The unforgivable sin

[plalo]

I read about this sin in the bible which cannot be forgiven. The bible called it blasphemy
against the holy spirit. I heard people say if you are worried about it mean you haven't
committed it. but I don't feel much conviction of sin or godly sorrow. Does it mean I had already committed it?

 

[RC1970]

I read about this sin in the bible which cannot be forgiven. The bible called it blasphemy
against the holy spirit. I heard people say if you are worried about it mean you haven't
committed it. but I don't feel much conviction of sin or godly sorrow. Does it mean I had already committed it?

No. Your sins are forgivable, you just need to be able to admit that you are in need of forgiveness and then seek it.

 

[freezerman2000]

Being so selfish as to take your own life?Before God's plan for you is finished?

 

[Norbert L]

I read about this sin in the bible which cannot be forgiven. The bible called it blasphemy
against the holy spirit. I heard people say if you are worried about it mean you haven't
committed it. but I don't feel much conviction of sin or godly sorrow. Does it mean I had already committed it?

When you reach the mental state where you are totally convicted that this sin is truly the righteous path towards life and the God of Israel is the liar, then you're committing the unpardonable sin.

 

[freezerman2000]

What sin may that be?

 

[BroIgnatius]

The unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) is final impenitence, that is, to die refusing God's grace. The only reason that it is unforgivable is that if one dies rejecting God there is no second chance after death.

If one's heart is so hardened that one will die unrepentant 25 years from now, it can be said that the person is committing the unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) now. But, no one can know that but God. For us, there is always hope for someone, even if they seem intransigent in their rejection of God. Thus, we always pray for them.

All other sins, no matter how evil or hideous, may be forgiven. This is God's promise in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This is God's promise and God does not lie; He keeps His promises.

It is true that anyone who is worried about this has not committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. If a person's heart has been hardened to that degree, he will not care and certainly will not be worried about it.

 

[BroIgnatius]

I read about this sin in the bible which cannot be forgiven. The bible called it blasphemy against the holy spirit. I heard people say if you are worried about it mean you haven't committed it. but I don't feel much conviction of sin or godly sorrow. Does it mean I had already committed it?

See my reply above as to the definition and conditions for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. To answer your question directly, no, you have not committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. You do have other problems that need to be worked out, but this sin you have not committed.

 

[crossnote]

I read about this sin in the bible which cannot be forgiven. The bible called it blasphemy
against the holy spirit. I heard people say if you are worried about it mean you haven't
committed it. but I don't feel much conviction of sin or godly sorrow. Does it mean I had already committed it?

It seems to me that you are convicted that you are not feeling convicted...which is a good sign you have not committed the unforgivable sin.

 

[thesunisout]

I read about this sin in the bible which cannot be forgiven. The bible called it blasphemy
against the holy spirit. I heard people say if you are worried about it mean you haven't
committed it. but I don't feel much conviction of sin or godly sorrow. Does it mean I had already committed it?

The sin was committed by the pharisees who believed that Jesus Christ was casting out demons by Beelzebub. They actually believed that, whereas most people who think they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit don't believe that and never would.

My advice to you is to start praying to God and asking Him reveal Jesus Christ to you as your Lord and Savior. Cry out to Him and seek Him with your whole heart. God bless!

 

[BroIgnatius]

The sin was committed by the Pharisees who believed that Jesus Christ was casting out demons by Beelzebub. They actually believed that, whereas most people who think they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit don't believe that and never would.

My advice to you is to start praying to God and asking Him reveal Jesus Christ to you as your Lord and Savior. Cry out to Him and seek Him with your whole heart. God bless!

The event of the Pharisees thinking Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebub is not "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" in itself. The Pharisees could be forgiven for that. The speaking against the Holy Spirit is to reject the Holy Spirit's invitation to salvation. It is unforgivable because this sin is committed upon death, and one cannot repent after death.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit is committed when someone dies rejecting God's grace, and, in some cases, have hearts so hardened that their rejection of God is written in stone and they will die unrepentant whenever they die sometime in the future.

 

[thesunisout]

The event of the Pharisees thinking Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebub is not "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" in itself. The Pharisees could be forgiven for that. The speaking against the Holy Spirit is to reject the Holy Spirit's invitation to salvation. It is unforgivable because this sin is committed upon death, and one cannot repent after death.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit is committed when someone dies rejecting God's grace, and, in some cases, have hearts so hardened that their rejection of God is written in stone and they will die unrepentant whenever they die sometime in the future.

Not according to the scripture:

Mark 3:28-30

28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

That is the example of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit according to Jesus Christ. I have actually told people the same thing you are telling me, and the Spirit is convicting me that it is wrong. The scripture doesn't tell us that is what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is. It is directly telling us right here that the Pharisees may have been committing it by claiming Jesus had an unclean spirit.

That is not the same thing as rejecting Jesus Christ. If you commit the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit when you are alive you can never be forgiven. Even if you wanted to accept Christ, the scripture says that you can not be forgiven because you have committed an eternal sin. That isn't when you die, that is while you live. So the idea that it is rejecting Christ and that it is unforgivable because it happens at death does not match what the scripture says.

