Can the Unpardonable Sin be duplicated today?

[Jim B]

Matthew 12
31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

So, what is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Over the years I have heard a lot strange ideas about the “unpardonable sin.”

My feeling (currently) is that there is no sin beyond the grace of God. Where sin abounds grace abounds more.

I tend to agree with Charles Stanley (I know, I know, he’s not a Charismatic) who commented on Matthew 12.31-32 at his website:

The term blasphemy may be defined "defiant irreverence." We would apply the term to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading things considered holy. In this passage the term refers to the declaration of the Pharisees who had witnessed undeniable evidence that Christ was performing miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet they attributed the miracles to Satan. In the face of irrefutable evidence they ascribed the work of the Holy Spirit to that of 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 instead of acknowledging Jehovah God, 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. This incident, I might add, is the only one in which a sin is declared unforgivable. The Bible states, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall 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.​

So, what are your views?

\o/

 

[Svt4Him]

I believe to reject the Holy Spirits work to teach about Christ is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The reason it's unforgivable is because one rejects the One who offers forgiveness.

 

[Protestant Minister]

It's essential that all verses in the New Testament be accepted,not just those we enjoy.If the process of salvation is as simple as "whosoever calls on the name of the lord shall be saved"then most of the rest of the bible can be discarded.Jesus also said,"it is as hard for a rich man to get into heaven as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle"(in biblical days tall walls were built to keep out large animals,the walls having small holes in them,called the eye of the needle,through which people could bend over and walk through)It's very re-assuring to know that our politicians will be left behind to maintain the nation in a state of hate and war while true Christians are in heaven worshiping God.
Unfortunately it's very common even for some Christians to deny miracles performed by the Holy Spirit.Some make-believe Christians believe the Holy Spirit is dead so that explains why we never see His miracles any more.Some slander the ministers of the churches where Holy Spirit works occur claiming they are fake miracles ("he probably pays people to pretend they're healed") or even worse,attribute the working of the Holy Spirit,such as the speaking in tongues,to demon possession.This is clearly blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.And yes the bible does say that the sin can not be pardoned.

 

[flyfishing]

Matthew 12
31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

So, what is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Over the years I have heard a lot strange ideas about the “unpardonable sin.”

My feeling (currently) is that there is no sin beyond the grace of God. Where sin abounds grace abounds more.

I tend to agree with Charles Stanley (I know, I know, he’s not a Charismatic) who commented on Matthew 12.31-32 at his website:

The term blasphemy may be defined "defiant irreverence." We would apply the term to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading things considered holy. In this passage the term refers to the declaration of the Pharisees who had witnessed undeniable evidence that Christ was performing miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet they attributed the miracles to Satan. In the face of irrefutable evidence they ascribed the work of the Holy Spirit to that of 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 instead of acknowledging Jehovah God, 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. This incident, I might add, is the only one in which a sin is declared unforgivable. The Bible states, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall 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.​

So, what are your views?

\o/

I definitely believe it can, and has been.. I read quite a bit and have heard storys of people coming in to church during communion,mocking and the preacher warning them to stop. They did not and God smote them dead. I suppose they made it to heaven though...

 

[lilbobby86]

I believe that anybody who agrees to turn from their wicked ways and comes to the Lord in forgiveness is forgiven from ALL sin. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit isn't forgivable becaue you can't really ask the Lord for forgiveness if you've denied your Holy Spirit. It's almost hard to explain, but in the long run, you must be forgiven if you've come to the Lord and asked for it.

 

[Jim B]

So, if the unpardonable sin is possible today (which I don’t believe it is, see OP), then …

How do you know if/when someone has committed it?

Do you know someone who has committed it?

Can a believer commit it?

How would I/you know I/you have committed it?

These are not idle questions. If people can committed a sin today for which there is no forgiveness we need to define precisely what it is and how we can identify it in others our ourselves.

\o/

 

[flyfishing]

So, if the unpardonable sin is possible today (which I don’t believe it is, see OP), then …

How do you know if/when someone has committed it?

Do you know someone who has committed it?

Can a believer commit it?

How would I/you know I/you have committed it?

These are not idle questions. If people can committed a sin today for which there is no forgiveness we need to define precisely what it is and how we can identify it in others our ourselves.

