Jesus Christ warned that in the future there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Some people who thought they would receive eternal life will end up being shut out of God’s Kingdom. They could have ruled the universe with Christ and the saints forever in the God Family, but instead they lose out on their salvation. They will have committed what is known as the unpardonable sin.
Did Solomon commit the unpardonable sin? What about Judas Iscariot? Many of God’s own people are now coming close to committing it, and for some it is already too late. Could you be committing it now? You need to know the answer to this because your eternal life is at stake.
Jesus Christ said there is one type of sin that can be forgiven, but another type that cannot be forgiven. The latter is the unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:31).
The Apostle John wrote, “If any man see his brother sin a sin [which is] not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death” (1 John 5:16).
So there are two types of sin: one that can be forgiven and one that can’t. The sin that can’t be repented of is the unpardonable sin, and will result in eternal death through the lake of fire.
Forgiveness of Sin
God says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God’s definition of sin is transgression of His law, as stated in 1 John 3:4. Only through true repentance toward God, which is the turning away from sin, and by the application of Christ’s sacrifice, which pays the death penalty in our stead, can we have that sin forgiven and be reconciled to God the Father.
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But with God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, if we walk by faith and obedience, the eternal death penalty is removed. Without true repentance, God will not forgive us.
Through repentance, baptism and the laying on of hands by a true minister of God, we receive the begettal, or a down payment, of God’s Holy Spirit. This is the begettal of eternal life. God expects us to grow spiritually, and subsequently the Holy Spirit, which is Christ in us, will increase. This comes about through faith and obedience. When we are resurrected to eternal life, we will be totally composed of spirit and unable to sin (1 John 3:9).
Most professing Christians will say that all you have to do is believe Christ is the Son of God and you’ll be saved. They quote Acts 16:31: “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” It does not say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are already saved.” It says, you will be saved. During His ministry, many believed on Christ , but they did not believe what He said. Yes, it is necessary to believe in Christ, but other scriptures clearly show that we must have faith and obedience. Believing that Christ is the Son of God, alone, does not save us: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).
Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Attitude of Obedience
God’s will is for man to be born again into the Kingdom, or Family, of God by way of a resurrection. But a condition on our part is to keep the commandments. “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). All precepts of God’s spiritual law hang on the framework of the Ten Commandments. God’s will is that we have an attitude, or desire, to keep His law.
There is war between two opposite attitudes:
1. The way of human nature. The way of self-centeredness, vanity, greed, envy. The way of getting for oneself to satisfy the ego and the five senses. It is the way of competition and strife—the way of Satan and sin.
2.The way of divine nature. This is implanted by the Holy Spirit and is the God-centered way of humility, exaltation of God, submissiveness to God; outgoing concern for our fellowmen; exercising the way of giving, helping, sharing and serving above self.
So a real Christian does not merely claim that title, but is led by God’s Spirit. Romans 8:14 states, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The question for us is, are we being led by God’s Spirit, or are we being led by the spirit of truth and error—our human nature? The answer to that question determines whether or not we are true Christians. Understand this clearly: If the Holy Spirit does not dwell in a person, he or she is not a true Christian. And God gives His Spirit only to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32).
If one has had the Holy Spirit and has let it diminish to the point of exhaustion, then that person is no longer a true Christian. He or she cannot be resupplied with that holy oil if it has been exhausted. The unpardonable sin would have been committed. God’s Spirit will not remain dormant in us. We must produce fruit to increase it, or it will become depleted. In his booklet What Do You Mean—“The Unpardonable Sin”?, Herbert W. Armstrong said, “You can’t put a cork over it and bottle it up.” It either increases or it decreases.
Let’s look at biblical examples of two men who had God’s Holy Spirit, whose sin is openly recorded, but did not commit the unpardonable sin.
