“THERE ARE MANY QUESTION AND MYSTERIES IN THE BIBLE. 
IN PARTICULAR ARE THE QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE ‘UNPARDonABLE SIN’ AND THE ‘SIN UNTO DEATH.’ wHAT EXACTLY ARE THESE?”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about these two difficult truths taught in the Word of God, and how you can avoid them in your life as a Christian or non-Christian. Stay tuned!...

… As I’ve studied and preached the Bible for over three decades, I’ve often come across passages of Scripture that either mystify us, or cause us to wonder as to its meaning which eludes us. Yet these passages if studied carefully enough and following the rigid biblical rules of proper interpretation can be understood and wonderfully fitted into the whole scheme of God’s truth for eternity. In particular are two teachings of Scripture that have troubled many and frankly been taught erroneously for years. Permit me to speak to you today on them to bring you a better understanding of how they apply to mankind in general, but especially you and me. The portions of Scripture I’m going to talk about are found in Mat. 12:31-32, called “Blaspheming the Holy Spirit”, and 1 John 5:16-17, called the “Sin unto Death.” But first let’s listen to his…

… One day while Jesus Christ was speaking to his disciples and those who stood by to listen, He shocked His hearers by telling them God doesn’t forgive all sin.  He stated that there was some sin God would under no circumstances ever forgive in this life or even the next. Is it therefore possible one can cross a line by sinning this sin and forever be barred from forgiveness no matter what we believe, or cry out to God for? There are many people today who fear they have committed the UNPARDONABLE SIN as it is popularly labeled, and are in such a state.  Then there are others who fear that once they are saved from their sins, and received full forgiveness – now they are “on trial,” to see if they’ll continue to live a holy sinless life. If they fail, they will then commit what is called the “SIN UNTO DEATH,” found in John the apostle’s first epistle to the church. All this amounts to great uncertainty as to any Christian standing, or worse, the fear of being a “castaway” and dumped on the scrap pile of humanity in a terrible place called Hell where one will suffer forever and ever!

Now to begin “fearing” God and His actions is not a bad thing, nor something to slough off. In fact the Bible warns all His creation to be sure to “fear” God. The Bible says,

Rev 14:7 (NIV)   "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

The Greek word “fear” used in this text and many others, is not a call for God’s creatures to “shake in their shoes,” or to hide from a powerful being who has an uncontrollable temper. Rather the word means to hold in absolute respect and awe, a Being who has such tremendous power over our lives in life and death. In other words, be careful to “respect” God’s Person and Being. When you do, then God’s very promises of love, care, protection and provision can flow unimpeded to you. Now to sum up this characteristic of God, that benefits us as we fear God, we are told in Scripture,

1 John 4:8 (NIV)  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God loves His creation and all creatures He created. But He especially loves mankind the highest form of all creation. As such, God wants us to enjoy His blessings and gifts, and most of all He wants us to be with Him now and for eternity. Have you experienced and taken possession of this love? This can only happen when you become a Christian. There is no other way to receive God’s everlasting love to shine upon you than through faith and embracing the beliefs of Christianity. Does this mean Christianity is the exclusive way to God? The answer is yes! Peter the great apostle of the Lord cried out this truth one day and said by divine inspiration,

Acts 4:12 (NIV)  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Yet knowing this truth is all well and good. For once we become a Christian by surrendering our hearts and lives to the rulership of Jesus Christ, and accepting His death on a cross as the divine payment for our sins – what’s next? Do we just wait for Heaven and eternal life to be our possession? Do we carefully watch out that we don’t get on the “bad side” of God and then be cast away, or “lose” our precious forgiveness? Sadly, some Christian theologians and churches teach that once saved, a believer can have no assurance in this life that this is a done deal! From Roman Catholicism to other Christian perspectives, they teach salvation received on confession of faith is only probationary! From that point on, one must continue to obey God’s laws, and especially a church or denominations teachings about it. Failure to do so will bring loss of heaven and eternal life and more, to be cast way from God’s love forever and sent to a place called Hell and to suffer there forever and ever.

Do you know millions of professing Christians believe this and live in a state of fear, lest they commit the two sins found in the Bible called, “Blaspheming the Holy Spirit,” and the “Sin unto Death.” So let’s look at these two mysterious statements made by Jesus Himself and the apostle Paul speaking on behalf of God. We begin with Jesus’ words, commonly known as the “UNPARDONABLE SIN!”

