On the Path

The converted person has set his mind on the road to salvation. He has made his life’s goal the pursuit of eternal life. He knows he is properly equipped by God to succeed. He is determined to utilize the tools of Christian growth, recognizing that these, coupled with the in-dwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, are sufficient to keep him on the right path. His whole heart, mind, soul and being wants to please God, submit to Him and actively practice the way of giving, sharing, serving and love as a WAY OF LIFE!

He recognizes that he will periodically sin. He may overdrink, lose his temper, tell a lie, or otherwise transgress God’s Law in some clear incident of sin. But his desire is to repent and seek God. While he committed the sin knowingly—and willingly—it never became willful. He determines to use more of God’s Spirit and be more watchful—and he wants to stay on the path to eternal life!

The critical factor is that he continues to ask for forgiveness and for more of God’s Spirit, to help him grow and overcome—for the remainder of his life!

Explaining the Unpardonable Sin

Now we are ready to describe exactly what the unpardonable sin is.

The book of Hebrews contains several admonitions—warnings—about this sin. They leave little room for misunderstanding.

Sometimes people make the deliberate decision to change their overall life’s goal! Hebrews 6:4-6 demonstrates that they become unable to repent (Hebrews 12:17 shows that this was the case with Esau). They once had God’s Spirit, but let it completely slip away. Paul paints a sobering picture: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” For such “there remains no more sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:26).

I have known many who once “tasted the good word of God,” and had been “partakers of the Holy Spirit,” who ceased to be “enlightened.” They fell away from God and salvation. In Heb. 6:4, Paul states that “it is impossible” for these people to recover!

This is because, in the process of falling away, a person loses all desire to repent and change. Some decide to return to the world and to practice carnal-minded thoughts. They once had God’s Spirit actively working in them, but they made a determined, willful decision to turn from God and His way. These people no longer strive to respond to God’s Spirit, but rather have chosen a whole new direction of life—back to the ways of human nature and the world! (I am not talking about one who, as some believe, made a single mistake causing God to throw him aside though he still desired to seek and obey Him.)

Now read another express warning about how some can unwittingly choose to commit the unpardonable sin: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God [forgiveness is no longer available]; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Heb 12:14-15).

When you feel thoughts of resentment, you are in grave danger. Never allow them to remain. Many times I have seen this deadly poison destroy people. Resentment can easily well up in those who feel they are victims of injustice. Sometimes a very small “grievance” can be amplified into something much bigger. It has been my sad experience that human nature will only too readily cause people to believe themselves victims. Many times, this happens when a minister corrects one over issues that do not seem or feel right to the one corrected. Angry rebellion, leading directly to bitterness, can result.

Now understand! The Bible reveals that there are two distinct ways in which the unforgivable sin may be committed. Hebrews describes them both, and we have just identified the first way.

In summary, the first way that the unpardonable sin is committed is by a deliberate choice to depart from God. (Sometimes this can be the choice to harbor bitterness.)

Paul also described those who would live the Christian way in a negligent manner! This is the second way that the unpardonable sin can be committed by a Christian. Paul wrote, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip [Greek: to run out of a leaking vessel]. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation…?” (Heb. 2:1-3).

Be careful! This is a caution to all. Salvation is not easy—not automatic. Some can neglect their conversion. As a result, it can slip away, because important understanding and continual need for action was allowed to slowly “leak” from their lives.

This is serious! The ministers of this world teach that people are under grace—that they are already saved in this life—that they cannot fall away or abort because of misconduct, sin. How wrong this is! Never overly focus on pleasure, material pursuits and the cares of this world. They will choke you into slowly neglecting all the things that Christians must do.

Here is what Paul wrote the Colossians: “If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:1-2). This is God’s formula for being certain that you never drift into neglecting your salvation—and into the unpardonable sin. Christ said that no one can “serve two masters.” You cannot serve God while also desiring to be part of the world.