I think Christians have come up with the rejecting Christ explanation because it isn't commonly understood what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is and so many out there are afraid they have committed it. It is an easy answer to give someone to assure them they can still be forgiven. However we should never go beyond what is written or come up with ad hoc explanations that seem to fit some of the criteria. We are at that point misleading people even if we had good intentions.

 

[BroIgnatius]

Not according to the scripture:

Mark 3:28-30

28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

That is the example of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit according to Jesus Christ. I have actually told people the same thing you are telling me, and the Spirit is convicting me that it is wrong. The scripture doesn't tell us that is what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is. It is directly telling us right here that the Pharisees may have been committing it by claiming Jesus had an unclean spirit.

Well, you are incorrect. If that were true, then God is speaking with forked tongue. 1 John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

This is a promise of God. Either this is true or God is a liar.

The only sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin of not asking for forgiveness. Anyone, no matter what the sin, can ask for forgiveness, and if they do 1 John 1:9 promises that they will be forgiven.

What you have done is precisely what you said. You are going "beyond what is written or come up with ad hoc explanations that seem to fit some of the criteria."

What is going on in this Passage. How is it to be interpreted. The question we have is how can it be that these scribes could not be forgiven when we know for a fact that God can forgive any sin (1 John 1:9)

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Navarre Bible Commentary, and the Ignatius Catholic Study BIble answers this question:

1864

"Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." (Mt 12:31; cf. Mk 3:29; Lk 12:10.) There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. (Cf. John Paul II, DeV 46) Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.

From the Navarre Bible Commentary:

Jesus has just worked a miracle but the scribes refuse to recognize it "for they has said 'He has an unclean spirit'" (v. 30). They do not want to admit the God is the author of the miracle. In this attitude lies the special gravity of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit -- attributing to the prince of evil, to Satan, the good works performed by God himself.

Anyone acting in this way will become like the sick person who has so lost confidence in the doctor that he reject him as if an enemy and regards as poison the medicine that can save his life. That is why our Lord says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven : not because God cannot forgive all sins, but because that person, in his blindness towards God, reject Jesus Christ, his teaching, and his miracles, and despises the graces of the Holy Spirit as if they were designed to trap him.

From the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:

[The scribes] sin is not unforgivable in principle since no sin can place us beyond the reach of God's mercy. However, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a form of rebellion that is particularly grievous because it blinds people to their own need for forgiveness; in this case, sins are unpardonable when they are not confessed with contrition.

With genuine confession comes forgiveness (1 John 1:9), but these people never confess their sin and never ask God for forgiveness. When they reject God's forgiveness unto their death, there can be no second chance. Their decision to reject God becomes permanent; it cannot be forgiven at that point, that is, after death.

 

[thesunisout]

Well, you are incorrect. If that were true, then God is speaking with forked tongue. 1 John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

This is a promise of God. Either this is true or God is a liar.

The only sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin of not asking for forgiveness. Anyone, no matter what the sin, can ask for forgiveness, and if they do 1 John 1:9 promises that they will be forgiven.

What you have done is precisely what you said. You are going "beyond what is written or come up with ad hoc explanations that seem to fit some of the criteria."

What is going on in this Passage. How is it to be interpreted. The question we have is how can it be that these scribes could not be forgiven when we know for a fact that God can forgive any sin (1 John 1:9)

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Navarre Bible Commentary, and the Ignatius Catholic Study BIble answers this question:



From the Navarre Bible Commentary:



From the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:



With genuine confession comes forgiveness (1 John 1:9), but these people never confess their sin and never ask God for forgiveness. When they reject God's forgiveness unto their death, there can be no second chance. Their decision to reject God becomes permanent; it cannot be forgiven at that point, that is, after death.

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours

The scripture here says that if you do not forgive others, you will not be forgiven for your sins either. This, like the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is not contradicting 1 John 1:9. It is simply a stipulation that God has put upon it, that if we refuse to forgive God won't forgive our sins. A stipulation is not a contradiction.

The problem with your interpretation is that the scripture doesn't say any of that. We know from the scripture that Jesus spoke about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit because the pharisees said He had an unclean spirit. He didn't condemn them for their unbelief in that passage, he was referring to their belief that he was casting out Satan by Satan. The commentaries that you referenced are not justified in their conclusion, because they are inferring the meaning from other scriptures rather than dealing directly with what the text actually says.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I read about this sin in the bible which cannot be forgiven. The bible called it blasphemy
against the holy spirit. I heard people say if you are worried about it mean you haven't
committed it. but I don't feel much conviction of sin or godly sorrow. Does it mean I had already committed it?

Let's put it this way, a pretty common way of looking at it would be this: If someone, ultimately, stands before God at the Judgment and still insists on refusing forgiveness and grace, even though God were to welcome them freely, that would be--in essence--the unpardonable sin. That is, the sin is unpardonable not because God is unable or unwilling, but because we ourselves refuse forgiveness, refuse His kindness, and make a deliberate, conscious, unchanging choice.

