The Unpardonable Sin

Have you ever read a passage in scripture and it seems to contradict what you know to be true based on other passages? It's happened to me a few times and most have been explained to me. Sometimes it's the perspective of the writer that does it. Sometimes it's the English translation that causes the confusion. Be aware that these were letters written to the churches. They did not have chapters, verses or subject titles. Therefore thoughts get separated in our English Bible that were together in Greek or Hebrew.

Jesus says in Mathew 12:32"Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

This appears to contradict 1 John 1:9 where we are promised to be cleansed from all unrighteousness.

Today's devotional is from Charles Stanley. He proves that sometimes the answer to the confusion is right in the text and one only need to pay attention to context to get the meaning.

I have pasted the passage below and then copied the devotional in it's entirety.

Mathew 12:22 Then a demon-possessed man who as blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that he mute man spoke and saw. 23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" 24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons." 25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand ? 27 "If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

The Unpardonable Sin

30 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.31"Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32"Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

July 28
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Matthew 12:22-32

In Matthew 12, Jesus talked about the unpardonable sin. Christians sometimes misconstrue His comments and end up fearful that they could commit an unforgivable offense. The context of today's passage helps us understand why that is not the case.

Christ used the power of the Holy Spirit to heal a demon-possessed man who was deaf and mute. Amazed onlookers began to suspect He was the promised Messiah (v. 22), so religious leaders tried to quell the crowd's growing excitement: they claimed the Lord was Satan's fellow worker, who had used the Devil's power to accomplish this miracle. Christ refuted their statement and in verse 32 said, "Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him."

Jesus' comments addressed a very specific situation unique to His time. Though the Pharisees had themselves seen the Lord heal many people through the Spirit, they attributed the miraculous work to Satan. Jesus declared that this sin—claiming that God's Holy Spirit was the unclean spirit of the Devil—was unforgivable.

The sin was blasphemy, done deliberately and without repentance, by knowledgeable religious people, despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary. This situation—personally witnessing Jesus' miracles and blaspheming the Spirit—cannot be repeated today.

Numerous New Testament verses assure us that no iniquity committed today is beyond the scope of divine forgiveness. The unpardonable sin Jesus referred to was something that could take place only when He lived on earth. So if guilt threatens to overwhelm you, read Romans 8:1 with gratitude.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visitwww.intouch.org.

Watch Online Videos of Dr.Charles Stanley and In Touch Ministries at LightSource.com
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