Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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.

• Matthew 12:30-32

Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

• Romans 1:32

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

• 2 Corinthians 7:10

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

• Matthew 16:15-17

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.

• 1 John 5:16

“This is one of the most frequently asked questions on the Bible Answer Man broadcast and stems from the following words spoken by Christ: ‘I tell you the truth, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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’ (Matthew 12:31-32). As a result of these words, Christians are often paralyzed by fear.
“In response, let me first point out that from a historic perspective the Pharisees mentioned by Matthew militantly hated Christ and attributed his miracles to Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Unlike those who are afraid they have committed the unforgivable sin, the Pharisees were totally unconcerned about Christ’s forgiveness. Instead, with premeditation and persistence, they willfully blasphemed the Holy Spirit’s testimony that Christ was the Son of the living God. It is crucial to recognize that the unforgivable sin is not a single act but a continuous, ongoing rejection.
“Furthermore, those who have committed the unpardonable sin have no godly regrets. As Paul emphasizes in the book of Romans, they not only continue in their evil ways but approve of others who do so as well (Romans 1:32). Conversely, ‘godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation’ (2 Corinthians 7:10). Sorrow for sin and the desire for Christ’s forgiveness is proof positive that you have not rejected the Savior of your soul. Never forget that three times Peter denied his Lord with vile oaths. Yet, Christ not only forgave him, but his confession, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Matthew 16:16) became the cornerstone of the Christian church.
“Finally, the Bible consistently teaches that those who spend eternity separated from God do so because they willingly, knowingly, and continuously reject the gospel. John refers to this as the ‘sin that leads to death’ (1 John 5:16) in the sense that those who refuse forgiveness through Christ will spend eternity separated from his grace and love. Be assured that those who sincerely desire God’s forgiveness can be absolutely certain that they will never be turned away.”

• Hank Hanegraaff, The Bible Answer Book (Question 4)

I had a friend who would talk about one of his friends who thought he had performed the unforgivable sin.  He would constantly go to Bible Studies and work at missions, but when asked about his faith, he would call it hopeless faith.  He deeply believed, but he had said something with an oath once that caused him to be hopelessly lost.

I had a friend who was an atheist.  His daughter had contracted a disease that would eventually take her life.  It completely changed the trajectory of my friend’s life, but he could not forgive a God that he did not believe in (never seeing that as a contradiction, but Ivy League educated) for giving his daughter a deadly disease.  His daughter and I would have been about the same age, and I have the same temperament as his wife, so we had reasons to become friends other than simply working together.  The two of us worked with a Baptist preacher.  The preacher and I would witness to our friend, and our friend would never be hostile.  In fact, he laughed with a deep belly laugh each time we talked about God.  This man was the ‘salt of the earth’ in demeanor, if you only looked at disposition and an ever-present smile.  After a bout with dementia, he passed away about ten years ago.

Which one of these blasphemed the Holy Spirit?  Maybe neither.  We do not have a window into the soul.  Only God knows, but when you shut out all chance of even thinking that your view of God is wrong, you are blaspheming the Holy Spirit.  You are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work within you to convict you of your sins.  Conviction leads to repentance, and acceptance of Jesus leads to salvation.  But you cannot accept Jesus when you have created an emotional and mental block that in turn creates a spiritual block to prevent the Holy Spirit from letting you know that you need Jesus.  But has the person shut off all communications or could it be as many people say, while there is breath, there is hope?

We must pray and act upon that hope, but there are some who are so controlled by Satan (without even believing in him) that they will never listen.  But even with them, could they lose everything that they hold dear and reach a point of desperation where they could call out to God?

Again, while there is breath, there is hope, but with some, they have created a soundtrack for their lives that drowns out all reason, including the voice of God.  Yet, again, only God knows those that fail to hear His voice and go their own way.

In the end, we will either say “God, your will be done” and we will be saved.  Or God will say “Your will be done” and we will be cast into the lake of fire.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.