01-01-2007, 12:57 AM
The Unforgivable Sins
Christians are very familiar with Jesus’ response to a question that was posed to him regarding what he thought were the two greatest commandments in the Sinai covenant code: to love God completely and to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:28-31; Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:18). For a change of pace, however, the present essay will explore the other end of the spectrum. What, in Jesus’ mind, were the two greatest sins? Mind you, Jesus was never directly asked that question, nor did he on one occasion make a declaration as to what the two greatest sins were. However, he did, in his sermons, single out two sins as particularly reprehensible and emphasized the absolute need to avoid engaging in them. Every now and then, it is worthwhile to focus on the negative in order to say something positive.
The Catholic Church, at least from the time of Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604), has distinguished seven “deadly†sins, which it believed were capital crimes and merited damnation. They are pride, envy, anger, avarice, sadness, gluttony, and lust. These sins could not be forgiven without the help of the sacraments and Confession. Interestingly, the two that Jesus highlighted, although connected potentially in some way, are not even on this list.
Now one might think that if Jesus singled out two great commandments, then it naturally follows that the two greatest sins would be the transgressions of those two great commandments. The sins would therefore be to hate God and to hate one’s neighbor (or at least not to love them). Yet it is interesting that both of the terrible sins that Jesus highlights have to do with one’s treatment of other people and are therefore related only to the second of his two great commandments. He does not discuss sins having to do with the first great commandment, the hatred of God, perhaps because all sins could be considered forms of hatred of God, or because it goes without saying that hatred of God is evil. Either way, Jesus seems more interested in discussing how one should treat other people. The two sins are specific ways that a lack of love for one’s neighbor might be manifested.
These two sins are remarkable in that they are the only two about which Jesus says there can be no forgiveness.
The first unforgivable sin is mentioned right after the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), in which Jesus shows that it is proper to ask God for forgiveness for our debts (sins), just as we forgive others. He explains further: “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive you your wrongdoing†(Matt. 6:14-15). Now, it should be acknowledged that in this passage the wrongs that are done to a person (for which he might not forgive someone) are not specified. They are not important to the point. The emphasis is on the person’s response to the wrongs done against him. Note that any wrongs committed by a person would be forgiven by God if the person who committed them were forgiving of other people. Yet the fact that a person would not forgive others is cause for God to withhold his own forgiveness from that person. So the real sin here is the reluctance or refusal to forgive. In a word, those who do not forgive are committing an unforgivable sin.
The second unforgivable sin is highlighted by Jesus right after an interesting encounter he has with the scribes. When Jesus is performing miracles, some religious leaders of his day attribute his actions to the Devil (Mark 3:20-22). Here is one of the things Jesus says about it: “Truly I say to you that all things will be forgiven the sons of men, no matter what sins and blasphemies they blasphemously commit. However, whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit has no forgiveness forever, but is guilty of everlasting sin†(Mark 3:28-29). Here Jesus implies that the sin of the scribes (to attribute Jesus’ works to Satan) is an unforgivable sin. We know this for sure, because Mark says: “This, because they were saying: ‘He has an unclean spirit’†(Mark 3:30). The offense they committed was to take someone’s good actions and call them evil. This is what Jesus calls a sin “against the holy spirit.†Since it is by God’s spirit that all good comes forth from a person, then to impugn such actions and judge them to be evil is to blaspheme the spirit. The lesson here is not to be so quick to condemn. In other words, we humans are not to be the judges of a person’s spiritual or ethical status before God. By calling into question someone’s goodness, we are maligning God’s spirit and placing ourselves in the judgment seat that belongs only to God.
The sin against the holy spirit is a transgression against an instruction that Jesus gives in his sermons: “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you†(Matt. 7:1-2). This formulation is very similar to the one he uses in reference to forgiveness and is in Jesus’ typical style. It is also reminiscent of his “golden ruleâ€: “Whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same to them†(Matt. 7:12).