Mat 12:31-32 (NIV)  And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

What exactly did Jesus mean? Well the answer is always found in the context of the passage. The first thing of positive note we are told by the Lord Jesus is that “people will be forgiven every sin.” That’s good news! God’s Word tell us there is no sin one cannot be forgiven of in this life. Now once that statement is made there is nothing that contradicts it. So what does Jesus go on to say? He tells mankind that there is “a” sin that can never be forgiven. Is this a contradiction? The answer is no, rather a clarification of sin and a qualification of what constitutes being forgiven. When Jesus said, “… anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” He is telling us about a particular sin that if committed banishes us from receiving forgiveness of all other sins. In other words, this is a sin that precludes receiving God’s forgiveness that only comes through receiving Jesus Christ into your life and Lord and Savior.

In other words, “blaspheming the Holy Spirit,” can only be committed in the state of unbelief, before one is actually saved. It is a sin that disqualifies anyone from being saved. So, if you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, and you’ve surrendered your heart to Him as your God and Savior, you CANNOT commit this sin! Well then, why did Jesus talk about it? The answer refers to those around Him when He gave this message. Remember, Jesus is God in human flesh, and during God’s earth walk He performed the great miracles of healing and re-creation before the eyes of those to whom God the Son spoke. Yet, in the midst of seeing God’s great “grace” and “gospel light,” the Jewish leaders stubbornly rejected God’s call to be forgiven by the One who revealed Himself to them --  as such they were in danger of committing this unpardonable sin, which is “attributing the divine holy work of God to the evil source of Satan.” Such a sin could not be forgiven for to commit it canceled any ability to accept and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. So in short, if you are saved, you can NEVER commit this sin, and for you ALL sin past present and future is forgiven for Jesus Christ paid for all your sins in death on that cross at Calvary . Listen to this great promise and truth…

1 Cor 15:3 (NIV)  “… Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,”

1 John 1:7 (NIV)  “… the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

1 Pet 3:18 (NIV)  For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

If you’ve put your faith and trust in Christ alone and not any church, denomination, religious persuasion, organization or guru – God tells us Christ’s death for sin is applied to your sin account and wipes away all sin past, present and future that would condemn you to Hell and the Lake of Fire coming. But does this mean once we are saved, we can live and sin “like the Devil” for all our sin is forgiven? Well, this is where that second mysterious passage of Scripture comes in. We read in,

1 John 5:16-17 (NIV)  If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

We read here that God’s Word says for a believer mind you, this is not referring to anyone who is not a Christian. It states for us, “there is a sin that leads to death.”  Is it then possible, once we are saved, that we can lose this precious salvation and become a “castaway?” In the King James Bible there is an actual verse, often used to justify this thinking, by those who teach one can lose their salvation because of sin. It reads,

1 Cor 9:27 (KJV)  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

This “sin unto death,” that believers can commit, some teach is the qualifying sin that bumps Christians’ out of the line for Heaven. Thus, all believers need to live in fear of committing this becoming a “castaway.”  Well my friend, let me explain both passages to you for your help and comfort.

First of all, everyone who is saved by grace through faith needs to know your salvation is a forever transaction with Heaven. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation and rightly surrendered your heart and life to God the Son to rule you forever – you are saved for all eternity! Jesus makes you that promise. Listen,

John 10:27-28 (NIV)  “Jesus answered… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish..”

John 6:47 (NIV)  “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”

It is plain as the day is long, once you are legitimately saved; God gives everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ, “Eternal Life.” Eternal life is just that, an unending life and living in the presence of God the Son. Oh, surely we die physically, that is the curse of sin, but the real you and me is what resides in our physical bodies. The soul and spirit is the real image and creation of God that is your very life, being, consciousness and living. Christians pass out of their fallen, frail human bodies into the presence of God at death, to live with Him in glorified resurrected bodies forever and ever. Nothing will cause that to be short-circuited or lost. How do I know? -- because Jesus Himself says so. Listen again,

John 6:39-40 (NIV)  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

Notice exactly what Jesus said. He said God the Father, the Sovereign Creator of all, said it is His will that those who come to Christ will never be lost again! Furthermore, it is God the Father’s will that all who come to Jesus Christ and accept and receive Him as their God, are given the very life of God, that is “Eternal Life,” not at some point in the future after passing a probationary test, but the moment they confess Christ! Then Jesus goes on as God the Son to say, “He will lose none that come to Him!”

