Read and Meditate on Exodus 32: 33)
No sinner will escape unpunished, even if the hand is joined with hands. Moses asked God to punish him for the sin of the Israelites if God will not forgive them but God insisted that the soul that sinned against Him shall be punished. If you eat sour grapes your teeth will be set on edge.
Therefore, caution must be taken that you do not be engaged in any evil deed because there are consequences for every action, justification for what is right, and condemnation or punishment for what is wrong. This is a warning for the unforgivable sin.
When Christians sinned or they lost divine privilege from His maker. He or she will be exposed to the danger of life. God referred to the Israelites as Moses’ people and God asked him to lead them away from His presence because they have sinned against Him.
That life of any man arouses God’s anger and makes man irritate God. Also, God said He would not follow them to the land He promised, showing that sin deprives man of God’s presence and many battles demand God’s presence otherwise the enemy will prevail. This is another sign of unforgivable sins. What is then an unforgivable sin? How can we identify them? You can read related posts on our Bible page of the site.
Introduction
The unforgivable sin is an unpardonable sin. It is a sin that cannot be forgiven or pardonable. The consequences will be fashioned by all means. This is also called the eternal sin, the ultimate sin, sin unto (or that leads to) death. See 1 John 5: 16; Matthew 12: 31.
Variegated opinions abound on this topic amongst Bible scholars. Some say that only unbelievers can commit this sin; some believe it is only Christians etc. No matter how terrible any sin is, Jesus will forgive where there is genuine repentance. Isaiah 1: 18-20; John 3: 16-18.
Whosoever comes to Christ will not be cast out. John 6: 37. But those who cover up his/her sins will not prosper. This article will discuss the signs, life examples, and consequences of unforgivable sins.
Sin against the Holy Spirit
Jesus warned about sinning against the Holy Spirit. Here Jesus is releasing a great key on this issue. Among the Trinity, it is the function of the Holy Spirit to convict a sinner of his sin. John 16: 8. “When the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict and convince (Greek and Ampl. versions) the world of sin… .” Where the Holy Spirit is insulted, grieved, or quenched, there are no more instruments for the forgiveness of sin.
Christians and Deliberate Sin
See Hebrew 10: 26-31. Where a Christian sins deliberately, he moves himself out of the covering blood of Christ. He can still repent and come back but during the time of his spiritual nakedness, Satan can afflict him with destruction or death. The writer had a spiritual son, a Nigerian Northerner, who deliberately moved away from God for flimsy reasons; he was not happy with his wife. The church did not leave him alone despite accidents and God’s persistent warnings to him. At last, he came back to God but in his backsliding state, he had been afflicted by Satan with a disease that quickly took away his life.
Christian Delivered to Satan
In 1 Cor. 5: 1-5, a Corinthian Christian brother committed incest by having sex with his father’s wife. Paul handed him over to Satan to deal with his body (flesh) so that his pains and sufferings could lead him back to repentance and to seek God’s face for restoration.
The Great Fall
Hebrew 6: 4-8. Our exposition on “the reprobate” covered part of this issue last Sunday; please refer to it. Note also that this person described here is not a baby Christian. He is regenerated; he has tasted Christ, the Heavenly gift; he has had an encounter with the Holy Spirit; he has tasted the good (genuine) word of God and encountered the Holy Spirit’s power.
Please Note verse 6 says “IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY… .” In Greek, It reads, “parapensotas”. This means an error, a wandering from the path of Christ, or a fall away or turn away from Christ.
If all entreaties by the Holy Spirit to avoid jumping into the gulf of sin and destruction are pushed aside, then the Holy Spirit can take His leave. Time will not permit us to cite examples of great ministers who believed that grace covered their sins and they lost their lives.
Life Examples
Kenneth E. Haggin, of blessed memory, had only one sister who was married to an unbeliever. After five children, the husband bolted away into gambling, drinking, and womanizing; reports came from those who contacted him all over the place as a salesman.
Hagin could not locate him until one day, in a church service in West Texas, the Lord told him the man’s location. He travelled 300 miles that night to locate him in the early morning. The man agreed that it was the best thing to accept Christ but he would not. Hagin pleaded that as a human being, he had a responsibility to his family. He agreed with this but refused to leave his current lifestyle.
Getting home, Hagin was praying for him when God interrupted him. The Lord asked him to stop praying for him. Why? Jesus then quoted Hosea 4: 17, “Ephraim is joined to idols, leave him alone”. The Lord emphatically told him that he would die and go to hell, yet he was an unbeliever.
As ministers, we should avoid locking up Jesus Christ in our theological box. Some unbelievers have written their last “No” to the Lord’s call. God knows we don’t.
Pastor’s Wife Goes to Hell
Pa Hagin also told us of a vision Jesus showed to him of a pastor’s wife who was convinced by the evil one to prostitute her body for money. As another minister approached her in a brothel for a rethink of her decision, she declared that she had nothing to do with Christ again; the Holy Spirit consequently left her. Jesus explained that she meant what she said.
A Minister Damned: E. E
Shelhamer (1869-1947), a prominent Methodist evangelist and author, wrote a book, Heart Talks to Ministers and Christian Workers. In chapter 14 of the book, he wrote about a sad incident known to and narrated by William Bramwell (A.D 1759 – 1818). Bramwell, an English Methodist itinerant preacher, led a successful Christian revival in Yorkshire from 1793 to 1797.
The story was about two pastors ministering in different churches but in the same locality. Their identities were concealed because of their popularity amongst the other churches around. The first minister took a nap one afternoon and he dreamed of walking in his home garden when suddenly the other minister of the bigger church appeared in his dream.
He looked worried; he asked for the time; The first minister told him that it was 4.25 pm. He then said that he died exactly one hour ago but he was damned. Why? He said it was not because he preached error. Many souls have been won through him BUT he had accumulated human applause for himself more than the honour from above; so at the gate of Heaven, he was told that he had already received his reward on earth. The pastor then disappeared into the bush.
This other pastor woke out of the dream and was on his way to the evening service when some of his church leaders met him and told him that this other minister had died. What time? they said that it was 3.25 pm, an hour before 4.25 pm just as the pastor said in the dream.
Conclusion
A ship, boat, or any other vessel begins to sink; the first remedy is to quickly offload the cargo therein. It is better to lose the goods than to lose lives. Refusal to remove the cargo could lead to the eventual destruction of both the vessel and the lives on it.
Sin in the life of any Christian is like those loads and cargoes. Sin sinks the life of any man faster than any other thing. If we refuse to get rid of that sin in our lives, it is capable of getting rid of us. God forbid, if we should fall, the solution is no longer in our hands.
Science has not developed to the point of restoring broken eggs. May the Lord help us not to commit spiritual suicide in Jesus’ name. Remain blessed.