The point is this, when people say "if you are worried about it it means you haven't committed it" they aren't just talking about how you feel at the moment (though it is usually said in this fashion to bring comfort to those who are afraid they have done it, to assure them they haven't), it's about the fact that the sin is considered unpardonable because we deliberately choose to reject God's pardon. It's not about, right now, you don't particularly feel conviction or sorrow over your sin; because that could change at any time or sometime far in the future. It's about a particular kind of insistent, deliberate rejection of God; a knowing rejection of God. When that particular group of religious leaders told Jesus that He was doing what He was doing by the power of the devil, He tells them that blasphemy against the Son of Man (Himself) will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit won't be forgiven. This is best understood as a warning, by accusing Jesus of this they were blaspheming Him, that was forgivable; but their attitude here demonstrated a deeper hardness of heart toward God and the work of God, and it is this that could, eventually, lead them to completely and knowingly rejecting God.

So, again, the issue isn't whether God can or is willing to forgive (He can, and He is), the issue hinges entirely on ourselves.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[ViaCrucis]

The event of the Pharisees thinking Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebub is not "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" in itself. The Pharisees could be forgiven for that. The speaking against the Holy Spirit is to reject the Holy Spirit's invitation to salvation. It is unforgivable because this sin is committed upon death, and one cannot repent after death.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit is committed when someone dies rejecting God's grace, and, in some cases, have hearts so hardened that their rejection of God is written in stone and they will die unrepentant whenever they die sometime in the future.

I probably should have just agreed with this, as it's a lot more succinct than my response.

I think also that we should be careful in assuming that the Pharisees had committed this sin, the text doesn't say that as far as I'm aware, rather Jesus says that every blasphemy will be forgiven, even blasphemy against the Son--so the Pharisees particular blasphemy in accusing Christ of doing His works by the power of the devil is such a blasphemy. What Jesus offers is a warning, that blasphemy against the Spirit won't be forgiven, that warning was relevant to the Pharisees because their present opposition to the power and work of God through Christ could, eventually, result in a total and deliberate rejection of God's gracious salvation--thereby blaspheming the Spirit, and choosing to not be forgiven and dwell outside of God's peace in the future world.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[BroIgnatius]

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours

The scripture here says that if you do not forgive others, you will not be forgiven for your sins either. This, like the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is not contradicting 1 John 1:9. It is simply a stipulation that God has put upon it, that if we refuse to forgive God won't forgive our sins. A stipulation is not a contradiction.

The problem with your interpretation is that the scripture doesn't say any of that. We know from the scripture that Jesus spoke about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit because the pharisees said He had an unclean spirit. He didn't condemn them for their unbelief in that passage, he was referring to their belief that he was casting out Satan by Satan. The commentaries that you referenced are not justified in their conclusion, because they are inferring the meaning from other scriptures rather than dealing directly with what the text actually says.

The passage in Matthew is describing a sin that can be forgiven. We can confess the sin of unforgiveness. But, if we persist in the sin of unforgiveness, which is what Jesus is talking about, and die with that grave sin on our soul, we are lost.

That is the same as the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is the persistence of the person to reject the Holy Spirit's offer of salvation.

Both instances are consistent with 1 John 1:9 as both scenarios involve dying rejecting God's salvation.

You keep ignoring the mechanism of the unforgivable sin. How can it be unforgivable? It can only be unforgivable if the person rejects God and dies rejecting God.

Any other interpretation ignores the totality of the teaching on salvation as taught in God's Word, and is thus a man-made notion.

 

[thesunisout]

You keep ignoring the mechanism of the unforgivable sin. How can it be unforgivable? It can only be unforgivable if the person rejects God and dies rejecting God.

That isn't what the text says, either in Matthew or for the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't say that it is unforgivable because it is when you die rejecting God. You have added that to the text.

 

[BroIgnatius]

That isn't what the text says, either in Matthew or for the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't say that it is unforgivable because it is when you die rejecting God. You have added that to the text.

Well, you can have whatever opinion you want. I will choose to believe all that the Scripture teaches, without contradiction, and the Catholic Church, which has been given by the Holy Spirit the charism of officially interpreting the Faith. End of discussion as far as I am concerned.

 

[thesunisout]

Well, you can have whatever opinion you want. I will choose to believe all that the Scripture teaches, without contradiction, and the Catholic Church, which has been given by the Holy Spirit the charism of officially interpreting the Faith. End of discussion as far as I am concerned.

We fundamentally disagree on your point about the Catholic church, but I hope that we can both agree that Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose again on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of God in Heaven as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

 

[BroIgnatius]

We fundamentally disagree on your point about the Catholic church, but I hope that we can both agree that Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose again on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of God in Heaven as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

Yes, we agree on that. But, the reason that you know that is because of the Catholic Church as it is the Catholic Church that gave us the New Testament and decided which of the many letters distributed at the time were actually inspired Scripture, and who defended this doctrine and other doctrines against the heretics at the time.