How Unforgivable Is The Unforgivable Sin?

Mt 13:32...one reason why I love all you ex-preachers...”Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” Notice he doesn't say “who has been instructed in scriptures” or “interpretations” or “law”...they are those who knew the law, and found the new wine...



They have been forgiven of the unforgivable sin.



Let me explain. I really should start by addressing the New Covenant, and because this will mostly be read by those who hopefully by experience will already have a clue what I'm talking about, I'll just hit it briefly. In the New Covenant, just what is it?

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

How much though, have we really considered just what this means? Our minds and hearts are already endowed with the knowledge of right and wrong, and a craving for communion with our God. We don't need a list of rights and wrongs to follow, we just need to live with God. He knows we'll be caught up in the flesh, we live in it, but the longer we go in our walk, the more experience we have with him, the more we become spiritually minded. The law was at odds with this. Following a set of rules did nothing for the heart, did nothing for compassion for our brothers, much less our enemies. His goal is to win over all mankind, and having the leaders rule over them with the rod of the law, the iron fist, failed to win over the hearts and minds of the people.



What I am going to get into here, I do so with the understanding that the New Covenant understanding is already there for the listener. What seals the New Covenant, and from where does it draw it's power to shape our hearts and minds into one mind with God? You know the answer, the Holy Spirit, but how much do Christians today really give credit to that power? I am pleased to know many who regularly listen and give credence to the voice of the Spirit. But among most, that power is denied by the following of principles, rules, maintained impressions (maintaining a 'right' standing with other believers being more important than their standing with their God), works, effort in gaining not just salvation, but status. The majority of Christians are followers, sheep, who live their lives by what they are taught. Many make this work, their hearts allowing them to remain pure, and the Spirit still does His work in them. Most do not. In their lives, they'll have some secrets that they won't share with their brethren, because they know condemnation would result, and so they condemn themselves and live a phony life. For these people, their shepard is their only way to the Kingdom and peace.



And so the leaders of the faiths, who society has always given authority to, are responsible if they set themselves into that position. And if they are within the confines of established doctrines, they are likely also not within the truth and are powerless to actually do anything for these people. Such was the situation with the Pharisees. They were schooled in their law, and experts in it. But as leaders (or servants, as God puts it) of the people, they fail because they don't know God. Today, it's even worse, because in teaching a form of law and regulation, in preaching guilt,condemnation, and fear, they also deny the Holy Spirit the right to do the healing He will do, because the voice of God has become the voice of the preacher. They are a house divided against themselves. They preach the power of the Holy Spirit, while denying it at the same time.



Understand, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom weren't given to the religious leaders. They were / are for the most part ignorant and wouldn't be held accountable. But because they SAY they know, they are held accountable for each person they keep from the Kingdom. Each one of those people live in some form of hell, torment in their minds. Each one could be healed with one understanding of God's love for them. They are trying to find God, and are being shut out. John chapter 16 describes the work of the Holy Spirit. But a person won't listen if they don't think there is anything to listen to, and won't put their faith in it.



Now look at John 9:41...”If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” He said this to the Pharisee's who were with a man he was talking to. Until such time as they admit to their spiritual blindness, and receive instruction in the Kingdom of God instead of the Law, their guilt remains. They cannot be forgiven. Why? Because they deny the Holy Spirit, they deny His power and claim it for themselves.



Now let's read the unforgivable sin: “So Jesus called them and spoke to them in PARABLES; 'How can Satan drive out Satan? (How can an earthly teacher heal the spirit?) If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. (You could read this: all the sins and blasphemies of the sheep will be forgiven them). But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.' He said this because they were saying, 'He has an evil spirit.'”



Who said he had an evil spirit, and to whom was Jesus speaking? Vs 22, the teachers of the law, of course. The teachers of the law in Jesus day had taken up the doctrine of eternal torment. In fact, in every instance of Jesus using the idea of a place of torment like this, he was speaking in a parable to the Pharisee's.

That is a clue right there.



Isaiah chapter 28, a condemnation of the teachers of the law, drunk on their doctrines, lording over the people as masters instead of servants, speaks to this as well. “hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it...The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.” Read the chapter, it's pretty obvious who he is speaking to.



The teachers of the law, they deny the Holy Spirit and take the glory for themselves. They shut the doors to the Kingdom. Those who do so in ignorance, will be forgiven. Those who claim they know, won't be. At least until they humble themselves and acknowledge that they were wrong. It is the only thing God didn't throw a blanket over with his forgiving our sins. So if you say you KNOW, make sure you KNOW. :)

1 Jn 5:14...”This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him. If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life.” Notice, we don't go point out the sin to our brother here, but hand it over to the Spirit of God. (True story: years ago someone I knew and was close to, was involved in something that bothered me. I prayed about what to do about it, and one day an opportunity opened up for me to speak to that person. I took their bible, and opened it to the verse that I was going to use to show them the error, and the very verse I was going to use was highlighted! I knew right then that God was already speaking to them about it...said never mind and never brought it up again. To my knowledge, until their dying day that person was never involved in that issue again.) The reason I give you this story, is because it illustrates the principle outlined here, that the Holy Spirit really does deal with us.
“There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.”
The problem? That sin is never specifically spelled out, beyond blashemy of the Spirit. It is obvious, from the context in 1 John, however, that it involves not being able to hear the Spirit, becoming so calloused that God can't get through to you.

A friend, posted this:
"The "blasphemy" of the Holy Spirit was not an unforgiveable sin. It was a "consequence" not a sin. That consequence would not be forgiven or taken away.
They went down in history as ones that had crucified the Lord of Glory and rejected him.
The meaning is historical and was for apostate Israel only.
All manner of sin was forgiven but not this historical consequence.
This answers to the "shame" that is spoken about so many time in the OT. Like here:

Eze 16:62 And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I [am] the LORD:
Eze 16:63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy SHAME, when I am PACIFIED TOWARD THEE FOR ALL that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

It is through this historical "shame" that old covenant Israel has its mouth shut, yet they are fully forgiven.

From the audience relevance of the time, the rejection of the miracles of Jesus through the spirit was the rejection of Jesus as the Lord of Glory. Rejection of a mind and heart change.
This was forgiven as sin but not taken from history. Legacy for these people WAS EVERYTHING. And Legacy was egoic for them and this answers to their egoic based shame."


Now, with callousness of the heart in mind, and also bearing in mind what was said in his comment, read the short little book of Jude. If you've never read Josephus, his account of the end of the temple illustrates this perfectly. They not only got rid of anyone in their camp who might have some semblance of God's knowledge, but ignored some pretty passionate pleas from Josephus and even Titus.