The One Unforgiveable Sin

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Tuesday May 12, 2009

According to the Bible, it is possible for a person to lose his salvation:

James 5:19,20 (NIV)
19. My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20. remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James was saying that if someone "wanders from the truth" and is "brought back" he is being saved from (spiritual) death and his multitude of sins is being covered.

So how does a person "wander from the truth?"

Hebrews 10:26,27 (KJV)
26. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27. But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

We know that this is talking about ONE PARTICULAR SIN that is done wilfully, not just any sin. Jesus tells us so:

Mark 3:28,29 (NIV)
28. I tell you the truth, ALL the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

The KJV states that last clause more accurately: "...but is in danger of eternal damnation." In other words, the person who commits this sin is in DANGER of going to hell unless they repent of this sin. Jesus called this sin "blaspheming the Holy Spirit." We can see exactly what that means back in Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:28,29 (NIV)
28. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

Under the Old Covenant, if you rejected the law of Moses, you were condemned. Under the New Covenant, if you reject the blood of Jesus and His salvation, you are "insulting" (or blaspheming) the Spirit of grace (the Holy Spirit). That is the sin that must be committed in order for a person to lose his or her salvation. But according to James 5:19,20 there is still hope that that person who has rejected Christ will come back to Him and believe in Him once more:

James 5:19,20 (NIV)
19. My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20. remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

There is only one circumstance the Bible talks about in which a person is completely without hope:

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV)
4. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5. who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6. if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

If a person hears the gospel, accepts Christ, gets baptized in the Holy Spirit, learns of the goodness of God through His Word, learns of and exercises the power of God, and then rejects Christ, he or she is hopeless. NOT because God won't receive that person back, but because the person CANNOT BE BROUGHT BACK TO REPENTANCE! The suggestion there is that if the person COULD be brought back to repentance, God would receive him or her back!

No, committing some general sin will not cause you to lose your salvation; it is rejecting Christ that will cause the loss of a person's salvation.

PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your wonderful, life-giving Word. Help me understand Your Word so I can know Your goodness and allow You to govern my life more completely.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out the Daily Word Archives at:
http://www.jimseekamp.com

To subscribe to the Daily Word, send an email with the subject "SUBSCRIBE" to mailto:dailyword@jimseekamp.com

If you wish to unsubscribe, please send an email with the subject "UNSUBSCRIBE" to mailto:dailyword@jimseekamp.com

To have Jim Seekamp speak at your church or group meeting, email him at: jimseekamp@jimseekamp.com