The Unpardonable Sin

Weeping and crying this person is sitting in my office obviously very upset. They were concerned that they had committed the unpardonable sin and was filled with overwhelming sorrow. After hearing about their sin I insured them that the sin they had committed was not unpardonable or unforgiveable but it was a sin that needed to be confessed and repented of.

This brings us to the question, “What is the Unpardonable Sin?” If you read in  Matthew 12, Mark 3 and Luke 12 they all deal with this very important question. What sin is so great that Jesus Christ said it could not be forgiven? When Jesus makes this bold statement He is responding to how the Scribes and Pharisees have rejected the work of the Holy Spirit that was being done through His ministry.  What we have here is the Pharisees, the religious leaders, the ones who studied and knew the Word of God better than anyone.  They were the ones who knew the works of God, the miracles of God, the way God could work on behalf of men and yet attributed all that the Holy Spirit was doing through Jesus Christ, not to God but to the Devil.

This was not a sin of impulse or ignorance but of willfully rejecting the truth  concerning the life and ministry of Jesus that according to Acts 10:38 was done by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. They had heard His teaching, saw His life, seen His miracles, knew how He had fulfilled the Messianic prophecies and yet they refused to  accept the spiritual truth and knowledge that was right there before them.

When a person has heard, has seen, has been given the truth but not only refuses the truth but says it is all a work of the Devil there is no forgiveness available for him. He has rejected the truth and the author of truth and has even gone another step to proclaiming that the Holy Spirit, the active presence of God and all this is good is from the Devil.  When a person who truly knows the truth concerning the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit and yet proclaims it to be of Satan that person is not able to receive forgiveness. They have rejected the truth and accepted proclaimed the lie.

Psalms 52:3 “You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness.”

Isaiah 5:20-21 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;  Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;  Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,  And prudent in their own sight!”

Malachi 2:17 “You have wearied the LORD with your words; Yet you say, “ In what way have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “ Everyone who does evil Is good in the sight of the LORD, And He delights in them,”
 
 
I heard people say, "God knows my heart" when they did something that was very thoughtful and kind, but others were questioning their motives. The person who did right was secure in knowing that God knows why they did what they did even though others may question their motives. Then I have known and heard others who would say and do whatever they wanted to say and do whatever they wanted to do and just sort of shrug their shoulders and say the same thing, "well God knows my heart."

It is a very true statement that God knows your heart. God knows you better than you know yourself. Listen to the advice of King David is giving his son Solomon. 1st Chronicles 28:9, "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts." David was saying, "You may be king, you may be a shepherd, you may be a common person, but the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts."

In other words, you can't con God. You can't fool God. You can't pretend with God. God not only sees what you are doing, but He also searches and understands the motives and thoughts behind what is being said and done. There are many people who think that they are pulling something over on God. They live the way they want, say what they want to say, do what they want to do with their time, their talents and their money and then wave this magic wand saying, "well, God knows my heart."

Let me assure you, that yes God does know your heart. Listen to what God says about the heart of man. Isaiah 29:13 (NLT) "And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote." God knows where our heart is. God does not want our money. God does not want our singing, our worship, our praise just to fill the air with sound. God is looking at our hearts and looking to see if we are drawing closer to Him or are we just going through religious rituals.

I didn't know any better. I didn't realize. I didn't think it really mattered. Listen to what God's Word says in Proverbs 24:12 (NLT) "Don't excuse yourself by saying, "Look, we didn't know." For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve." You can't fool God. You may fool your family, your church, your pastor and you may even fool yourself, but you can't fool God. Confess your sin and receive God's forgiveness. Start today with a clean heart.