes, even though such actions may lead to your DEATH, they do not constitute sin, unless you also break the spiritual law which says "Thou shalt not covet" Churches, such as Worldwide Church of God, deny the existence of such a thing as "physical sin. " To them sin is either "spiritual" or it is not sin at all! And by "spiritual," they refer to the clear breaking of one of the written statutes and laws of God as delineated in the Scriptures.
What is the truth? Just what is "SIN," anyway?
The Definition of “SIN”
The Scriptures clearly give us three precise definitions of "sin." All three are found in the New Testament In one place, the apostle John writes, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for SIN IS the transgression of the LAW" (I John 3:4).
The Greek word translated "sin" in this verse is halnartema and the full meaning of the word is, "to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize)," " to err," "trespass," "fault, " "offence."
This verse clearly tells us that contrary to the opinions and definitions of mere men, or various church organizations, the Biblical definition of sin is to transgress or break the laws of God. If the Word of God forbad card playing, then it would be a sin, clearly. If the laws of God forbad wine or alcohol, then the consumption of such would constitute "sin. " If the Word of God forbids adultery, or stealing, or murder, or lying and deception, then they would clearly be sin -- which they are, since the Word of God does proscribe such behavior.
Since “sin” is by definition in the Bible the transgression of the laws of God, then those churches who claim the laws of God were abolished by Christ and nailed to the cross, face the unenviable position of having no true definition of sin. If the law is done away, as they say it is, then ANYTHING GOES! If there is no "law" against adultery, stealing, lust, murder, idolatry, or the like, then a Christian could do any of those things, and it would be all right In fact, there would be no need for anybody to become a Christian, or to repent -- if the death of Christ did away with the LAW! For there would be no "sin" to repent of!
Such reasoning, of course, is tom-foolery and falderal and nonsense!
The very definition of sin in the Bible shows that the LA W OF GOD is still very much in force and effect "Sin" means to "err" in. keeping the law, to "miss the mark" in observing it and keeping it, 'to "fall short" or to "break" it -- that is, to TRANSGRESS the law!
Jesus Himself verified this truth when He told the young rich man who asked Him what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus responded: "If thou wilt enter into life, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS" (Matt.19:17).
Which commandments was Jesus talking about? He explained it Himself, after the young rich man asked, "Which?" (v.18). Jesus replied: "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' (vs.18-19).
What commandments was Jesus referring to? Obviously, the TEN COMMANDMENTS, and the overall law given in the Old Testament, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Lev. 19: 18).
Contrary to the teachings of some supposed "Christian" churches, the law of love thy neighbor is NOT merely a New Testament innovation -- rather, it was the law of God for ALL TIME, and is specifically commanded to ancient Israel! When Jesus came, He did not do "away" with or abolish this law -- rather, He MAGNIFIED it!
Notice the words of Christ Himself! "Do not think that I have come to ABOLISH the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matt5:17-18, NIV).
The other definition of sin, as found in the Bible, is found in the writings of the apostle James. He wrote, " Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17).
In this case, the sin is not an explicit breaking of a commandment of God, but the failure to do what is good and right in the sight of God To know that you ought to do something, and to fail to do it, constitutes SIN. This is the sin of "ornmission," whereas the sin of breaking a specific commandment is a sin of "commission."
A Third Definition of Sin
The apostle Paul also explained a manner of "sin" which many people overlook. He wrote to the Romans, ". . . everything that does not come from faith is SIN" (Romans 14:23).
The just, the righteous, those pleasing in the sight of God, are to live by "faith. " As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "We live by faith, not by sight" (II Cor.5:7). Paul also quotes the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk, "The righteous will live by faith" (Rom.l:17; Hab.2:4).
Faith is the key to pleasing God and keeping His commandments. People who don't believe God, who don't believe in His Word, will not keep His commandments. They illustrate their lack of faith by their disobedience. But those who have faith, who believe God, prove their faith by their works -by their obedience to the laws of God!
Thus we learn three major truths:
"Sin" is the transgression of the laws of God.
Failure to do what you know is "good" is also "sin. "
Whatever you do without, or outside of, faith, is also "sin."
Sin, then, is disobedience to our Creator, Father, and Maker. It is violation of any of His laws, whether physical laws governing our bodies, and physical relationships; and violation of any of HIS SPIRITUAL LAWS, the penalty of which is death.
As Paul wrote, "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom.6:23). Adam and Eve ate the wrong fruit from the wrong tree -- and it resulted in their death. .
They "sinned. " If you eat anything which is poisonous, such as arsenic, you will very probably die -- unless you receive an antidote quickly. Thus eating something which you know is harmful is "sin" -- you could not do such a thing without sinning, since it would be failure to do what you know is "good." Furthermore, you could not do such a thing in "faith," so it would still be "SIN."
Therefore, those who claim there is no such thing as "physical sin. " such as the Worldwide Church of God, miss the point entirely. Sin involves the transgression of any of God's laws, as well as doing what you believe to be wrong, failure to do what you know is right, and failure to live by "faith. "
A person who drives a car recklessly, or carelessly, "sins." A person who smokes a cigarette, which is over a period of time lethal to his body and health, "sins." There is no question about it. Those who say such “physical” acts are not sin fool themselves and deceive innocent, naive people. Sin can be far more than just the explicit breaking of a specific commandment of God.
Jesus put it plainly: Any time you fail to show love for your neighbor, the result is SIN, and the penalty is DEATH! Similarly, anytime you do something which is harmful to your own life or body, or defile your body (as by smoking, improper diet, breaking health laws or nutritional laws, or continuously miss sleep), you commit SIN!
The apostle Paul wrote: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor.6:9-10).
The apostle John was told further in the book of Revelation, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magical arts, the idolaters and all liars –their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death" (Rev.21:8).
