What is the unpardonable sin?
Introduction
So many sophisticated theories have been monumented in an attempt to explain what Inspiration calls “unpardonable sin”. God’s people in this day and age still lack understanding as to what is it that is termed “unpardonable sin”? More often than not, it has been said it is sinning against the Holy Ghost, but what does that clause (sin against the Holy Ghost) mean? It will do us good as God’s servants to know this, for we cannot afford to commit such a sin, maybe we are already on the pathway of committing such a sin where there’s no forgiveness—who knows? An irrefutable explanation of this subject was written in the early 1930s by God’s messenger to the “lost sheep of Israel” (S.D.A. Church) in a book titled “The Shepherd’s Rod, Volume 2”.
Interpretation revealed thought the Spirit
“As the Bible is free from error, even so its interpretation under the same Spirit of Inspiration must also be correct. Therefore, the interpretation of the Bible is true, only when it is revealed through a channel of inspiration. In no other way can God lead His people in all truth. Anything less than this cannot disclose Biblical truth, regardless of its simplicity. Said the Angel to Daniel. “But I will shew thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.” (Dan. 10:21.) One of the gifts for the church in the Christian dispensation, is “prophets.” “And he gave some, apostles; and some prophets.” (Eph. 4:11.) {SR21: 13.2}
“Paul, again declares of the Scriptures in his time and afterwards: “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit.” (Eph. 3:5.) When the truth of the Scriptures is presented by God’s servants, “the letter” can be understood by all who study it; but the same spirit is required to seal, change the heart, and direct the steps in newness of life. This transforming power is granted only as the receiver of the truth humbly repents from sin, renounces the world and accepts Christ. When such a message is presented, those who oppose the messenger and resist the truth, reject the Spirit, and sin against Him. The Spirit in a message is the only medium to awaken the conscience. When rebelled against, the sinner cuts himself off from the channel through which God communicates. “Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” (Matt. 12:31, 32.)
The Antediluvians sinned against the Holy Ghost
“The antediluvian world sinned against the Holy Ghost because they believed not in the message of truth sent to save them from the dreadful flood. Therefore, they perished under sin that shall never be forgiven them. The same is true when one revolts against the divine message in any generation. Men are not condemned because they have sinned, but they are condemned when they turn a deaf ear to the divine call that is to save them from their sin. Shepherd’s Rod Volume 2 p 14.1
“As all prophetic truths are timely revealed, it is evident that there can be nothing disclosed by the wisdom of man, no matter how simple it may be. When God reveals a portion of His holy Word through one of His chosen instruments, analysis of history prove that they are never erring as far as the message they deliver is concerned. It is also true that those who erred in their supposed message of truth, have had no truth. So the great apostle says: “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:10-14.) Therefore, when a message is proclaimed, it is either all truth or there is no truth in it, save the quotations of the prophets.
“Yet the fact that God has revealed His will to men through His Word, has not rendered needless the continued presence and guiding of the HOLY SPIRIT. On the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Saviour, to open the Word to His servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings. And since it was the Spirit of God that inspired the Bible, it is impossible that the teaching of the Spirit should ever be contrary to that of the Word.” — “The Great Controversy,” p. VII.
“Those who are inclined to question the ability of God to lead one into all truth, are not only unconsciously denying the faithfulness of His Word, but they also minimize His power by their act, and thus have “Limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Psa. 78:41.)
The Spirit not given to supersede the Bible
“The Spirit was not given — nor can it ever be bestowed — to supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the Word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. Says the apostle John, ‘Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1.) and Isaiah declares, ‘To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ (Isa. 8:20)” — “The Great Controversy,” p. VII.
What is a prophet?
“The term ‘prophet’ as used in the Bible… is employed to designate men and women engaged in a wide range of service in connection with the work of God. Some of these never uttered a prophecy as that term is generally understood… Some were used only for a special occasion, others for a long series of years. Some wrote out the message God revealed to them, and others gave them orally. To some, as in the case of Daniel and others, were committed prophecies reaching into the distant future, portions of which are still unfulfilled.
“Some were God’s messengers raised up in periods of great crisis, to warn the church and the world of threatened judgments, and to call men back to allegiance to God. Such were Samuel, Elijah, John the Baptist, and others. John disclaimed the prophetic title, claiming rather that he was a voice or a messenger of God, sent to prepare the way of the Lord in calling Israel to repentance. But as God’s messenger he was declared by Christ to be a prophet, and ‘even more than a prophet.’ Luke 7:26. ‘Surely the Lord will do nothing, but He revealeth His secrets unto His servants the prophets.’ Amos 3:7.” — “The Present Truth,” Vol. 5, No. 72.
“In the highest sense the prophet was one who spoke by direct inspiration, communicating to the people the messages he had received from God. But the name was given also to those who, though not so directly inspired, were divinely called to instruct the people in the works and ways of God.” — “Education,” p. 46.
“These heavenly messengers usually were men and women of a humble character; some could neither read nor write. Though not having the advantages that great men do, these instruments in the hand of Omnipotence, caused human knowledge and worldly greatness to sink into insignificance. Thus God sought by these methods to reveal His transforming power in the human machine both in intellect and in character. To rebel against God’s chosen instruments is to renounce His power in preference to the human, placing the finite above the infinite, who can transmit more knowledge in a moment, than the human could in a lifetime.