\o/

Jim my mind goes to annanias and saphira in the early church. They mocked the holy Ghost by lying to him.. Im not sure i have an all definitive answer as to what exactly it is but will meditate on it and post as i feel quickened to do so.

I do feel that questioning a miracles authenticity is not this sin. i have seen a lot of questionable "miracles" that somehow in my spirit i was getting discernment on but not a word of wisdom. I know that I once had a struggle for fear i had done it.. President of class at the bible school i attended actually went on a date that he knew was not Gods will for him to marry and did no sexual contact but was feeling he had done the sin unto death..

This sin can be duplicated today i believe... When one really genuinely knows and then continually mocks he is in danger of stepping over that line. Also i would consider the example of eli and his sons, and the sons of aaron who ofered starnge inscence,and korah...

 

[1by1]

I was sitting here debating if I should tell you this story or not - not knowing if God wanted me to bring this up, because people generally dismiss everything I have to say and act like it's not important, or like it's wrong. I even thought to myself "why bother? Everyone always dismisses and discounts what I have to say anyway." The thought then came to me that people might dismiss what God has to say, too, sometimes, but that doesn't mean people shouldn't be told what He has to say. So maybe it was God telling me to relate this story, or maybe it wasn't. But I'm going to go ahead and tell it. It's nothing too earth-shattering, just a personal revelation I had years ago (back in the 80's).

I used to hear so much about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and how it was the unforgivable sin. Given that I have OCD, I have had tendencies to be obsessed by negative thoughts, and it isn't easy after having gone to a Pentecostal/AoG church hearing them tell people to rebuke the devil in the name of Jesus. I was told all my negative thoughts were the enemy, so I was always going around constantly rebuking the enemy, and not getting any peace because this disorder causes me to have so many negative thoughts, and I'm always fighting them. (OCD is more than just the compulsions to perform ritualistic behaviors, such as counting or cleaning, etc... It also involves obsessions, which are constant negative thoughts that intrude your mind, no matter how much you try not to have them.) The Pentecostal/AoG church almost sort-of brainwashed me into believing that every time a negative thought entered my mind, it was the devil and so I always went around saying "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" trying to get rid of the enemy. But it never stopped. Anyway, what I'm leading up to is this...

One day I was out driving around in a local park, and I can't remember the specifics, but given that I always used to be afraid that I had blasphemed the Holy Spirit, I was fighting some bad thoughts and rebuking the enemy as usual, and the thought came on really really strong that I had blasphemed the Holy Spirit. I kept trying to fight it, saying "no, I didn't. Now leave, in the name of Jesus." But the fear was very real that I had blasphemed the Spirit. Over and over, I rebuked it. I was very upset, and screaming for the enemy to "leave me alone in the name of Jesus".

What happened next was a revelation to me. As I was driving home, I was very upset, and scared. At the time, I didn't know what made me do it but I turned on the radio to a Christian station. I used to always like to listen to the J. Vernon McGhee program. The format of his program was almost always a sermon on one particular subject. This particular day, however, was different. He was doing a format in which he was reading the questions that various people had mailed to him, or called in to the show. Right when I turned on the radio, he was in the process of finishing up his answer to a question, and ready to read his next question. So when he read the next question, it was from someone who wanted to know what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was!! (I was amazed to hear that was the question, particularly since I had been struggling so much with it in the moments up to turning on the radio.) The person asking the question also expressed fear that perhaps they had committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, too.

J. Vernon's answer blew me away! He said that it is no longer possible to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, because the circumstances under which it was possible are no longer present on earth.

To this very day, I believe with all my heart that God wanted me to turn on the radio at the specific time, so that I could hear his answer about the subject. Take it as you will, but I'm convinced that God spoke to me that day.

 

[Svt4Him]

So, if the unpardonable sin is possible today (which I don’t believe it is, see OP), then …why are you asking?

How do you know if/when someone has committed it? They die and they haven't repented and put their trust in Jesus

Do you know someone who has committed it? - too many

Can a believer commit it? - can a believer not believe? Nope, that's a contradiction.

How would I/you know I/you have committed it? - I think it'd be pretty clear. Do you believe Jesus is Lord and died for your sins?

These are not idle questions. If people can committed a sin today for which there is no forgiveness we need to define precisely what it is and how we can identify it in others our ourselves. - I agree.

\o/

Vernon's answer blew me away! He said that it is no longer possible to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, because the circumstances under which it was possible are no longer present on earth.