The laws of God are obviously still in power and force and effect! .Those who violate them will suffer the second death – unless they repent of their deeds, and become righteous through the shed blood of Christ, and through repentance and forgiveness and the gift of God’s Spirit, they live obediently to the laws of God and develop holy, righteous, spiritual character.
But What, Then, Is the "Unpardonable Sin "?
Let us, now, notice exactly what Jesus said about the so-called "unpardonable sin." Jesus declared: "And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone "who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgive either in this life or in the age to come" (Matt.12:31-32).
Let us notice the context of Jesus' remarks. Jesus had just healed a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. The people were astonished at this miracle. But when the Pharisees heard about it, they declared with a sneering reproach, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons" (Matt 12:22-24).
Jesus then explained that if Satan cast out Satan, his kingdom would be divided. He said- " And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matt 12:27-28).
Under these conditions, then, Jesus explained that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the one sin which God will not forgive men. What was He talking about? He went on to say, "Make a tree good and its FRUIT will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. “For by your words you will be aquitted, and by your words you will condemned” (Matt. 12:33-37).”
The self-righteous Pharisees were condemning a good work of Jesus, done by the power of the Spirit of God. It was a good work -- the fruit was good. Yet they spoke against it, and condemned it, sneering at the miracle He performed. They refused to look at the good. They insisted, despite the evidence before them, on condemning an excellent, good work! That is to say, they were or the verge of blasphemy against the Spirit of God, by which Jesus performed the marvelous work He did!
That is why Jesus, in this context, issued this dire warning against those who would presume to judge and sneer at a righteous, good work! Such an act betrays an attitude of blatant hostility toward what is good. Such a thing cannot be done in mere "ignorance," or because one is deceived. It betrays an attitude of hostility toward the good fruits of God’s Spirit. It is a deliberate sin – an act of premeditated, deliberate and carefully reasoned wickedness, without any temptation or excuse. It is an act of PRESUMPTUOUS sin -- and this is the kind of sin God simply will not forgive! It was the sin of the devil; the sin of Judas Iscariot; and the sin of those Pharisees who refused to accept the truth even when they knew better!
The unpardonable or unforgivable sin, then, is -- without temptation or deception -- to deliberately and with knowledge of what you are doing and the consequences, to "say or do something totally contrary to what is good and right in the sight of God -- including to condemn the righteous for their righteous deeds and good works. Such a sin is what God calls “presumptuous.” The penalty for this kind of sin, in the Old Testament, was “death.” No sacrifices could expiate it; it was not forgivable. The penalty of this kind of deliberate act of evil, or condemnation of the good, is the SECOND DEATH!
The actual "sin" itself is not the point It could be the deliberate act of adultery, or murder, or stealing, WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER AND DO IT ANYWAY , and have no thoughts of repentance or remorse or sincere contrition. It could be the sin of LYING, and COVERING UP SIN, without any intention of revealing the sordid truth but keeping it buried under the carpet. It can be the habitual, continuous act or sin of committing adultery, on and on, without true repentance, deliberately doing it, even though you know better -- but you engage in it PRESUMPTUOUSLY. It is willful sin -- where the person's will is totally intent upon the evil. It’s his choice, deliberate and malicious.
The "Presumptuous Sin "
David prayed to God, "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent of the GREA T TRANSGRESSION" (psa.19:13). The NIV has this verse, "Keep your servant also from willful sins . . ." The Hebrew word zed or zadown means, literally, "arrogant. proud." Pride can lead one to willful, deliberate disobedience against God's laws, and the unforgivable sin! It was pride that led the Devil into condemnation! Human beings also can be "lifted up with pride" and "fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim.3:6).
God says of the devil, "Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor" (Ezek.28: 17). Pride leads to lawlessness, disrespect for the rights of others, and deception, violence, and every other sin and dishonesty (see Ezek.28:12-19; Isah.14:12-15).
The unforgivable sin is the sin of unrestrained pride and arrogance, which obviously will not be repented of. It was the downfall of the powerful spirit being, Lucifer, who became the Devil, or Satan, our Adversary .It has been the downfall of many who followed the example of the devil, in becoming arrogant and proud.
Peter speaks of those wicked ministers who have this same unrepentant, proud, willfully disobedient attitude. He writes: "Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to SLANDER celestial beings, [or true servants of God, by condemning their writings or works behind their backs, to their entire Church ministry]; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men BLASPHEME in matters they do not understand. They are like BRUTE BEASTS, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish" (II Pet.2:10-12).
There have been, and are, even ministers today, supposedly in the true Church of the living God, who have done likewise. They have been guilty before God of slander, and malicious wickedness, out of a stubborn heart of arrogance and pride. They have falsely condemned the innocent, and justified the wicked. They care not for righteousness, but only for subservience and submission to their own authority. They despise any man who would stand up for the laws of God, and demand that all men submit to their own supposed authority, like a tyrant Such an attitude is the precious and exact copy of the attitude of Satan himself, whom they inadvertently serve, while pretending to be true ministers of God!
A few years ago a very powerful Church, with hundreds of millions of dollars, began to blaspheme the name of God and Christ They published a magazine and books which contained profanity, and which advocated life-styles opposed to the way of God, and which used scurrilous and obscene language, using the names of God, and the precious Saviour Jesus Christ, in connection with filthy sexual words and profanity, swearing and cursing, and using God’s Holy Name in vain. They supported such evil works by plunging millions of dollars of faithful tithe-payers' donations into the cesspool of swill and murky filth and obscenity.
Such an act was very close to being, if it was not, the unpardonable sin. For this thing was not done in a "corner." It was not hidden from view. The ones involved KNEW what they were doing, and they pern1itted it anyway. Who was actually responsible? All who had a part in it, who knew about it, and who did not protest, were guilty before God of being part of this diabolical conspiracy! MANY may well have comri1itted the unpardonable sin! And certainly, those at the top of the Church organization, who collaborated and endorsed it, were guilty before God, and will have much to answer for!