So, if a true believer is ever lost after being saved, God’s will, His purpose and His power failed! This will never happen! So if we then conclude one can lose their salvation, we deny and doubt God’s sovereign power, His love, and omnipotent ability to keep His Word. So then, what can it mean “there is a sin unto death?” and that one can be a “castaway?” Let’s explain the latter first. Paul’s cry to the Corinthian Church in the context it is found, was a warning that although we are saved by grace, we can sin in ways God has to deal with us not in eternity, but in this life which we call God’s disciplines of the saints. Paul feared greatly coming under that “discipline” if he callously neglected the truths and calling God gave him. Unfortunately the King James translation gets this passage wrong in its English translation. The word, “castaway,” cannot refer to losing one’s salvation and being cast into Hell after they one is saved because of some particular sin or sins. The word in the Greek is “adokimos.” In other reliable translations of the Bible such as the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version which I prefer to use translates it – “to be disqualified,” meaning we can lose our “rewards” in Heaven to come, and we can lose our “place of service” here on earth, but NOT OUR PLACE IN HEAVEN! Christ purchased it in full and it can never be taken away. So no true believer will or can be castaway from God or heaven, but they can lose a place of service God has given them in this life and be disciplined for it.

This bring me to that mysterious passage in 1 John 5:16-17 where we again read,

1 John 5:16-17 (NIV) “…There is a sin that leads to death...”

John was warning all Christians that although we are saved once for all and forever, we must not take this for granted. Christ died for all sin, and all sin can be forgiven, but if we neglect to live holy lives, we of course will still sin against God. Although we are saved and given new life, eternal life, there is still the old nature of man in us that can do nothing but sin. Therefore every believer must carefully watch their life and living, their actions and thoughts to be sure they are living in alignment with God’s truth and holiness. When we step away from that by sinning, we are commanded by God to confess such sins and ask forgiveness, or else! The promise of God is He will forgive those sins which are confessed with a sincere and contrite heart. John the apostle tells us this in the context of the “Sin unto death.”

1 John 1:9 (NIV)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This forgiveness and cleansing is what keeps us out of God’s disciplines, not Heaven! When a believer doesn’t confess sin, God begin a process of dealing with us to bring us to see and repent of such sins. If we do not listen to the promptings and leading of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in every believer, anyone of us can reach a state where our sins will bring God’s disciplines in this life, and of still unrepentant the greatest discipline the “sin unto death,”  which is to remove us from our earthly life all together! Now the Bible is full of such examples of believers whom God actually “killed” for unconfessed unrepentant sins. For instance in the Old Testament there were:  

1.      Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron the priest, they died because they deliberately disobeyed God (Lev. 10:1–7). Then there was

2.      Korah and his clan who opposed God and died (Num. 16). We also read of a man named…

3.      Achan who was stoned to death by God’s command, because he disobeyed Joshua’s orders from God at Jericho (Josh. 6–7). Moreover, we learn of a man named …

4.      Uzzah who foolishly touched the ark of God which was forbidden, and God killed him (2 Sam. 6). Then in the New Testament we learn of…

5.      Ananias and Sapphira who calculatingly lied to God about their offering, and they both died (Acts 5:1–11). Why even some …

6.      believers at Corinth died at the hand of God, because of the callous and frivolous way they had acted at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:30 ). And lastly in …

7.      1 Corinthians 5:1–5, the text suggests that a certain offender would have died had he not repented and confessed his sin (2 Cor. 2:6–8).

Thus, the Bible teaches for the Christian today, that if a believer does not judge, confess, and forsake his or her own sins, God will step in and chasten you for it, even if necessary due to the depth of unconfessed sin, kill you for it! That’s right, God will take your life rather than let you continue to mock God's holiness and blaspheme His holy Name.

So we can conclude that, “the sin unto death” is not one specific sin; Rather, it is a pattern of sin that remains unconfessed, although God has prompted the believer to confess them. This then is the explanations for these troubling passages, for in summation they teach two things:

1.  All men everywhere are going to Hell for their sins, unless they receive God’s salvation through Christ 

If you are not sure today that you belong to God, you need to repent and turn to God through Jesus Christ, confessing your sins and calling upon Him to save you. All who come to Jesus Christ will be saved and all their sins will be forgiven now and for eternity upon that sincere and valid confession of faith. Secondly,

2. ALL CHRISTIANS EVERYWHERE NEED TO FEAR GOD, AND CONFESS THEIR SINS TO AVOID HIS DISCIPLINES IN THIS LIFE 

Friend if you are a believer, keep short accounts with God, by confessing daily your sins, and by asking him to empower you to avoid them and turn from them. God’s blessings will continue to flow in your life by this process, and the warning is great – failure to confess sin blocks God’s flow of blessings and can bring his disciplines even the greatest discipline of all to take your life on earth as His divine judgment.

Well friends that’s my explanation, and it is a biblical one for you to embrace. May God add His blessings to these words for Jesus sake, Amen.