Now some might recall a passage in Hebrews that seems to describe another sort of unforgivable sin:
"For if we sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition. Any man that has disregarded the law of Moses dies without compassion, upon the testimony of two or three. Of how much more severe a punishment, do you think, will the man be counted worthy who has trampled upon the Son of God and who has esteemed as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt? For we know him that said: 'Vengeance is mine; I will recompense'; and again: 'Jehovah will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of [the] living God" (Hebrews 10:26-31).
This rather scary passage contains the expression "no longer any sacrifice for sins left," which is usually taken to mean "no forgiveness for sins left," since it is understood that Jesus' sacrifice is what forgives people of their sins. So here the writer seems to say that there is no forgiveness for any willfull sin whatsoever.
The main problem with this interpretation is that there are very few sins that people commit that are not willfull. Every one of us has sinned when we know that the act is wrong. This is a willfull sin. Often we do these sins over and over again. Is it possible that we will never be forgiven for these? How many would actually end up getting God's forgiveness? Anybody?
And so we have to ask ourselves whether the writer is referring to all and any sins here. Is it possible that he has specific sins in mind when he says this?
He describes the willfull sinners as 'trampling upon the Son of God and esteeming as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraging the spirit of grace with contempt.' This hardly sounds like just any old sin practiced willfully.
But to what sort of sin does it refer?
The expression "outraging the spirit of grace with contempt" sounds very close to the expression "blaspheming the holy spirit" used by Jesus. Is it not, then, reasonable to suppose that the sin against the holy spirit spoken of by Jesus is the same willfull sin alluded to by the writer of Hebrews?
We should note that Hebrews 10:26 begins with the word "for" (or "because"). Clearly the writer is in mid-thought. So let us look at the full context:
"And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near. For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left."
Ah, now the passage has more meaning. The writer is speaking about inciting others to love and fine works and encouraging them. And then he continues: "for if we practice sin willfully" (i.e., if we do not incite to love and fine works or encourage one another, and in fact, do the opposite), "there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left."
Thus it would seem that there is definitely a connection between Jesus' "sin against the holy spirit" (which is to condemn others), and the "outrage of the holy spirit" here (which is to discourage others). It seems to be the same basic sin.
So we are still left with only two unforgivable sins: 1) not forgiving others who have wronged us and 2) judging/condemning others.
What did Jesus mean when he said these two sins would not be forgiven? In the case of the first, the message is clearer. People who do not forgive will not be forgiven. For as long as they withhold forgiveness, God will withhold his forgiveness from them. But as soon as they forgive, then God will forgive them. I believe the same principle holds true with reference to the second sin. Granted, Jesus says that those who sin against the holy spirit have “no forgiveness forever†and are “guilty of everlasting sin.†However, as he says, such applies not to those who commit blasphemy against the spirit, but to those who blaspheme the spirit. The verb is in the present tense. In other words, just as in the case of the first sin, the blasphemy is presented as an ongoing sin, rather than as a one-time offense. Thus, for as long as a person blasphemes the spirit (i.e., judges a good person to be bad), there can be no forgiveness forever. Such would be the case until the end of time. However, if that person ceases to blaspheme the spirit (i.e., if the judgment that they have made is retracted), I would venture to say that forgiveness would then be possible in Jesus’ point of view.
What is interesting about Mark 3:28-29 is that, in it, Jesus assures his audience that, apart from the sin against the spirit, “all things will be forgiven the sons of men, no matter what sins and blasphemies they blasphemously commit.†In this statement, Jesus makes no mention of the need for people to first repent before the sins can be forgiven. In the case of the two sins highlighted here, he does. Thus he is clearly making a differentiation between the one sort of sin that requires a person to cease doing it before forgiveness can come and another that God will forgive freely. This emphasizes the importance of the two sins discussed. If a person does not actually refrain from these sins, it is impossible for such a one to have a good relationship with God.
Thus we see that the two greatest sins, in Jesus’ mind, were the withholding of forgiveness of others and the negative or condemnatory judgment of others, particularly when they are in truth doing the will of God. Of all the possible sins to judge harshly, it is very interesting that Jesus would choose these. However, as we have seen, this is what we might expect from the person who called the love of neighbor the second greatest commandment and whose teaching often dwells on our treatment of fellow humans.