At the same time, these same evil-doers were condemning the good fruits and works of Triumph Publishing, and the books written by William F. Dankenbring -- such good books as The First Genesis, Beyond Star Wars, The Last Days, Overcoming Satan and Escape from Annageddon. They first of all simply "ignored" these good books. But when Church members asked them about them, they condemned them, saying the author (who was still a member of the Church) was "no longer with them," and said the books "were not approved," any more than the hamburger stand at the corner of the street, and implied they were disapproved. Eventually they came out and slandered the author, saying his selling his books was tantamount to the money-changers in the Temple whom Jesus cast out!
Even if had been were Herbert W. Armstrong himself who said such a thing, then he would have come perilously close to committing the unpardonable sin!
Deliberate Sin
God told His servant Moses, "But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death" (Exo.21:14). .'.There was no sacrifice available for such deliberate, premeditated sin. Such a one could not even claim sanctuary at the altar of God!
Again, God told Moses, "But anyone who sins DEFIANTLY , whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off, his guilt remains on him" (Num.15:30).
Do we not fear God? The defiant, self-willed, presumptuously wicked man has no fear of God before his eyes. He is proud and arrogant and deliberately evil. Such sins, by one who knows better, are surely very close to the unpardonable and unforgivable sin Jesus referred to!
In the book of Deuteronomy we read this instruction from God: "The man who shows CONTEMPT for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again" (Deut.17:12-13). If the death penalty was sure for the lay-member who showed contempt for a servant of God, how much more would God have applied that same death penalty to a judge or priest or minister who himself turned away from the law of God, and showed contempt for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the Creator Himself!
"No More Sacrifice for Sins. . ."
Deliberate, premeditated, defiant, contemptuous sins -- these are the kind that are unpardonable and unforgivable in the sight of God In other words, the basic sin being discussed here is the deliberate and defiant attitude of refusing to obey God's law, and refusing to live by faith, and refusing to acknowledge the good done by the Spirit of God, even when you plainly and clearly know better. It is the attitude of deliberate unrepentance -- deliberate continuing in sin, and making sin habitual and a permanent fixture of your character!
This same kind of sin is discussed by Paul in the book of Hebrews. He declares, "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, IF THEY FALL AWAY, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God allover again and subjecting him to public disgrace" (Heb.6:4-6).
Such people, Paul says, are like barren soil, that produces nothing but thistles and thorns. He writes, "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed In the end it will be burned" (verses 7-8).
Paul explains more about the character of such worthless, defiant, unproductive, proud individuals in chapter 10 of Hebrews. He goes on: "If we DELIBERATELY KEEP ON SINNING after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has TRAMPLED THE SQN OF'GOD UNDER FOOT, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted tile Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb.10:26-31).
Those who have the Spirit of God do not continually and habitually practice or engage in acts of sin over and over again, in essence defying God to do anything about it. They do not continue as adulterers, and incestuous\child-molesters or whoremongers. They do not persist in gambling, and fornicating, and committing adultery with other men's wives. They do not curse and swear and rail at people, and say, “I am above the law!”
The apostle John wrote, "Everyone who sins BREAKS THE LAW; in fact, SIN IS LAWLESSNESS. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him KEEPS ON SINNING. No one who CONTINUES TO SIN has either seen him or known him" (I John 3:4-6).
John goes on, explaining: "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is OF THE DEVIL [make no mistake about it!], because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
"No one who is born of God will CONTINUE to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he CANNOT GO ON SINNING, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (I John 3:7-10).
Consider these profound statements carefully. They will help you identify a man, or even a minister, who does serve God, and one who only pretends to do so, but who is really a child of the "devil." And like his father the devil, he is a liar when he says he is a servant of God, and a minister of Jesus Christ. At one time he might have been. But now he is in the ministry only for the prestige, power, and money, like Balaam the false prophet! And if that is the case, he has committed the unpardonable sin. But God may allow him to continue in his ministry for years, before He brings disaster and destruction upon him!
Those who challenge the goodness of God, and continue in monstrous sins after having been repeatedly warned, by high and low alike, are like the ones mentioned in the prophecy of Jeremiah, who said: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you dg good who are accustomed to doing evil. I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind" (Jeremiah 13:23-24).
Such a one, if he ever repents, must truly prove his repentance by his works and deeds and the continuous change in his life. But the prognosis is not good. As Jeremiah wrote, those who have deliberately and repeatedly engaged in knowingly and premeditatedly SINNING simply will not normally change; they may "profess" repentance; they may even shed tears, and put on a show or act of :repentance! But they don’t seem to know how to truly repent. They are like a heroin or cocaine addict. They just can't seem to give it up. They just won’t give it up. They are SLAVES of their fleshly desires!
God calls such people – even ministers of the gospel -- "hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been SEARED AS WITH A HOT IRON" {I Tim.4:2). "They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the HARDENING OF THEIR HEARTS. Having lost all SENSITIVITY, they have given themselves over to SENSUALITY so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more" (Eph.4:18-19).
In their arrogance and pride and venality, they have become incorrigible. They have plunged into the depths of the way of Satan, and have become wicked beyond hope, sinful beyond redemption. It is not merely that they verbally refuse to repent; they may even pretend repentance and contrition for their sins, and make excuses for them. But when the chips are down, they will strive to get away with their sins, and keep them secret, and cover them up, for as long as possible. They will not freely admit them, and forsake them, and abhor them, and turn away. But they will try to cover them up and hide them from public view, and will DENY that they committed them unless or until confronted with undeniable evidence. Then they will shed crocodile tears, and weep on cue.
