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Christians: What is your view on the "unforgivable sin"?
This used to pose difficulty for me because Christ said that blasphemy against the Father AND against Him were forgivable, but blasphemy against the Spirit was not. What I could not understand that if all are God, then how could blasphemy against one person of God be forgiven, but blasphemy against another not be forgiven?
What dawned on my was the fact that to believe in God, and then to go further and believe in Christ requires a "leap of faith" where you go beyond what is absolutely provable to acceptance based on trust. Christ realized that not everyone would make that leap, and hence the reason that blasphemy against the Father and Son could be forgiven. Christ forgave the non-believing Jews and pagans who crucified Him from the cross "for they know not what they do."
However, the Spirit speaks to the heart of each individual through their consciences. No matter what faith or lack thereof everyone knows right from wrong. To blaspheme the Spirit then becomes to turn your back on His call through your conscience. It is to so dedicate yourself to evil that you have blacked out its call.
What are your opinions of this view? Or what different views can you offer that would explain how blasphemy against either of the first two persons of the Trinity could be forgiven, but blasphemy against the third not be?
conundrum: The things you cite are concerning CHRIST.... not the Spirit. The Spirit is not mentioned in any of those passages. I cannot think of a greater blasphemy against Christ and His teachings than His crucifixion. And yet from the cross Christ forgave them with the words "for they know not what they do." So obviously knowledge that Father exists in necessary to blaspheme against Him. Knowing that the Jesus was the Son of God is necessary to blaspheme against Him.
Likewise, you do not explain how, if all three are in fact God could a sin against the first two persons be forgiven, yet a sin against the third not be.
Rick: The passage you cite does not speak of the Trinity. How can a sin against one person of the trinity be forgiven, but a sin against another not be?
2 Answers
- ?Lv 79 years agoFavorite Answer
Jesus was quoting Numbers 15:30 when he spoke of an unforgivable sin, it is any sin that you commit knowing that you are sinning when you do it. There is no forgiveness for a willful act you have to pay for that sin yourself. If you do not make it right in this life you will have to pay for your sin in Purgatory.
- conundrumLv 79 years ago
You way off dave since you speaking of the " unforgivable sin".. absorb this..
Consider how that was the case when Jesus was on earth. God had empowered Jesus to perform thrilling miracles as a way to establish that he was the Messiah. For example, on a Sabbath day, he restored the sight of a man born blind. What a wonderful act of mercy! How appreciative the man was! He could see for the very first time! What, though, was the reaction of the religious leaders? John 9:16 relates: “Some of the Pharisees began to say [about Jesus]: ‘This is not a man from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath.’” How perverted their hearts were! Here a marvelous healing had taken place, but instead of expressing joy for the formerly blind man and appreciation for the healer, they condemned Jesus! By doing so, they doubtless sinned against the manifestation of God’s holy spirit, an unforgivable sin.—Matthew 12:31, 32.
Later, when those hypocrites questioned the formerly blind man about Jesus, the man said: “This certainly is a marvel, that you do not know where he [Jesus] is from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to this one. From of old it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind. If this man [Jesus] were not from God, he could do nothing at all.” How did the religious leaders respond? “In answer they said to him: ‘You were altogether born in sins, and yet are you teaching us?’ And they threw him out!” How lacking in compassion! They had stones for hearts. So Jesus told them that while they could see with their physical eyes, they were spiritually blind.—John 9:30-41. That these religious hypocrites were sinning against God’s spirit is readily seen on another occasion, when Jesus resurrected Lazarus from the dead. Because of that miracle, many of the common people put faith in Jesus. Note, however, what the religious leaders did. “The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Sanhedrin together and began to say: ‘What are we to do, because this man performs many signs? If we let him alone this way, they will all put faith in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’” (John 11:47, 48) They were worrying about their positions and prominence. At all costs they wanted to please the Romans, not God. So, what did they do? “From that day on they took counsel to kill [Jesus].”—John 11:53.
Was that all? No. What they did next shows how much they loved the darkness: “The chief priests now took counsel to kill Lazarus also, because on account of him many of the Jews were going there and putting faith in Jesus.” (John 12:10, 11) What incredible wickedness!
Hope this help..
Source(s): Truth.