Christians are very familiar with Jesus’ response to a question that was posed to him regarding what he thought were the two greatest commandments in the Sinai covenant code: to love God completely and to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:28-31; Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:18). For a change of pace, however, the present essay will explore the other end of the spectrum. What, in Jesus’ mind, were the two greatest sins? Mind you, Jesus was never directly asked that question, nor did he on one occasion make a declaration as to what the two greatest sins were. However, he did, in his sermons, single out two sins as particularly reprehensible and emphasized the absolute need to avoid engaging in them. Every now and then, it is worthwhile to focus on the negative in order to say something positive.
The Catholic Church, at least from the time of Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604), has distinguished seven “deadly†sins, which it believed were capital crimes and merited damnation. They are pride, envy, anger, avarice, sadness, gluttony, and lust. These sins could not be forgiven without the help of the sacraments and Confession. Interestingly, the two that Jesus highlighted, although connected potentially in some way, are not even on this list.
Now one might think that if Jesus singled out two great commandments, then it naturally follows that the two greatest sins would be the transgressions of those two great commandments. The sins would therefore be to hate God and to hate one’s neighbor (or at least not to love them). Yet it is interesting that both of the terrible sins that Jesus highlights have to do with one’s treatment of other people and are therefore related only to the second of his two great commandments. He does not discuss sins having to do with the first great commandment, the hatred of God, perhaps because all sins could be considered forms of hatred of God, or because it goes without saying that hatred of God is evil. Either way, Jesus seems more interested in discussing how one should treat other people. The two sins are specific ways that a lack of love for one’s neighbor might be manifested.
These two sins are remarkable in that they are the only two about which Jesus says there can be no forgiveness.
The first unforgivable sin is mentioned right after the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), in which Jesus shows that it is proper to ask God for forgiveness for our debts (sins), just as we forgive others. He explains further: “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive you your wrongdoing†(Matt. 6:14-15). Now, it should be acknowledged that in this passage the wrongs that are done to a person (for which he might not forgive someone) are not specified. They are not important to the point. The emphasis is on the person’s response to the wrongs done against him. Note that any wrongs committed by a person would be forgiven by God if the person who committed them were forgiving of other people. Yet the fact that a person would not forgive others is cause for God to withhold his own forgiveness from that person. So the real sin here is the reluctance or refusal to forgive. In a word, those who do not forgive are committing an unforgivable sin.
The second unforgivable sin is highlighted by Jesus right after an interesting encounter he has with the scribes. When Jesus is performing miracles, some religious leaders of his day attribute his actions to the Devil (Mark 3:20-22). Here is one of the things Jesus says about it: “Truly I say to you that all things will be forgiven the sons of men, no matter what sins and blasphemies they blasphemously commit. However, whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit has no forgiveness forever, but is guilty of everlasting sin†(Mark 3:28-29). Here Jesus implies that the sin of the scribes (to attribute Jesus’ works to Satan) is an unforgivable sin. We know this for sure, because Mark says: “This, because they were saying: ‘He has an unclean spirit’†(Mark 3:30). The offense they committed was to take someone’s good actions and call them evil. This is what Jesus calls a sin “against the holy spirit.†Since it is by God’s spirit that all good comes forth from a person, then to impugn such actions and judge them to be evil is to blaspheme the spirit. The lesson here is not to be so quick to condemn. In other words, we humans are not to be the judges of a person’s spiritual or ethical status before God. By calling into question someone’s goodness, we are maligning God’s spirit and placing ourselves in the judgment seat that belongs only to God.
The sin against the holy spirit is a transgression against an instruction that Jesus gives in his sermons: “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you†(Matt. 7:1-2). This formulation is very similar to the one he uses in reference to forgiveness and is in Jesus’ typical style. It is also reminiscent of his “golden ruleâ€: “Whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same to them†(Matt. 7:12).