The Attitude of Defiance and Arrogance
Such a person, whom I will not name, but who shows every indication of having sinned repeatedly and continuously, and never coming to true repentance, was once found to be guilty of repeated acts of adultery and seducing young college co-eds, virgins, into committing immoral acts with him. In some cases, he later threatened them with being cast out of the church if they ever said anything about it, or told their parents! He even forbad them "in the name of Christ" to say anything about it, on pain of eternal death in the lake of fire.
Such tactics worked to perfection for a while, as the young women were too afraid to say what had occurred to them. In some cases they even thought they were in "love" with the man.
But as Moses wrote in the book of Numbers, "You may be sure that your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Eventually, his long history of sexual abuse and sins became known. At the time of disclosure, however, he claimed it was only one woman, one case of adultery. And at a meeting of employees of his church organization, he was reacting strongly against professed "rumors" of his immoral escapades. At this meeting, which occurred in 1973, he denied the prevalent rumors and literally commanded any present to come to him personally if they had any doubts.
One young and naive individual took him at his word He worked for an evangelist in the church, and while his boss was out of town, he wrote a note to the man in question, to set up a meeting to discuss the matter. He wanted to know if the man had repeatedly engaged in adultery while a minister, as minister after high-ranking minister had told him personally. If so, he felt, the man could not continue to be a minister according to God's qualifications for the ministry listed in I Timothy, chapter 3.
Since the individual who was suspect was out of town at the time, a meeting was set up between the young man and two of the assistants of the evangelist in question. After the meeting occurred, and he told them of his doubts and questions, they did not give him any definite answers. When the individual returned to town, however, they reported to him what the young man had said.
The individual flew into a rage. With fury and volcanic temper, he immediately called the young man on the telephone. He shouted that he and his father were above the qualifications for the ministry as given in I Timothy 3, and that if the man had any more questions about his conduct, he would have to present them before him and his father personally. He said that anyone who would ask such questions was out of a job and out of the Church!
The young man who went through this harrowing experience, later wrote, "1 have never shaken so much in fear. I went home and fasted and prayed for three days." His immediate superior was subsequently put on a year's "sabbatical," ostensibly "for health reasons." The young man who dared to challenge the morality of the evangelist lost his job, but was later reinstated to church membership, but left again within a few years due to doctrinal changes in the Church.
The attitude of thinking one is "above the law" of God, and "above the qualifications for the ministry," is an attitude of supreme contempt for God's law, His truth, and His Word. It is an attitude of defiance, arrogance, pride, and presumptuousness. Such an attitude comes very close to being the unpardonable sin that Jesus spoke of, if it is not totally rooted out and completely repented of, before it is too late!
What is the "unpardonable" sin? It is more than just "sin of unrepentance," as some have suggested in the past. It is the sin of knowing the truth, and then putting oneself ABOVE THE LAW OF GOD AND THE TRUTH, -and consequently living a life of adultery, wickedness, immorality, lying, sedition, cruelty, and malicious, self-serving evil. It is the ATTITUDE OF BEING “ABOVE THE LAW” OF GOD!
It is the sin of turning one's back on Jesus Christ, His way, His example of humility, and obedience, and becoming proud, arrogant, and filled with ego like Satan the devil himself, and trampling on the blood of Christ, and condemning the Spirit. of grace. It is the sin of becoming a traitor of God and His Messiah, knowingly, and deliberately, as Judas Iscariot did.
Because Judas betrayed Christ, the Messiah, he lost his position as an apostle. He did not repent, as Peter did who denied Christ Although he felt a worldly sorrow at his own loss, he went and hanged himself (Acts 1:20; Matt27:1-5). His kind of sorrow resulted in suicide, not true repentance (compare II Cor.7:8-13). The man who commits the unpardonable sin, who betrays innocent blood, is described in Psalm 109, a type of Judas Iscariot, and which Peter quoted in Acts 1:20 as referring to Judas in principle.
Notice! He is the kind of person who speaks with a "lying tongue" and "words of hatred," and who, David wrote, "attack me WITHOUT CAUSE" (psalm 109:2-3). In exchange for friendship, they respond with accusation (verse 4). David declared, "They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship" (v.5).
The attitude of such a person, David described, beginning in verse 16: "For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted [demanding and extorting tithes from ~m, and threatening them with disfellowshipment, or spiritual "imprisonment" or punishment, for refusal to pay!]. He loved to pronounce a curse - may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing --may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil" (verses 16-18).
Woe To Those Who Cause Offences
Jesus Christ had severe warnings for those who would continue to sin, and engage in serious conduct unbecoming of a Christian, thereby bringing offences or causing offence to others who learned of their despicable conduct.
Jesus declared: "1 tell you the truth, Unless you CHANGE and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to SIN, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal life. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell" (Matthew 18:2-9).
May the Almighty God help us all to take these warnings seriously, and to learn to stand in awe of God, and His eternal Law, and to .love and appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. May God help YOU to love and serve Him, with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and to fear to commit sin or to engage in sinful acts or conduct, lest you become proud, and arrogant, and fall into the snare of the devil.
May God help us all, who love Him, so that we will not commit the presumptuous, defiant, premeditated, deliberate or willful sin that leads to eternal death and fiery destruction!
Forgive!
Is there an “unforgivable sin”? What did Jesus Christ mean when He said
“All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blas-
phemy against the Holy Spirit shall NOT be forgiven unto men”? What sin
is this -- and how does one commit it? Can one sin after they have been “saved” and fall away, and lose salvation? Did Judas Iscariot commit the “unpardonable
sin”? Here is the shocking TRUTH!
The "unpardonable sin" has mystified and confused millions! Is there a "sin" which is unforgivable in the sight of God? If so, what is it? How does one commit it? Just what is the so-called "unforgivable sin"?
