Did I Cross the line? – Is There An Unpardonable Sin?  – FANNING THE FLAME

In a judicial setting there is perhaps no word that evokes more fear in the guilty convict than the word “Unpardonable.” The words means there is no hope of mercy, no expectation of release, and no chance of appeasement. In short, “unpardonable” is a terrifying concept.

It’s no wonder that individuals throughout history have had an issue with the thought of an “unpardonable” sin found in the Bible. Questions are raised . . . 
Perhaps of all these questions the most scary is when you ask yourself, “Have I committed this sin?”

As long as people have had the Word of God, there has been confusion about a potential sin that God may not be able to forgive, known as the unpardonable sin. What does the Bible have to say about this sin? Can it be committed today? Am I in danger? Our God is not an author of confusion. There is hope for a biblical resolution to this mind-boggling concept of an unpardonable sin. A consideration of two key passages helps Christians understand this topic in God’s Word. 

It seems clear from the very words of Christ Himself that there is an unforgivable sin. The sin in this verse is speaking against the Holy Spirit. This is actually a pretty familiar passage to many of God’s people but it is also easily misunderstood which has brought many false fears. 

In order to understand this particular verse we need to understand the context of what all is going on in this passage. During Jesus’ ministry on earth he was well known for having an incredible propensity to perform the supernatural. Several times its recorded in Scripture how huge crowds would gather to see Jesus perform miracles. Eventually, this ability began to be a cause for annoyance and even jealous among the religious leaders. In Matthew 12 the pharisees have brought a man who is obviously demon-possessed to Jesus. When the pharisees brought this man  they did so with a few key motives.
In their plan the pharisees did not take into account the fact that Christ has ultimate universal power. The demons stood no chance against him. In an amazing act of power, Jesus casts out the demons without using any pagan ritual. It was a simple, clear cut, act of God. This was a miracle! They pharisees now had seen Jesus really did have the power.

In verse 23 we see how the crowd reacted. The Greek word used in this passage to describe the feelings of the multitudes is the existhimi, which actually means to “go crazy,” or to “lose your mind” or to be “uncontrollably amazed.” The multitude found themselves absolutely floored by this miracle. They didn’t know what to do so they did what felt natural – The crowd recognized Christ as the Messiah. The simple miracle ignited the crowd into the realization that this could actually be the Christ.

Obviously, nothing has gone to plan for the pharisees up to this point. Immediately, the pharisees knew they were in trouble. Clearly Jesus had the power and now having the crowd confess Christ as Savior was the absolute worst thing that could possible happen!

You can almost see the pharisees conniving amongst themselves, as to how they’re going to get their way out of this one. Eventually they come up with an answer. The pharisees claim that Christ used Satan’s power to cast out the demons. Here we see the real problem in the passage. Since Christ was using the power of the Holy Spirit, and not Satan, this was obviously a problem. This was blasphemy agains the Holy Spirit! The pharisees did not dispute that the miracle had indeed happened but they were not willing to admit or accept Jesus as the Messiah. Unable to deny that Christ was performing miracles, they accused him of being in league with Satan. 

In response to this baseless accusation Jesus lays out a few clear logical arguments that leave the Pharisees with no way to turn. They had used some deeply flawed logic, and Christ wasn’t afraid to expose it.
So, what exactly had these Pharisees done that would cause Jesus to say they could, “not be forgiven.” Christ realizes the seriousness of their allegations and takes some serious action agains them. He is about to break into some of the harshest language that he ever uses during His earthly ministry. He goes so far as to claim that those who fall into the same trap of the pharisees will never be forgiven. What does this mean? Here are a few keys to keep in mind:
This specific sin cannot be committed today. Why? Because Jesus isn’t among us performing miracles. However, it is possible in a more broad sense to reject Christ much like the pharisees did. Such rejection will lead to the same eternal damnation. 

In order for us to understand this passage we need to take a look at the broader biblical context. Are there any passages in the Bible that talk of a sin that actually “leads to death”? 

Old Testament Background.  – the OT frequently mentions specific sins that bring punishment by death. 
New Testament Background. – the NT also has examples of sin by punished by death.
While taking a broader look at what the rest of the Bible has to say about sin “leading to death” can be sobering we still don’t have a resolution to our “problem” passage. In order to come to a resolution we must begin to narrow our scope of interpretation. We have looked at the broader Biblical context. We must now take a look at the book context and the immediate context.

Book Context
The entirety of 1 John deals with tests of life, tests designed to give assurance of salvation to believers and to expose those who are not really believers: “We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him” (1 John 3:19).

Immediate Context
In the preceding verses (5:14-15), John speaks about prayer and the confidence a believer may have concerning the acceptance of that prayer before God and the granting of the request. In verses 16-17, he gives a specific illustration and limitation within which the prayer of a Christian may be benevolently and effectually employed, namely, in rescuing a brother from death

So how are we supposed to interpret this “problem” passage? First of all, let me say that if there are any “problems” in this passage, they come as a result of our lack of understanding. There are no problems or contradictions in the Bible. There are, however, difficult passages and this is one of them. There are two difficult questions we need to answer in this passage.

Who Are the Brothers? – There are two common interpretations of this phrase.
 #1:  The Brothers are unsaved who look saved.
Explanation of Claim: 
The apostle John appears to have in view an unsaved man who professes to be a believer, but who is in actuality in need of salvation. It is clear that “brother” in Scripture normally refers to a saved individual, but John’s usage of the term implies that in some cases there will be a difference between what is professed and what is actually true.

When you look at this passage you may be thinking, how could John be talking about “brothers in Christ?” I thought that we were already saved! That’s exactly what it may look like, but this is not the case…Throughout much of the writings of the New Testament, it is important to consider how the term “brother” or “adelfoz” is used. Many times, it is not used in the case of a “believer” at all, but it is used to refer to a brother in a more loose way, as in a “neighbor.” 

