The Unforgiveable Sin – Shaun Lindbergh

There is Only One Sin that God Cannot Forgive.

The Bible has many examples of God forgiving murderers, adulterers, liars, cheats and thieves; he even forgave those who crucified him.

Have no doubt that God is always willing to forgive sin, he understands our human weaknesses, but there is one sin, only one Sin (let's give it a capital 'S' for emphasis), that God cannot forgive; one Sin that excludes us from God’s presence in order to spare our lives. To harbour this one Sin in God’s presence, means certain death.

That Sin is REBELLION.

Rebellion against our Creator's divine authority; rebellion against the Author of Life!

The consequence of rebellion is exclusion from God's presence and protection; the result is suffering. The Bible is clear, all suffering in the world arises from humanity’s rebellion against God’s divine Law, what I call God's Simple Formula for a Perfect World.

Let's dig a little deeper.

The Holy Spirit’s work.

When speaking of the Holy Spirit’s work, Jesus said the following in John 16:8-11;

When He comes, He will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment;

concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;

concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;

concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The Holy Spirit’s first work in the world is to convict a rebellious humanity of its rebellious state, to uphold the righteousness of God’s divine Law, and to spell out the consequences of rejecting God’s divine authority.

Every sinful thought, word or deed is an unloving act; a breach of God's Law and an offence to God, self and others. When the Holy Spirit 'pricks our conscience' it is a signal to take heed, to listen and obey God's righteous Law. We step into rebellion the instant we reject the Holy Spirit's conviction; when we say "I have done nothing wrong!".

Jesus spells out the difference between forgivable sins and the one, Unforgivable Sin of rebellion when he said,

Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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)

God is always willing to forgive any sin provided the sinner is willing to accept personal responsibility when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin.

However, when a person through unbelief, rejects the Holy Spirit’s reproof, they are in rebellion against God’s divine authority. And being unrepentant, they stand condemned; not because they have sinned but because they have rejected God’s loving authority.

All sin is rooted in fear, not love.

God’s Love and Holiness.

God’s love draws all people to himself, but his holiness keeps the unrepentant sinner at bay.

Sin in no way diminishes God’s love; like a loving father, God’s love is unshakeable. When God showed his glory to Moses, he declared his divine essence as follows;

The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate, gracious and patient, abounding in steadfast love, faithfulness and forgiveness.
(Exodus 34:6-7)

However, rebellion excludes sinners from God’s presence because no unrepentant sinner can survive in the presence of God’s holiness; his absolute perfection. Exposed to the full force of God’s holiness, an unrepentant sinner would be destroyed in an instant; as if in a fiery furnace.

Rebellion is the reason God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden; they were banished, not because they sinned by disobeying God’s instruction, but because they refused to accept personal responsibility for their disobedience; Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake!

Our rebellious first ancestors could not remain in God’s presence and live; banishment from God’s presence was the only way for a rebellious humanity to survive until the time of God’s final reconciliation.

God’s Simple Restoration Plan.

Having given humans the awesome gift of Conscience, 'the knowledge of good and evil', God devised a simple way to reconcile and restore our loving relationship with him and each other whenever we misuse this knowledge; a four-step process that can be summed up in one word, REPENTANCE.

Jesus began his earthly ministry by calling people to repent;