Before; answering this question, we need to understand, "what is SIN?" No question is more confusing and debated among religious folk than this one. To some, singing in Church constitutes "sin." To others, the taste of alcoholic beverage would be "sin" -- even a sip of wine. To still others, movie-going, dancing, or card-playing would be "sin. " Still other people would say it is a "sin" to marry outside one's own race.
Some claim that "sin" is something which only involves "spiritual" things -such as transgression of one of the Ten Commandments. To them, if one breaks any "physical law" of God. that is not "sin. " Thus, if you break the law of gravity, or laws of nutrition, or overeat, or even smoke cigarettes, even though such actions may lead to your DEATH, they do not constitute sin, unless you also break the spiritual law which says "Thou shalt not covet" Churches, such as Worldwide Church of God, deny the existence of such a thing as "physical sin. " To them sin is either "spiritual" or it is not sin at all! And by "spiritual," they refer to the clear breaking of one of the written statutes and laws of God as delineated in the Scriptures.
What is the truth? Just what is "SIN," anyway?
The Definition of “SIN”
The Scriptures clearly give us three precise definitions of "sin." All three are found in the New Testament In one place, the apostle John writes, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for SIN IS the transgression of the LAW" (I John 3:4).
The Greek word translated "sin" in this verse is halnartema and the full meaning of the word is, "to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize)," " to err," "trespass," "fault, " "offence."
This verse clearly tells us that contrary to the opinions and definitions of mere men, or various church organizations, the Biblical definition of sin is to transgress or break the laws of God. If the Word of God forbad card playing, then it would be a sin, clearly. If the laws of God forbad wine or alcohol, then the consumption of such would constitute "sin. " If the Word of God forbids adultery, or stealing, or murder, or lying and deception, then they would clearly be sin -- which they are, since the Word of God does proscribe such behavior.
Since “sin” is by definition in the Bible the transgression of the laws of God, then those churches who claim the laws of God were abolished by Christ and nailed to the cross, face the unenviable position of having no true definition of sin. If the law is done away, as they say it is, then ANYTHING GOES! If there is no "law" against adultery, stealing, lust, murder, idolatry, or the like, then a Christian could do any of those things, and it would be all right In fact, there would be no need for anybody to become a Christian, or to repent -- if the death of Christ did away with the LAW! For there would be no "sin" to repent of!
Such reasoning, of course, is tom-foolery and falderal and nonsense!
The very definition of sin in the Bible shows that the LA W OF GOD is still very much in force and effect "Sin" means to "err" in. keeping the law, to "miss the mark" in observing it and keeping it, 'to "fall short" or to "break" it -- that is, to TRANSGRESS the law!
Jesus Himself verified this truth when He told the young rich man who asked Him what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus responded: "If thou wilt enter into life, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS" (Matt.19:17).
Which commandments was Jesus talking about? He explained it Himself, after the young rich man asked, "Which?" (v.18). Jesus replied: "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' (vs.18-19).
What commandments was Jesus referring to? Obviously, the TEN COMMANDMENTS, and the overall law given in the Old Testament, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Lev. 19: 18).
Contrary to the teachings of some supposed "Christian" churches, the law of love thy neighbor is NOT merely a New Testament innovation -- rather, it was the law of God for ALL TIME, and is specifically commanded to ancient Israel! When Jesus came, He did not do "away" with or abolish this law -- rather, He MAGNIFIED it!
Notice the words of Christ Himself! "Do not think that I have come to ABOLISH the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matt5:17-18, NIV).
The other definition of sin, as found in the Bible, is found in the writings of the apostle James. He wrote, " Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17).
In this case, the sin is not an explicit breaking of a commandment of God, but the failure to do what is good and right in the sight of God To know that you ought to do something, and to fail to do it, constitutes SIN. This is the sin of "ornmission," whereas the sin of breaking a specific commandment is a sin of "commission."
A Third Definition of Sin
The apostle Paul also explained a manner of "sin" which many people overlook. He wrote to the Romans, ". . . everything that does not come from faith is SIN" (Romans 14:23).
The just, the righteous, those pleasing in the sight of God, are to live by "faith. " As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "We live by faith, not by sight" (II Cor.5:7). Paul also quotes the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk, "The righteous will live by faith" (Rom.l:17; Hab.2:4).
Faith is the key to pleasing God and keeping His commandments. People who don't believe God, who don't believe in His Word, will not keep His commandments. They illustrate their lack of faith by their disobedience. But those who have faith, who believe God, prove their faith by their works -by their obedience to the laws of God!
Thus we learn three major truths:
"Sin" is the transgression of the laws of God.
Failure to do what you know is "good" is also "sin. "
Whatever you do without, or outside of, faith, is also "sin."
Sin, then, is disobedience to our Creator, Father, and Maker. It is violation of any of His laws, whether physical laws governing our bodies, and physical relationships; and violation of any of HIS SPIRITUAL LAWS, the penalty of which is death.
As Paul wrote, "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom.6:23). Adam and Eve ate the wrong fruit from the wrong tree -- and it resulted in their death. .
They "sinned. " If you eat anything which is poisonous, such as arsenic, you will very probably die -- unless you receive an antidote quickly. Thus eating something which you know is harmful is "sin" -- you could not do such a thing without sinning, since it would be failure to do what you know is "good." Furthermore, you could not do such a thing in "faith," so it would still be "SIN."
Therefore, those who claim there is no such thing as "physical sin. " such as the Worldwide Church of God, miss the point entirely. Sin involves the transgression of any of God's laws, as well as doing what you believe to be wrong, failure to do what you know is right, and failure to live by "faith. "
A person who drives a car recklessly, or carelessly, "sins." A person who smokes a cigarette, which is over a period of time lethal to his body and health, "sins." There is no question about it. Those who say such “physical” acts are not sin fool themselves and deceive innocent, naive people. Sin can be far more than just the explicit breaking of a specific commandment of God.