Now some might recall a passage in Hebrews that seems to describe another sort of unforgivable sin:
"For if we sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition. Any man that has disregarded the law of Moses dies without compassion, upon the testimony of two or three. Of how much more severe a punishment, do you think, will the man be counted worthy who has trampled upon the Son of God and who has esteemed as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt? For we know him that said: 'Vengeance is mine; I will recompense'; and again: 'Jehovah will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of [the] living God" (Hebrews 10:26-31).
This rather scary passage contains the expression "no longer any sacrifice for sins left," which is usually taken to mean "no forgiveness for sins left," since it is understood that Jesus' sacrifice is what forgives people of their sins. So here the writer seems to say that there is no forgiveness for any willfull sin whatsoever.
The main problem with this interpretation is that there are very few sins that people commit that are not willfull. Every one of us has sinned when we know that the act is wrong. This is a willfull sin. Often we do these sins over and over again. Is it possible that we will never be forgiven for these? How many would actually end up getting God's forgiveness? Anybody?
And so we have to ask ourselves whether the writer is referring to all and any sins here. Is it possible that he has specific sins in mind when he says this?
He describes the willfull sinners as 'trampling upon the Son of God and esteeming as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraging the spirit of grace with contempt.' This hardly sounds like just any old sin practiced willfully.
But to what sort of sin does it refer?
The expression "outraging the spirit of grace with contempt" sounds very close to the expression "blaspheming the holy spirit" used by Jesus. Is it not, then, reasonable to suppose that the sin against the holy spirit spoken of by Jesus is the same willfull sin alluded to by the writer of Hebrews?
We should note that Hebrews 10:26 begins with the word "for" (or "because"). Clearly the writer is in mid-thought. So let us look at the full context:
"And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near. For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left."
Ah, now the passage has more meaning. The writer is speaking about inciting others to love and fine works and encouraging them. And then he continues: "for if we practice sin willfully" (i.e., if we do not incite to love and fine works or encourage one another, and in fact, do the opposite), "there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left."
Thus it would seem that there is definitely a connection between Jesus' "sin against the holy spirit" (which is to condemn others), and the "outrage of the holy spirit" here (which is to discourage others). It seems to be the same basic sin.
So we are still left with only two unforgivable sins: 1) not forgiving others who have wronged us and 2) judging/condemning others.
What did Jesus mean when he said these two sins would not be forgiven? In the case of the first, the message is clearer. People who do not forgive will not be forgiven. For as long as they withhold forgiveness, God will withhold his forgiveness from them. But as soon as they forgive, then God will forgive them. I believe the same principle holds true with reference to the second sin. Granted, Jesus says that those who sin against the holy spirit have “no forgiveness forever†and are “guilty of everlasting sin.†However, as he says, such applies not to those who commit blasphemy against the spirit, but to those who blaspheme the spirit. The verb is in the present tense. In other words, just as in the case of the first sin, the blasphemy is presented as an ongoing sin, rather than as a one-time offense. Thus, for as long as a person blasphemes the spirit (i.e., judges a good person to be bad), there can be no forgiveness forever. Such would be the case until the end of time. However, if that person ceases to blaspheme the spirit (i.e., if the judgment that they have made is retracted), I would venture to say that forgiveness would then be possible in Jesus’ point of view.
What is interesting about Mark 3:28-29 is that, in it, Jesus assures his audience that, apart from the sin against the spirit, “all things will be forgiven the sons of men, no matter what sins and blasphemies they blasphemously commit.†In this statement, Jesus makes no mention of the need for people to first repent before the sins can be forgiven. In the case of the two sins highlighted here, he does. Thus he is clearly making a differentiation between the one sort of sin that requires a person to cease doing it before forgiveness can come and another that God will forgive freely. This emphasizes the importance of the two sins discussed. If a person does not actually refrain from these sins, it is impossible for such a one to have a good relationship with God.
Thus we see that the two greatest sins, in Jesus’ mind, were the withholding of forgiveness of others and the negative or condemnatory judgment of others, particularly when they are in truth doing the will of God. Of all the possible sins to judge harshly, it is very interesting that Jesus would choose these. However, as we have seen, this is what we might expect from the person who called the love of neighbor the second greatest commandment and whose teaching often dwells on our treatment of fellow humans.