King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, then had her husband, Uriah, murdered. David was sinning willingly, even though he had God’s Holy Spirit. Nathan the prophet dramatically pointed out God’s condemnation of him, which you can read in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. David’s response was immediate repentance, as he was very much aware that he was on the way to committing the unpardonable sin. In Psalm 51:11-12, David wrote: “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
The Apostle Paul likewise acknowledged his human nature: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Romans 7:19). Paul is saying that he experienced the pull of human nature warring against the converted mind, and, because of human weakness, he sinned.
Our human nature, with its pulls and temptations, is not removed after having received God’s Spirit. We still sin after baptism, through weakness, because we have human nature. However, we should immediately recognize that sin and turn from it, rather than make excuses for our disobedience. All sin still exacts the eternal death penalty unless and until we repent and God grants forgiveness. Repentance is a change of mind and attitude toward God and away from self. It means to come to see oneself the way God sees us and to start living God’s way of life, instead of the way of sin to which we are naturally drawn by our carnal human nature. The way of divine nature is to have the mind of Christ in us. We are to be continually in a repentant state, rather than one of self-justification and self-righteousness.
With sin, there is a difference between an act and an attitude. Now we are getting down to the crux of the matter of whether or not we are committing the unpardonable sin.
There are two types of sin:
1. Willing sin , through human weakness, which is pardonable. It is either sinning in ignorance, or sinning while being aware of breaking the law but fighting against it and losing the battle through human weakness.
2. Willful sin , where the sinner refuses to repent, knowing he or she is dealing with God, which is unpardonable.
Two Ways to Willful Sin
The first way to sin willfully is by deliberate choice. This could come through resentment and bitterness toward God, or toward some person you perceive has wronged you. If you feel resentful toward anyone, ask God to remove your sinful emotions immediately. Your bitterness may not harm some-one else, but it could destroy you forever!
Deliberate disobedience to God’s laws and doctrines—walking away from the truth—while rejecting repentance leads to the unpardonable sin. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1).
The other way to commit the unpardonable sin is through neglect.
The Holy Spirit will diminish in one whose relationship with Christ and the Father diminishes—one who neglects prayer, Bible study and fellowship with God’s people. If one gets too close to the unconverted world it is easy to backslide. Sports, entertainment and recreation can be healthy, but they should be kept in perspective and not dominate our focus at the expense of our relationship with God. “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (verse 14).
A person can also be led to sin willfully through self-deception and self-righteousness, where there develops a refusal to repent. This is the unpardonable sin! The result will be eternal death in the lake of fire.
A person who refuses to repent, when he knows the truth, commits the unpardonable sin. “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” (Hebrew 10:26).
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy [Spirit] shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy [Spirit], it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matthew 12:31-32).
The Greek word for blasphemy means intentional indignity of God or a sacred thing. During Christ’s ministry, the scribes and Pharisees knew their accusations were false and against the Son of God. They had the evidence that He was the Son of God, but they refused to accept Him and even plotted to murder Him. Sure, Christ was crucified by men in ignorance, and He said, “Father, Forgive them; for they know not what they do.” But although the religious leaders in Christ’s day did not have God’s Holy Spirit, they knew what they were doing was against the law and to the Son of God
This brings us to the question of the unconverted. Could they blaspheme the Holy Spirit and commit the unpardonable sin? Yes, that’s possible.
God says that the beast of Revelation and the false prophet are going into the lake of fire, because when Christ returns they are going to fight against Him, knowing that He is the Son of God and that He has come to rule. They will simply refuse to submit to Him. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [were], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
Did Solomon commit the unpardonable sin? Scripture does not reveal the answer. The same is true about Judas Iscariot.
Mr. Armstrong explained that if and when one won’t want to repent then he has committed the unpardonable sin! If he feels completely disgusted with himself, however, and of himself desires to repent and get back into God’s grace—He can!
If you are concerned that you have committed the unpardonable sin and want God’s forgiveness, then you probably haven’t committed it.
But remember Esau, who sought his inheritance and future with tears, yet lost it because it was too late!
The essence is to be in and stay in a humble, repentant attitude. You can’t afford to take chances on it! When you sin, don’t delay in getting back to our Father through Jesus Christ immediately and change!
Flee from committing the unpardonable sin!