Jesus put it plainly: Any time you fail to show love for your neighbor, the result is SIN, and the penalty is DEATH! Similarly, anytime you do something which is harmful to your own life or body, or defile your body (as by smoking, improper diet, breaking health laws or nutritional laws, or continuously miss sleep), you commit SIN!
The apostle Paul wrote: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor.6:9-10).
The apostle John was told further in the book of Revelation, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magical arts, the idolaters and all liars –their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death" (Rev.21:8).
The laws of God are obviously still in power and force and effect! .Those who violate them will suffer the second death – unless they repent of their deeds, and become righteous through the shed blood of Christ, and through repentance and forgiveness and the gift of God’s Spirit, they live obediently to the laws of God and develop holy, righteous, spiritual character.
But What, Then, Is the "Unpardonable Sin "?
Let us, now, notice exactly what Jesus said about the so-called "unpardonable sin." Jesus declared: "And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone "who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgive either in this life or in the age to come" (Matt.12:31-32).
Let us notice the context of Jesus' remarks. Jesus had just healed a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. The people were astonished at this miracle. But when the Pharisees heard about it, they declared with a sneering reproach, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons" (Matt 12:22-24).
Jesus then explained that if Satan cast out Satan, his kingdom would be divided. He said- " And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matt 12:27-28).
Under these conditions, then, Jesus explained that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the one sin which God will not forgive men. What was He talking about? He went on to say, "Make a tree good and its FRUIT will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. “For by your words you will be aquitted, and by your words you will condemned” (Matt. 12:33-37).”
The self-righteous Pharisees were condemning a good work of Jesus, done by the power of the Spirit of God. It was a good work -- the fruit was good. Yet they spoke against it, and condemned it, sneering at the miracle He performed. They refused to look at the good. They insisted, despite the evidence before them, on condemning an excellent, good work! That is to say, they were or the verge of blasphemy against the Spirit of God, by which Jesus performed the marvelous work He did!
That is why Jesus, in this context, issued this dire warning against those who would presume to judge and sneer at a righteous, good work! Such an act betrays an attitude of blatant hostility toward what is good. Such a thing cannot be done in mere "ignorance," or because one is deceived. It betrays an attitude of hostility toward the good fruits of God’s Spirit. It is a deliberate sin – an act of premeditated, deliberate and carefully reasoned wickedness, without any temptation or excuse. It is an act of PRESUMPTUOUS sin -- and this is the kind of sin God simply will not forgive! It was the sin of the devil; the sin of Judas Iscariot; and the sin of those Pharisees who refused to accept the truth even when they knew better!
The unpardonable or unforgivable sin, then, is -- without temptation or deception -- to deliberately and with knowledge of what you are doing and the consequences, to "say or do something totally contrary to what is good and right in the sight of God -- including to condemn the righteous for their righteous deeds and good works. Such a sin is what God calls “presumptuous.” The penalty for this kind of sin, in the Old Testament, was “death.” No sacrifices could expiate it; it was not forgivable. The penalty of this kind of deliberate act of evil, or condemnation of the good, is the SECOND DEATH!
The actual "sin" itself is not the point It could be the deliberate act of adultery, or murder, or stealing, WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER AND DO IT ANYWAY , and have no thoughts of repentance or remorse or sincere contrition. It could be the sin of LYING, and COVERING UP SIN, without any intention of revealing the sordid truth but keeping it buried under the carpet. It can be the habitual, continuous act or sin of committing adultery, on and on, without true repentance, deliberately doing it, even though you know better -- but you engage in it PRESUMPTUOUSLY. It is willful sin -- where the person's will is totally intent upon the evil. It’s his choice, deliberate and malicious.
The "Presumptuous Sin "
David prayed to God, "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent of the GREA T TRANSGRESSION" (psa.19:13). The NIV has this verse, "Keep your servant also from willful sins . . ." The Hebrew word zed or zadown means, literally, "arrogant. proud." Pride can lead one to willful, deliberate disobedience against God's laws, and the unforgivable sin! It was pride that led the Devil into condemnation! Human beings also can be "lifted up with pride" and "fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim.3:6).
God says of the devil, "Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor" (Ezek.28: 17). Pride leads to lawlessness, disrespect for the rights of others, and deception, violence, and every other sin and dishonesty (see Ezek.28:12-19; Isah.14:12-15).
The unforgivable sin is the sin of unrestrained pride and arrogance, which obviously will not be repented of. It was the downfall of the powerful spirit being, Lucifer, who became the Devil, or Satan, our Adversary .It has been the downfall of many who followed the example of the devil, in becoming arrogant and proud.
Peter speaks of those wicked ministers who have this same unrepentant, proud, willfully disobedient attitude. He writes: "Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to SLANDER celestial beings, [or true servants of God, by condemning their writings or works behind their backs, to their entire Church ministry]; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men BLASPHEME in matters they do not understand. They are like BRUTE BEASTS, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish" (II Pet.2:10-12).
There have been, and are, even ministers today, supposedly in the true Church of the living God, who have done likewise. They have been guilty before God of slander, and malicious wickedness, out of a stubborn heart of arrogance and pride. They have falsely condemned the innocent, and justified the wicked. They care not for righteousness, but only for subservience and submission to their own authority. They despise any man who would stand up for the laws of God, and demand that all men submit to their own supposed authority, like a tyrant Such an attitude is the precious and exact copy of the attitude of Satan himself, whom they inadvertently serve, while pretending to be true ministers of God!