“Though truths are revealed through inspired channels, the instrument of iniquity has often mixed them with error. Such iniquitous workers oft times resort to the use of portions of divine revelation, unlawfully using them as an entering wedge to pass on error and thus deceive the simple. Let none flatter themselves that they can escape the clutches of the devil by the studious effort of another. Everyone must study for himself to understand his own position, and with candid mind be ready to listen to all with a teachable spirit of a child. “Verily I say unto you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” (Mark 10:15.) Prejudice, has beguiled and ruined more souls than any trap ever devised by the great deceiver. The one who refuses to listen to reasons offered by another, is the most ignorant. Such a man is usually prejudiced because the argument presented contradicts his view of the subject, or it may be that he considers himself more intellectual or of superior social standing. Others will not hear the truth because it hurts their sinful conscience and for fear that they must part from some selfish lust. This class is under the power of the devil, and on the way to everlasting ruin — sinning against the Holy Ghost. Those who are sincere in their errors are the very ones who are found in the bottom of the devil’s kidnaping bag. This class is the hardest to convince that they are on the way to hell.” {SR2: 16.1}
What does Sister Ellen G White says about the “unpardonable sin”?
NB: emphasis below added by compilers.
“What constitutes the sin against the Holy Ghost? It is willfully attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. For example, suppose that one is a witness of the special work of the Spirit of God. He has convincing evidence that the work is in harmony with the Scriptures, and the Spirit witnesses with his spirit that it is of God. Afterward, however, he falls under temptation; pride, self-sufficiency, or some other evil trait, controls him; and rejecting all the evidence of its divine character, he declares that that which he had before acknowledged to be the power of the Holy Spirit was the power of Satan. It is through the medium of His Spirit that God works upon the human heart; and when men willfully reject the Spirit and declare it to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. By denying the evidence which God has been pleased to give them, they shut out the light which had been shining in 4
their hearts, and as the result they are left in darkness. Thus the words of Christ are verified: If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:23. For a time, persons who have committed this sin may appear to be children of God; but when circumstances arise to develop character and show what manner of spirit they are of, it will be found that they are on the enemy’s ground, standing under his black banner.” { Counsels for the Church, p. 81.1}
“It is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart; when men willfully reject the Spirit, and declare It to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. When the Spirit is finally rejected, there is no more that God can do for the soul.” { Desire of Ages, p. 321.3}
“It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; it is by the rejection of this light that the eyes are blinded and the heart hardened. Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God’s word, through His servants, or by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when one ray of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul. Thus it had been with these Jewish leaders. They were convinced that a divine power attended Christ, but in order to resist the truth, they attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. In doing this they deliberately chose deception; they yielded themselves to Satan, and henceforth they were controlled by his power.” {Id., 322.2}
“Korah would not have taken the course he did had he known that all the directions and reproofs communicated to Israel were from God. But he might have known this. God had given overwhelming evidence that He was leading Israel. But Korah and his companions rejected light until they became so blinded that the most striking manifestations of His power were not sufficient to convince them; they attributed them all to human or satanic agency. The same thing was done by the people, who the day after the destruction of Korah and his company came to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Ye have killed the people of the Lord.” Notwithstanding they had had the most convincing evidence of God’s displeasure at their course, in the destruction of the men who had deceived them, they dared to attribute His judgments to Satan, declaring that through the power of the evil one, Moses and Aaron had caused the death of good and holy men. It was this act that sealed their doom. They had committed the sin against the Holy Spirit, a sin by which man’s heart is effectually hardened against the influence of divine grace. “Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man,” said Christ, “it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him.” Matthew 12:32. These words were spoken by our Saviour when the gracious works which He had performed through the power of God were attributed by the Jews to Beelzebub. It is through the agency of the Holy Spirit that God communicates with man; and those who deliberately reject this agency as satanic, have cut off the channel of communication between the soul and Heaven.” {Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 404.4}
“Every additional evidence of the power of God that the Egyptian monarch resisted, carried him on to a stronger and more persistent defiance of God. Thus the work went on, finite man warring against the expressed will of an infinite God. This case is a clear illustration of the sin against the Holy Ghost. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Gradually the 5
Lord withdrew His Spirit. Removing His restraining power, He gave the king into the hands of the worst of all tyrants,—self “ (The Review and Herald, July 27, 1897).
Further reading:
1. Review and Herald, June 29, 1897, par. 9; Youth Instructor, August 8, 1895, par. 3; Manuscript 73, 1897, 4, 5. (“Our Words,” July 2, 1897.)
Conclusion
It is clear that from time to time God sends His people a message to enlighten them on what is ahead, or to reconcile them back to Himself, or it might be whatever purpose |He chooses, however, prejudice, pride, leaning upon the arm of flesh among other things has been the reasons for rejecting God’s messages, thus committing the unpardonable sin. In essence, to sin against the Holy Ghost is to refuse to listen to messages which God communicates to us through His chosen human instrumentalities. It will help us to closely examine ourselves whether we are not treading in such a dangerous pathway of doom and sin, especially considering the fact that we are in a lukewarm condition which necessitates a message of revival and reformation from God. Should God sends us a message now, are we ready to stop and listen or we will scornfully reject it like our forefathers—now is the time to make a choice?
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