Well, with this intro, I fear answering, as obviously I'm going against a revelation from God. But my thought then is why did Jesus tell us this? Did G-d not have anything better to say, or does He just like talking? This line of thought is terribly dangerous, as it can then be used to pretty much excuse everything that Jesus had to say. Oh, you're homosexual? That's ok, because the circumstances that Paul was addressing don't exist anymore. Oh, you like gossiping? That's ok, we have different circumstances. And if G-d knew what families would be like these days, He certainly wouldn't mind affairs.

 

[Jim B]

So, if the unpardonable sin is possible today (which I don’t believe it is, see OP), then …why are you asking?

How do you know if/when someone has committed it? They die and they haven't repented and put their trust in Jesus

Do you know someone who has committed it? - too many

Can a believer commit it? - can a believer not believe? Nope, that's a contradiction.

How would I/you know I/you have committed it? - I think it'd be pretty clear. Do you believe Jesus is Lord and died for your sins?

These are not idle questions. If people can committed a sin today for which there is no forgiveness we need to define precisely what it is and how we can identify it in others our ourselves. - I agree.

\o/

Vernon's answer blew me away! He said that it is no longer possible to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, because the circumstances under which it was possible are no longer present on earth.

Well, with this intro, I fear answering, as obviously I'm going against a revelation from God. But my thought then is why did Jesus tell us this? Did G-d not have anything better to say, or does He just like talking? This line of thought is terribly dangerous, as it can then be used to pretty much excuse everything that Jesus had to say. Oh, you're homosexual? That's ok, because the circumstances that Paul was addressing don't exist anymore. Oh, you like gossiping? That's ok, we have different circumstances. And if G-d knew what families would be like these days, He certainly wouldn't mind affairs.

C'mon S., I know you can do better than this. I've followed your posts long enough to know that.

\o/

 

[Svt4Him]

Ya, but if you put that with what I said in the first post, it makes more sense. And thanks for the vote of confidence...

But there are still some issues that you didn't address. And here is the main one. If I'm correct in your belief, then what it would be saying is there was a time when God's grace didn't cover all sin, now it does. So when did it change, and why is Jesus clear that it's in this age, and the age to come? And if I die, and lived a life that rejects the Holy Spirit's teaching on Christ, thereby making me reject Christ, will I be forgiven of this sin?

 

[flyfishing]

It is not rejecting christ as saviour that is the unpardoanable sin but the sin of Blaspheming the holy spirit. That it a defeinite and outright portraying the work of the holy spirit as of the devil...

And there is a reason vernon mcgee does not believe this sin can be duplicated.. If i remember correctly he believes in eternal security..

 

[Svt4Him]

Ok, so would then rejecting what the Holy Spirit does blaspheming Him? If so, then what is He doing? He's convicting of sin, and teaching about Christ. To reject that is unforgivable, and if you die having done so, you will go to hell.

 

[flyfishing]

Ok, so would then rejecting what the Holy Spirit does blaspheming Him? If so, then what is He doing? He's convicting of sin, and teaching about Christ. To reject that is unforgivable, and if you die having done so, you will go to hell.

No Svt I dont believe so. In fact Christ honors the cold and hot not lukewarmers.. No if you reject salvation several times does not constitute unforgivable..It just means you were offered the way and you chose otherwise..

 

[LynneClomina]

Unfortunately it's very common even for some Christians to deny miracles performed by the Holy Spirit.Some make-believe Christians believe the Holy Spirit is dead so that explains why we never see His miracles any more.Some slander the ministers of the churches where Holy Spirit works occur claiming they are fake miracles ("he probably pays people to pretend they're healed") or even worse,attribute the working of the Holy Spirit,such as the speaking in tongues,to demon possession.This is clearly blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.And yes the bible does say that the sin can not be pardoned.

i believe this is the sin of blasphemeing the Holy Spirit.... it seems clear to me that that is what it is when it is read in context....

however, i do not believe that if one accidentaly attributes a work of the Holy Spirit to demon possesion, that they then lose their salvation because it is unforgivable.... it is our SIN NATURE that kept us out of heaven more so than our ACTS OF SIN. i just think it is going to be the one sin that God REMEMBERS FOREVER and we will eternally have SHAME for, but that we will realize forever the goodness of God even in that, that he still recieves us anyways....

and since that is what i believe the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, then i also look at my life and say, have I done it? probably.... so, the next question is, have YOU done it? doesnt that just PROVE how good God is that he recieves us anyways????

it doesnt say in my bible that if you are guilty of the unforgiveable sin that you are thus destined for hell. does it in any of yours???