A few years ago a very powerful Church, with hundreds of millions of dollars, began to blaspheme the name of God and Christ They published a magazine and books which contained profanity, and which advocated life-styles opposed to the way of God, and which used scurrilous and obscene language, using the names of God, and the precious Saviour Jesus Christ, in connection with filthy sexual words and profanity, swearing and cursing, and using God’s Holy Name in vain. They supported such evil works by plunging millions of dollars of faithful tithe-payers' donations into the cesspool of swill and murky filth and obscenity.
Such an act was very close to being, if it was not, the unpardonable sin. For this thing was not done in a "corner." It was not hidden from view. The ones involved KNEW what they were doing, and they pern1itted it anyway. Who was actually responsible? All who had a part in it, who knew about it, and who did not protest, were guilty before God of being part of this diabolical conspiracy! MANY may well have comri1itted the unpardonable sin! And certainly, those at the top of the Church organization, who collaborated and endorsed it, were guilty before God, and will have much to answer for!
At the same time, these same evil-doers were condemning the good fruits and works of Triumph Publishing, and the books written by William F. Dankenbring -- such good books as The First Genesis, Beyond Star Wars, The Last Days, Overcoming Satan and Escape from Annageddon. They first of all simply "ignored" these good books. But when Church members asked them about them, they condemned them, saying the author (who was still a member of the Church) was "no longer with them," and said the books "were not approved," any more than the hamburger stand at the corner of the street, and implied they were disapproved. Eventually they came out and slandered the author, saying his selling his books was tantamount to the money-changers in the Temple whom Jesus cast out!
Even if had been were Herbert W. Armstrong himself who said such a thing, then he would have come perilously close to committing the unpardonable sin!
Deliberate Sin
God told His servant Moses, "But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death" (Exo.21:14). .'.There was no sacrifice available for such deliberate, premeditated sin. Such a one could not even claim sanctuary at the altar of God!
Again, God told Moses, "But anyone who sins DEFIANTLY , whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off, his guilt remains on him" (Num.15:30).
Do we not fear God? The defiant, self-willed, presumptuously wicked man has no fear of God before his eyes. He is proud and arrogant and deliberately evil. Such sins, by one who knows better, are surely very close to the unpardonable and unforgivable sin Jesus referred to!
In the book of Deuteronomy we read this instruction from God: "The man who shows CONTEMPT for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again" (Deut.17:12-13). If the death penalty was sure for the lay-member who showed contempt for a servant of God, how much more would God have applied that same death penalty to a judge or priest or minister who himself turned away from the law of God, and showed contempt for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the Creator Himself!
"No More Sacrifice for Sins. . ."
Deliberate, premeditated, defiant, contemptuous sins -- these are the kind that are unpardonable and unforgivable in the sight of God In other words, the basic sin being discussed here is the deliberate and defiant attitude of refusing to obey God's law, and refusing to live by faith, and refusing to acknowledge the good done by the Spirit of God, even when you plainly and clearly know better. It is the attitude of deliberate unrepentance -- deliberate continuing in sin, and making sin habitual and a permanent fixture of your character!
This same kind of sin is discussed by Paul in the book of Hebrews. He declares, "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, IF THEY FALL AWAY, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God allover again and subjecting him to public disgrace" (Heb.6:4-6).
Such people, Paul says, are like barren soil, that produces nothing but thistles and thorns. He writes, "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed In the end it will be burned" (verses 7-8).
Paul explains more about the character of such worthless, defiant, unproductive, proud individuals in chapter 10 of Hebrews. He goes on: "If we DELIBERATELY KEEP ON SINNING after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has TRAMPLED THE SQN OF'GOD UNDER FOOT, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted tile Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb.10:26-31).
Those who have the Spirit of God do not continually and habitually practice or engage in acts of sin over and over again, in essence defying God to do anything about it. They do not continue as adulterers, and incestuous\child-molesters or whoremongers. They do not persist in gambling, and fornicating, and committing adultery with other men's wives. They do not curse and swear and rail at people, and say, “I am above the law!”
The apostle John wrote, "Everyone who sins BREAKS THE LAW; in fact, SIN IS LAWLESSNESS. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him KEEPS ON SINNING. No one who CONTINUES TO SIN has either seen him or known him" (I John 3:4-6).
John goes on, explaining: "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is OF THE DEVIL [make no mistake about it!], because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
"No one who is born of God will CONTINUE to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he CANNOT GO ON SINNING, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (I John 3:7-10).
Consider these profound statements carefully. They will help you identify a man, or even a minister, who does serve God, and one who only pretends to do so, but who is really a child of the "devil." And like his father the devil, he is a liar when he says he is a servant of God, and a minister of Jesus Christ. At one time he might have been. But now he is in the ministry only for the prestige, power, and money, like Balaam the false prophet! And if that is the case, he has committed the unpardonable sin. But God may allow him to continue in his ministry for years, before He brings disaster and destruction upon him!
Those who challenge the goodness of God, and continue in monstrous sins after having been repeatedly warned, by high and low alike, are like the ones mentioned in the prophecy of Jeremiah, who said: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you dg good who are accustomed to doing evil. I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind" (Jeremiah 13:23-24).
Such a one, if he ever repents, must truly prove his repentance by his works and deeds and the continuous change in his life. But the prognosis is not good. As Jeremiah wrote, those who have deliberately and repeatedly engaged in knowingly and premeditatedly SINNING simply will not normally change; they may "profess" repentance; they may even shed tears, and put on a show or act of :repentance! But they don’t seem to know how to truly repent. They are like a heroin or cocaine addict. They just can't seem to give it up. They just won’t give it up. They are SLAVES of their fleshly desires!
God calls such people – even ministers of the gospel -- "hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been SEARED AS WITH A HOT IRON" {I Tim.4:2). "They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the HARDENING OF THEIR HEARTS. Having lost all SENSITIVITY, they have given themselves over to SENSUALITY so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more" (Eph.4:18-19).
