If I ask most Americans if they are a “sinner,” I may get some pushback. But if I ask, “are you perfect?” Most will oblige and admit they “aren’t perfect” but that, “that’s human nature.” If I press on the imperfections and note that those are called “sin” by God, it’s likely many will fall back on “forgiveness.” Why after all wouldn’t God forgive? “I’m a pretty good person” after all.
There of course is forgiveness in God, but only by the narrow way of conviction, repentance, and rebirth in Christ. There are three sins, however, that will never be forgiven according to the God who has to do all the forgiving.
What are they?
1. If You Blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Blasphemy is a word which denotes a false accusation against an innocent party. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to say something plainly accomplished by God is done by the devil - the worst slander in God’s sight. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 12,
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Matthew 12:31-32
What had just provoked Jesus to say this is that he had just miraculously cast out a demon from a man, who under the power of that demon, was mute and blind until it was removed. When removed, the Pharisees said:
It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.
Matthew 12:24
This of course was to accuse Jesus’ power source, the Holy Spirit of being the devil, hence blasphemy. Since the Holy Spirit is the instrument of salvation (ie. going from spiritual death apart from Jesus, to a new creature believing in Jesus), blasphemy of the Holy Spirit means from the moment he sees that occur, he will never want to bring you to spiritual life and you will forever remain as you are. Don’t be that person.
To put it positively: when you see a miracle, or something clearly done with the signature of God, do not slander God by calling it the devil’s work. Generally I believe it mainly occurs when there is little room for doubting who the author of the event is, meaning you are intentionally (knowingly) slandering God the Holy Spirit, instead of merely speaking out of ignorance.
2. If You Receive Mark of the Beast.
The second sin you will never be able to repent or be forgiven from is to receive the mark of the beast. As a bit of background, the beast is essentially the devil in human form, and at some point he compels mankind to take a mark in order to “buy or sell.” In other words, if you want to be a respectable, functioning member of society, at this point you would be forced to have that number on your “hand or forehead” (Rev 13:17).
Interestingly, a major Evangelical, known for fierce positions on nearly every spiritual matter said,
"in the process of this the Antichrist establishes his rule and in order to function in the economy of the Antichrist you have to take the mark of the beast now the question is if you're living in the Tribulation Period and you take this mark in other words you identify with the beasts Empire will you still be able to be redeemed and I think the answer to that is yes yes otherwise there would be no salvation of anybody in the end of the tribulation so I don't think the fact that someone takes that is a sentence to it to permanency any more than you being a part of this world system once in your life means you have to be a part of the system all your life”
Excerpt from “John MacArthur Condemned By Friends & Himself”
Starting at 5:05 timestamp on YouTube.
None the less, the bible does not agree with Dr. MacArthur. Rather, the Bible states:
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
Revelation 14.9-12
In other words, this is another unforgivable sin, but really it’s in the same category as #1. It is another kind of blasphemy against the spirit, since this one says the works of the devil are the works of God, since Antichrist says he is God (2 Thessalonians 2.4). These persons, without exception or excuse, will “drink the wine of God’s wrath,” and will be “tormented with fire and sulfur” forever.
3. If You Become Judicially Hardened to the Spirit’s Work.
This particular one, is also in the same sort of category as #1, except this doesn’t have to be a single incident. Judicial hardening is describing the slow process of heart-petrification, meaning you hear a bit about Jesus here, and there, and want nothing of it. Eventually, there’s no more opportunities the Spirit will give.
The Epistle to the Hebrews speaks of Esau, son of Isaac and brother of Jacob, as exemplifying this,
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
Hebrews 12.15-17
Another passage from that letter describes the following,
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10.26-31
Thus this is an example of receiving some knowledge of truth both by interacting with the ideas of the Bible and resisting them and by sinning perpetually against the light of your own conscience.
Romans 1.18-32 describes God giving persons over to their base immoral desire as punishment. The end result of a lifetime of this is a hardening of the soul.
In other words: rocks don’t listen to sermons of how to be saved.
Here’s for the good news…
If I may say so myself, this topic is terrifying. I have much better hopes for you if you are reading this that you have not incurred the 3 sins God will not forgive.
If you’re wondering, ‘I hope I don’t get the punishment of never being forgiven,’ you are likely not in the three categories described above, because such persons don’t want forgiveness.
Understand, though, that there is a day when Jesus is going to judge you for everything you’ve ever done. The repayment of a single infraction of God’s standard is death forever.
Jesus is God in the flesh. He fulfilled the moral demands of God, his Father, the way no other human is capable. He is the only one God has ever accepted because of good works. In addition, Jesus received the punishment for those who would trust in him as though he had done all their guilty deeds.
All the things God can never accept and will punish people in hell for - the impeccable Jesus received their punishment of the wrath of God on the cross. Jesus died, which is a punishment for being a sinner, in their place, so that all who die while trusting Christ may rise in a resurrection like his. By placing trust in Jesus, that death he died could be on your behalf. The evil you do against God with your life, moment by moment, every day, could be placed legally on Jesus at the moment of his crucifixion. He’s happy to receive the sin of his people, give them his moral goodness, so that we can join his family and be accepted by his Father, who is YHWH, the only God and creator and sustainer of the world.
This begins with a serious acknowledgement. You cannot be saved by your abilities. You are worthless before God in your own being, and doing. It is an impossibility to be accepted before God because of something you do or are. Even the best works of human are filth to God. Reach out to Christ in desperation, look on his sufficiency, let him take the filth, the burden, the darkness. Impossible. But possible. Only with God’s mercy, His freedom to save.
Amen.
S.D.G.
Email me if you want to talk more: nate@Jesuspeoplesf.com