 

[flyfishing]

i believe this is the sin of blasphemeing the Holy Spirit.... it seems clear to me that that is what it is when it is read in context....

however, i do not believe that if one accidentaly attributes a work of the Holy Spirit to demon possesion, that they then lose their salvation because it is unforgivable.... it is our SIN NATURE that kept us out of heaven more so than our ACTS OF SIN. i just think it is going to be the one sin that God REMEMBERS FOREVER and we will eternally have SHAME for, but that we will realize forever the goodness of God even in that, that he still recieves us anyways....

and since that is what i believe the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, then i also look at my life and say, have I done it? probably.... so, the next question is, have YOU done it? doesnt that just PROVE how good God is that he recieves us anyways????

it doesnt say in my bible that if you are guilty of the unforgiveable sin that you are thus destined for hell. does it in any of yours???

Let me clear something up. Those who do committ this sin do so knowingly..They have been warned,but mock anyway...

 

[LynneClomina]

Let me clear something up. Those who do committ this sin do so knowingly..They have been warned,but mock anyway...

hmmm, i know a lady that says all that holy roller stuff is flesh and/or demonic. she is a loving christian woman. she deliberately mocks the things that are done, like shaking in the Holy Ghost and slain in the Spirit stuff, because she really believes its demonic. she does not "know" she is mocking the holyspirit a fair portion of the time, and who is she to say what is or is not of the Holy Spirit? i think this teaching is more so that we will not say of other people, oh that is their flesh making them laugh, when it is truly the Holy Spirit doing something in them.

 

[Jim B]

hmmm, i know a lady that says all that holy roller stuff is flesh and/or demonic. she is a loving christian woman. she deliberately mocks the things that are done, like shaking in the Holy Ghost and slain in the Spirit stuff, because she really believes its demonic. she does not "know" she is mocking the holyspirit a fair portion of the time, and who is she to say what is or is not of the Holy Spirit? i think this teaching is more so that we will not say of other people, oh that is their flesh making them laugh, when it is truly the Holy Spirit doing something in them.

Back in my Pentecostal days, I would have thought that this woman had blasphemed the Spirit. In fact, I believed that anyone who objected to my particular slant on the Holy Spirit, the BHS, and spiritual gifts was pretty close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. When I once heard W. S. Criswell deliver a series of radio sermons refuting tongues (at least as I believed in them), I was horrified and thought that this great man of God had committed the unpardonable sin. Actually, I had, in fact, committed sin myself by passing unrighteous judgment on him.

Since I have yet to be persuaded otherwise on this thread, I still believe it is impossible to commit an unpardonable sin today (see OP) but am respectful of your right to disagree with me. I once firmly held your position also.

Now, if there is such a thing as an unpardonable sin -- and let’s face it, there is very little clear support for it in the NT except for a couple passages which are, at best, debatable -- I would think that it would be necessary for us to find out for certain what it is and how it can be committed – without question or debate – so that we can precisely warn people of what it is.

\o/

 

[Svt4Him]

No Svt I dont believe so. In fact Christ honors the cold and hot not lukewarmers.. No if you reject salvation several times does not constitute unforgivable..It just means you were offered the way and you chose otherwise..

No, but if you reject it and die, you will be beyond forgiveness. "If you reject who Jesus Christ is, you reject the one who offers forgiveness" is a pretty good saying.

and let’s face it, there is very little clear support for it in the NT except for a couple passages which are, at best, debatable --

Debatable? Then go to the original and follow the steps for understanding Scripture. And a couple passages are more than enough to say we must be born again. Actually, I can only find that in one passage, so does that mean there is little weight behind it?

 

[Jim B]

Debatable? Then go to the original and follow the steps for understanding Scripture. And a couple passages are more than enough to say we must be born again. Actually, I can only find that in one passage, so does that mean there is little weight behind it?

Okay then, I'll take the challenge. Would you mind showing those of us who may disagree where these scriptures are and their "original" meaning.

Seriously. This is not for debate. I would really like to know (although, if I disagree, I will probably debate the issue ).

\o/