In their arrogance and pride and venality, they have become incorrigible. They have plunged into the depths of the way of Satan, and have become wicked beyond hope, sinful beyond redemption. It is not merely that they verbally refuse to repent; they may even pretend repentance and contrition for their sins, and make excuses for them. But when the chips are down, they will strive to get away with their sins, and keep them secret, and cover them up, for as long as possible. They will not freely admit them, and forsake them, and abhor them, and turn away. But they will try to cover them up and hide them from public view, and will DENY that they committed them unless or until confronted with undeniable evidence. Then they will shed crocodile tears, and weep on cue.
The Attitude of Defiance and Arrogance
Such a person, whom I will not name, but who shows every indication of having sinned repeatedly and continuously, and never coming to true repentance, was once found to be guilty of repeated acts of adultery and seducing young college co-eds, virgins, into committing immoral acts with him. In some cases, he later threatened them with being cast out of the church if they ever said anything about it, or told their parents! He even forbad them "in the name of Christ" to say anything about it, on pain of eternal death in the lake of fire.
Such tactics worked to perfection for a while, as the young women were too afraid to say what had occurred to them. In some cases they even thought they were in "love" with the man.
But as Moses wrote in the book of Numbers, "You may be sure that your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Eventually, his long history of sexual abuse and sins became known. At the time of disclosure, however, he claimed it was only one woman, one case of adultery. And at a meeting of employees of his church organization, he was reacting strongly against professed "rumors" of his immoral escapades. At this meeting, which occurred in 1973, he denied the prevalent rumors and literally commanded any present to come to him personally if they had any doubts.
One young and naive individual took him at his word He worked for an evangelist in the church, and while his boss was out of town, he wrote a note to the man in question, to set up a meeting to discuss the matter. He wanted to know if the man had repeatedly engaged in adultery while a minister, as minister after high-ranking minister had told him personally. If so, he felt, the man could not continue to be a minister according to God's qualifications for the ministry listed in I Timothy, chapter 3.
Since the individual who was suspect was out of town at the time, a meeting was set up between the young man and two of the assistants of the evangelist in question. After the meeting occurred, and he told them of his doubts and questions, they did not give him any definite answers. When the individual returned to town, however, they reported to him what the young man had said.
The individual flew into a rage. With fury and volcanic temper, he immediately called the young man on the telephone. He shouted that he and his father were above the qualifications for the ministry as given in I Timothy 3, and that if the man had any more questions about his conduct, he would have to present them before him and his father personally. He said that anyone who would ask such questions was out of a job and out of the Church!
The young man who went through this harrowing experience, later wrote, "1 have never shaken so much in fear. I went home and fasted and prayed for three days." His immediate superior was subsequently put on a year's "sabbatical," ostensibly "for health reasons." The young man who dared to challenge the morality of the evangelist lost his job, but was later reinstated to church membership, but left again within a few years due to doctrinal changes in the Church.
The attitude of thinking one is "above the law" of God, and "above the qualifications for the ministry," is an attitude of supreme contempt for God's law, His truth, and His Word. It is an attitude of defiance, arrogance, pride, and presumptuousness. Such an attitude comes very close to being the unpardonable sin that Jesus spoke of, if it is not totally rooted out and completely repented of, before it is too late!
What is the "unpardonable" sin? It is more than just "sin of unrepentance," as some have suggested in the past. It is the sin of knowing the truth, and then putting oneself ABOVE THE LAW OF GOD AND THE TRUTH, -and consequently living a life of adultery, wickedness, immorality, lying, sedition, cruelty, and malicious, self-serving evil. It is the ATTITUDE OF BEING “ABOVE THE LAW” OF GOD!
It is the sin of turning one's back on Jesus Christ, His way, His example of humility, and obedience, and becoming proud, arrogant, and filled with ego like Satan the devil himself, and trampling on the blood of Christ, and condemning the Spirit. of grace. It is the sin of becoming a traitor of God and His Messiah, knowingly, and deliberately, as Judas Iscariot did.
Because Judas betrayed Christ, the Messiah, he lost his position as an apostle. He did not repent, as Peter did who denied Christ Although he felt a worldly sorrow at his own loss, he went and hanged himself (Acts 1:20; Matt27:1-5). His kind of sorrow resulted in suicide, not true repentance (compare II Cor.7:8-13). The man who commits the unpardonable sin, who betrays innocent blood, is described in Psalm 109, a type of Judas Iscariot, and which Peter quoted in Acts 1:20 as referring to Judas in principle.
Notice! He is the kind of person who speaks with a "lying tongue" and "words of hatred," and who, David wrote, "attack me WITHOUT CAUSE" (psalm 109:2-3). In exchange for friendship, they respond with accusation (verse 4). David declared, "They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship" (v.5).
The attitude of such a person, David described, beginning in verse 16: "For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted [demanding and extorting tithes from ~m, and threatening them with disfellowshipment, or spiritual "imprisonment" or punishment, for refusal to pay!]. He loved to pronounce a curse - may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing --may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil" (verses 16-18).
Woe To Those Who Cause Offences
Jesus Christ had severe warnings for those who would continue to sin, and engage in serious conduct unbecoming of a Christian, thereby bringing offences or causing offence to others who learned of their despicable conduct.
Jesus declared: "1 tell you the truth, Unless you CHANGE and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to SIN, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal life. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell" (Matthew 18:2-9).
May the Almighty God help us all to take these warnings seriously, and to learn to stand in awe of God, and His eternal Law, and to .love and appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. May God help YOU to love and serve Him, with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and to fear to commit sin or to engage in sinful acts or conduct, lest you become proud, and arrogant, and fall into the snare of the devil.
May God help us all, who love Him, so that we will not commit the presumptuous, defiant, premeditated, deliberate or willful sin that leads to eternal death and fiery destruction!
© 2024 Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..
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