Remember that Christ said, “But he that endures unto the end, the sameshall be saved” (Matt. 24:13; 10:22). Christianity is an endurance test! There is nothing easy about it. A true Christian can abort in this lifetime, if he does not continue in the right path. No one is permanently saved at conversion. Christ said (twice) that His servants must “endure to the end” of their lives. Now ask: What is the point of this statement if salvation is automatic upon accepting Christ? You must still be seeking God at the end of your life—or at the time of Christ’s Return—whichever comes first!

The Bible does not teach “once saved, always saved.” Do not be confused by soothing words of deceit from those who claim to represent Christ. God has standards. They must be met. James 4:17 states, “Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.” The key is knowledge!

These are the plain words of the Bible. Each verse cited here is critical and must be carefully read to even begin recognizing the obligations that God places on His servants. Do not be like so many who easily dismiss them, falsely trusting that they are saved because they have “Jesus in their heart.”

This world’s professing “Christian” ministers teach an unscriptural, false “salvation” of going to heaven, instead of the truth—that this life is to prepare us for rulership. They ignore the verses that we have just examined, because they do not want to be responsible for having to do anything. The destiny of all God’s Spirit-led sons is to be born into His kingdom—to become Spirit-composed, having eternal life inherent within them in the Family of God.

How does “already saved” fit with a life of suffering, growing, obedience to God (Psa. 34:19), and sometimes intense persecution (John 15:20; II Tim. 3:12)?

Do not fall for the siren song of “just believe.” It is the greatest single deception that spiritually blind “Christian” theologians have foisted upon an unsuspecting world!

Never Give Up!

Now you understand that the unpardonable sin involves willful, deliberate, premeditated sin, based on a clear and final decision to commit any kind of sin and to remain in it. The key—the core—attitude is willful. Yes, many do sin willingly—but you have seen that this is far different from sinning willfully.

Every time a person sins, they are, of course, willing to do what they did, but they were usually overcome by some kind of temptation or circumstance that allowed them to slip. They were soon very sorry for what they had done. While this does not ever lessen the seriousness of sin, if one is sorry about his actions and wants to change—wants to repent and be forgiven—and this is accompanied by the determination to do better the next time, then he is far from having committed the unpardonable sin. God is merciful and even eager to forgive you, upon your repentance! He wants you, and all those that He calls, to succeed (II Pet. 3:9; I Tim. 2:4). God does not want anyone to fail!

Again, I have spent many hours in my ministry counseling people who thought that they had committed the unpardonable sin. There is not sufficient space in this booklet to tell you about them. Some have even sought to get me to tell them that they had committed this sin, when they had not. This was because they had grown tired of struggling with the pulls of their flesh. Performing good works and obedience to God had left them “weary” (Gal. 6:9; II Thes. 3:13). These were the people who were most difficult to convince. While they had not yet committed it—because they were, in fact, still concerned about it—they were growing close because they wanted me to hand them a license to give up. They wanted to be told there was no hope for them, so that they could shed the last vestige of guilt that they were feeling—and continue in sin! Sometimes I was able to help these people and sometimes I was not. In the end, obedience to God always remained their choice. It is the same with you!

So, if you are concerned that you have committed the unpardonable sin, then you still care and, therefore, have not committed it! If you have not willfully, deliberately, turned from Christ, then you have not committed the unpardonable sin! If you have yielded to temptation, and broken one or more of God’s laws, acknowledge and confess it to Him. You can still repent, change and continue on the path to eternal life in the kingdom of God!

Do not give up! Do not quit! Solomon wrote, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24:10), and “For a just man falls seven [here, the Hebrew word means many] times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” (Prov 24:16). Do not ever “draw back” (Heb. 10:38-39) from continuing to serve God.

Never forget that Christ said, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13). You are not automatically saved at baptism and conversion. If you fall down, get up—seek God, repent and go on! God will continue to uphold you, if you continue to ENDURE!

Personal Counsel

If God is calling you to repentance and conversion (and our article “Are You Being Called?” will clear up any uncertainty), The Restored Church of God can have one of God’s representatives contact you to discuss this matter either in person or on the phone. But they will never contact you unless you request that they do.

They are available to help you with questions about the Bible, repentance, baptism and conversion. But contacting us is a decision you must make.