I have a recurring dream – a nightmare, really. It takes three forms – at least one of which I’m sure you are familiar. In the dream I am either going to school, going on stage, or going on the air reporting the news on TV. In each case I arrive at my destination with no idea what I am supposed to do. I get to class and there is a test I have not prepared for – I go on stage doing a play I have never heard of, performing a part I have not memorized. Or I am on set, the teleprompter goes dead and I have no script in front of me.
What is common about all of these dreams is the sense of panic – and the lack of control. I realize I’ve done something, or should have done something – and it’s too late. I think that feeling is also the source of more Christian nightmares than any other – the worry that you may have inadvertently committed the unpardonable sin – the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit – and now on judgment day God sends you to hell for calling the Holy Spirit a bad name and off you go, plummeting down into the fire, totally out of control – failing a test you never prepared for, dumbstruck on the stage of judgment.
Well today I hope to dispel some false conceptions about this very serious subject. First let me point out that there is indeed a sin for which there is no pardon, a transgression for which no forgiveness exists, only, as the writer of Hebrews says: "10:27 … a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God."
Jesus begins the discussion with this verse:
30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31
Make no mistake, you are in a battle – whether you are a Christian or not. You are either on God’s side, gathering people into His kingdom by spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, or you are His enemy.
And in this battle there is no "demilitarized zone." You cannot not take sides. You are either with the Lord in His kingdom, or you are with the strong man, Satan, in his. People who think they can ride the fence are in a dream. But we need to realize that it is no accident that puts you in one camp or another. No one will die and say "whoops, I’m not supposed to be here – there’s been a terrible mistake." Listen:
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.
This verse is amazing to me. EVERY sin, EVERY blaspheme will be forgiven – even the horrible things the Pharisees said against Jesus can be forgiven by faith in Christ and the appropriation of His death. There is only one thing that is unforgivable – speaking against the Holy Spirit.
So if it is so important – what is it?
Well, it is NOT a single act. Saying "I don’t like what the Holy Spirit is doing" is not going to send you to hell – so relax. This refers not to a single act but a continual attitude of rejection.
Blaspheme against the Spirit is the continual, deliberate, refusal to acknowledge God’s power in Jesus Christ. Ongoing rejection of the work of the Spirit is rejection of God Himself. In particular, it is ascribing the work of the Holy Spirit, in sending Jesus to reclaim the world, to the devil instead of to God. It is calling the Spirit in Jesus a demon – it is exactly what the Pharisees did. If they were to continue in this, there is no forgiveness.
God only wants those who want Him. People will go to hell because they don’t want to go to heaven. They hate God and want nothing to do with Him. So God will grant their wish. Some may fool themselves into thinking they belong to Him – but are unwilling to yield their pride and their life to His Lordship. Self is the enemy of God because it is self, saying "I’m the most important thing, I’m the focus" is what Satan did when he rebelled, and what we did when we fell in the Garden of Eden.
People are not forgiven because their sins are worse than others – but because they won’t ask for forgiveness.
-- Robert H. Mounce
"The only sin that God is unable to forgive is the unwillingness to accept forgiveness."
Produced with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Now, does this mean, for instance, that someone who doesn’t believe in being baptized by the Holy Spirit is committing this sin? I do not believe so. The central point of this section – the context – is the work of Jesus. Certainly I believe that a person who has come to Christ should experience the fullness of His Spirit – and you can pick up our tape on that subject from Acts 2 – but it is the acceptance or rejection of the work of Jesus that makes the difference, not whether or not you walk in the fullness of the Spirit.
What we are talking about here is a change of nature. We were all enemies of God from birth – when we acknowledge Jesus as Savior and make Him our Lord, we become a "new creature" – we change natures. No longer an enemy, we become a friend, a child of God. Jesus illustrates this further in the next verse:
33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
The bottom line of verses 33 through 37: Three things matter: your actions, your character, and your words.
:33 – Coming to Christ is "making a tree good." A "good" tree and a "good" life will bear good "fruit" or good character. Whereas a bad tree will bear inedible fruit – and a life not given to Christ will produce actions that are evil.
A good tree will not ascribe the Spirit of Christ to God’s enemy – and a bad tree cannot acknowledge what God’s Spirit has done in Christ – for to do that would be to realize whose kingdom you belong to and repent, turning your life to Christ and changing natures.
34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
Jesus calls the Pharisees "evil" – "How can you who are evil say anything good?" How can someone who does not know Christ pass judgment against Him? If people who don’t know Jesus appear as if they know all about Christianity and say that it’s filled with hypocrites – they have no basis to make that judgment. So that means you don’t have to put any credence at all into what they say.
You can’t help the character you are – if you belong to Christ you will exude His character – even if in a small way. If you don’t belong to Christ you will exude the character of Lucifer. It doesn’t make you a devil – that’s not what I mean – but you are a subject of the kingdom to which you belong.
36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Words matter. God says we will give an "account" of "every careless word". "careless" here means inactive, idle, and worthless. It’s not just "small talk" we’re considering here – but it’s when we aren’t choosing our words that our true character is revealed. Your words reveal who you really are – that’s pretty sobering, actually.
There’s a commercial out there that starts: "people judge you by the words you speak." Well, more importantly, God judges you by the words you speak.
Words are important – words are how we are saved:
Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
And words are how we continue to let people know we are saved:
Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Although accidental words won’t accidentally send you to hell – the words you speak will be played back for you on that day when you give account of your life to Christ.
Not only that, we must also be responsible for our actions, even after accepting Christ. Yes, every sin will be forgiven, but that doesn’t absolve us of the responsibility for our sins.
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
See that – whether good or bad. It’s like getting audited. You open up all the books and examine what went well and what didn’t go so well. It’s a time for evaluation, what did we accomplish in the flesh and what was done by the Spirit.
So like you would for any audit, or any final exam, you prepare. Prepare now by doing a self evaluation, a "self audit" if you will. And ask the Lord to reveal to you areas He wants to work on. He won’t lay the whole thing on you at once – but just take it one class at a time and when it comes time for the final exam, you won’t show up unprepared.
