God Has A Bad Memory

Have you ever wondered, ‘What is the unpardonable sin?’

Some believe it is when you’ve sinned more than God is able to forgive you.

So I wondered --- what is the unpardonable sin really?

You know, a lot of people have tried to guess what this sin might be, and they’ve come up with some pretty interesting theories. For example, some people have said that suicide is the unforgivable sin, because once you are dead, you can’t repent of it, and you’ll be lost forever.

But I know that can’t be true, because the eleventh chapter of Hebrews tells us Samson will definitely be in heaven, and Samson took his own life. Other people have said that murder must be the unpardonable sin, because once you kill someone, you need to give your own life back in return. But that can’t be true, because Moses and David each murdered someone

Think about Moses, for example. Moses committed murder. But while wandering in the wilderness Moses sensed the presence of God, and he asked God for forgiveness, and if you can recall, God took Moses out of the wilderness to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. Moses, the murderer, became a mighty man of God. It was to Moses that God Himself gave the Ten Commandments.

It was Moses who saw the glory of God! So, obviously, murder is not the unpardonable sin, because when Moses came to the end of his life, Moses was resurrected and taken to heaven. Matthew 17 tells us about Moses and Elijah speaking to Jesus. God took a murderer, transformed his life, and even after death, God resurrected Moses as a type of those who will be resurrected when Jesus comes, as a symbol of those who are sleeping until Jesus comes. So, if God would resurrect Moses who committed murder, certainly murder is not the unpardonable sin.

Is lying or deception the unpardonable sin? Jacob deceived his dying father regarding his birthright. But then, as Jacob, a liar and a deceiver, fled, God revealed Himself to Jacob in a dream and there, Jacob kneeled, recommitted his life to God. God still had His eyes on Jacob. And the Bible says in Genesis 28:15, “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…for I will not leave you.” At times, we may live a life of deceit, a life of falsehood, a life where we are running away from God. But God’s eyes are upon us, and He will not leave you nor forsake you. We may not seek Him, but He is seeking us!

Is the unpardonable sin denying Christ? Or cursing and swearing? Think of Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples, in Matthew 26. Peter was there at the Last Supper and, said to his Lord, “even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And Jesus replied, “I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” But Peter, one of Christ’s followers, one who was with Jesus throughout His life, at the taunts of a little maiden around a campfire in the darkness that night, cursed and swore and said, “I do not know the Man!” Peter failed when Jesus looked to him for a word of encouragement and needed him most.

But this Peter who denied his Lord with cursing and swearing, who did wrong when he knew he ought to do right, who turned his back on the truth of God and the grace of Christ, walked away from Jesus, cursing, The Bible says that he went out and wept bitterly. God’s grace was sufficient for him, and we see a changed Peter on the day of Pentecost, preaching the gospel powerfully with three thousand baptized. And God proved that He can rebuild our lives, even when we turn our backs on Him,

Have you ever done wrong when you knew you ought to have done right? Have you turned your back on Him at times? Have you, tragically failed Him like Peter did? He will pick you up to rebuild your life.

Is the unpardonable sin denying God’s existence? Or persecuting and killing God’s people? Maybe that’s the unpardonable sin! But wait a minute, what about the apostle Paul? Consider Paul, the persecutor, who delighted in destroying God’s people. Saul (who would be renamed Paul) was traveling down the Damascus Road - when he saw an enormous Light. He was driven to the ground, and a voice from heaven said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” God stopped Saul in his tracks! Saul, this persecutor of Christians, became Paul, the mighty apostle, the preacher in the New Testament who wrote the majority of the New Testament. We may be great sinners, but we have an even greater Savior. God’s grace is always greater than our needs, and God’s mercy is always greater than our sins.