Refutation of Claim: 
God’s efficacious grace in transforming the sinner is persuasive, not coercive. Why would we think that God’s action with regard to the brother not sinning to death is any less “coercive” or any less a “violation” of the uprightness of his character than God’s activity with respect to the man whose sin is unto death? Sin is a stubborn, rebellious act of one’s will, both in the believer and unbeliever, regardless of who commits it. Although it is possible, I think it is highly unlikely that John would here refer to a non-Christian as a “brother.” Most commentators agree on this point.

#2: The Brothers are saved people who continue in their sin.
Explanation of Claim: 
John writes his letter to a saved audience to give them assurance of their salvation. In saying that some sin leads to death and other sin does not, John is not giving us a criterion by which we may examine the lives of other believers in order to determine whether or not we should pray for them or whether or not they are saved. He differentiates between these two kinds of sin simply to tell us why it is that some of our prayers are answered and others are not.

James 1:15 is another example of a passage that is clearly written to believers and is warning the believers that sin is deadly, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” 1 Corinthians 11:20 lets us know that when a believer partakes in communion unworthily he can become weak and sickly. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

Conclusion:  
The book context and the broader Biblical context all seem to point to the word “brothers” referring to actual believers. John is warning the believers about the seriousness of sin.

What is the Sin? – There are 5 common interpretations of this phrase. 
#1: Mortal Sins
Explanation of Claim: 
“The Church of Rome has consistently maintained that the “sin unto death” is a grave, post-baptismal sin. This sin is commonly referred to as “mortal” sin, as compared with the less significant sin which is called “venial.” Although the designations are not specifically named in Scripture, it is asserted that the distinction between the two types of sin is clearly affirmed. In general, mortal sins are said to be those which exclude the offender from the kingdom (e.g., Eph 5:5; Gal 5:19-21) and venial sins are those which do not (e.g., James 3:2; 1 John 1:8; Eccl 7:21).” Ivan A Busenitz (Associate Dean and Professor of OT at The Master’s Seminary)  

Refutation of Claim:
Although we can agree that the New Testament does teach that sins differ in magnitude there are several problems with this view. 

#2: Apostasy
Explanation of Claim: 
Some authors have suggested that the “sin unto death” refers to total apostasy, exemplified by the renunciation of the faith.

Refutation of Claim: 
The major difficulty with this conclusion, however, is the fact that Scripture nowhere teaches that the genuinely regenerated person can apostatize. This same writer in his Gospel contends that the believer is secure (John 10:28, 29). Elsewhere in this Epistle, he reiterates that the one who is born of God does not habitually sin (1 John 3:9; 5:18). it would be difficult to think of another New Testament author who affirms the doctrine of eternal security with any greater conviction or frequency than the Apostle John (John 6:37-44; 10:11-18,27-30; 17:1-2,7-12; 1 John 5:18).

#3: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Explanation of Claim: 
This is just like Matthew 12. The brother about whom John speaks is not a Christian man. The term brother is being used in “the broader sense of a ‘neighbor’ or of a nominal Christian, a church member who professes to be a ‘brother’” but who in reality is a counterfeit

Refutation of Claim: 
This doesn’t appear to be valid, because it is in a totally different context, and John never talks about the Matthew passage 

#4: Rejecting God and Salvation
Explanation of Claim: 
John is possibly writing concerning the final rejection of God in the hearts of mankind. This would most certainly lead to eternal damnation. Once your final decision is made, it’s made for all of eternity. This is a sin that leads to death. Because of the obvious problems with the other options, this passage is probably referring to the sin of rejecting God and salvation. Once that final decision has been made in the heart, the eternal destiny has been sealed. It is an unpardonable sin.

Refutation of Claim: 
This does not seem to flow with the New Testament teaching that God would not have any perish. Furthermore, this view is saying that the “death” in this passage is “eternal separation” from God but the book of 1 John is written to give the believer assurance of his salvation. If John was writing about people rejecting salvation it would not fit with his books theme.

#5: We Don’t Know, But it was Written to Warn About the Seriousness of Sin
Explanation of Claim: 
The “brother” is a Christian, and it is possible for him to commit “sin that leads to death.” The purpose of this passage, therefore, is not to set us upon the task of determining what the sin unto death is or who may or may not have committed it. The message of the apostle is that sin is deadly, and that if we would have life we must avoid it. This view fits with the other NT passages that speak of the serious consequences of sin (Acts 5, 12; 1 Corinthians 11; Hebrews 12; James 1) 

Conclusion: 
This is not written to an audience of unbelievers to persuade them but to a believing audience to assure them. The context it is talking to believers. There are 5 others passages in the NT that warn believers that there is a line that they can be crossed that will require that God bring them home. By His discipline God is protecting the church from the leaven and by His discipline he is protecting the individual from a greater account of sin. When God calls a sinning believer home he is merciful and loving both to the church and the individual. This also explains why John would tell the church to not pray for a brother in this state. There are some that have become so grounded in their sin that they are bringing shame to the name of Christ. Hebrews 6:6 warns about these brothers saying, “f they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” When we see a brother sinning, but not backsliding, we should pray for that brother, and God will forgive him. When we see a brother sinning, but not deliberately, we should pray for that brother, and God will forgive him. However, when we see a brother continues in sin and backslides into the world, he is sinning unto death.

In light of these two passages, let’s conclude with one final important aspect. I believe that God has placed these passages in the Bible so that Christians will take a long hard look at their own responsibility. It would be sad to finish up a post like this one without looking at how it applies to you. There are definite things we should all consider.

I do not believe there is a sin that a true Christian can commit that would damn his soul for eternity. 

Posted by Caleb