Foundations of Faith
SIN (V)
All sin is serious. The tiniest sin is an act of rebellion against God (May96). Still, there are degrees of wickedness. Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees that there were matters of the law such as “judgment, mercy, and faith” that were more important than paying their tithes of herbs and spices (Matt. 23:23).
People may be surprised to learn what God considers to be the more serious sins. Jesus said that it would be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for the city of Capernaum. Those who rejected Christ in spite of personally witnessing His miracles of healing committed a sin that was worse in God’s eyes than all the awful perversions of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 13:13; 19:5).
Some rebels may have the idea, “Since I am probably going to hell anyway, I might as well sin as much as I can now.” But these are heaping up God’s wrath for themselves since God “will render to every man according to his deed” (Rom. 2:5,6; Rev. 20:12,13).
On the bright side, the worst sinner who ever lived can still be saved by God’s grace. The Lord Jesus prayed for God’s forgiveness of those who were in the act of committing the worst crime imaginable (Luke 23:34).
Here is a word of caution to our young Christian readers:If you do not think you are capable of sinning just as badly as the worst sinner, be careful:you are deceiving yourself. (See Assignment 11)
This is one of the most widely asked questions by young Christians today. It is based on the Lord Jesus’ response to the Pharisees who had claimed that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan:”All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven Him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come” (Matt. 12:22-32).
To say that Jesus was performing miracles by the power of Satan was blasphemy. Yet, that sin was forgivable while Jesus was still on earth. Later, the Lord Jesus finished His work on earth, made atonement for man’s sins on the cross, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit into the world. The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict sinners of their need of a Saviour and to declare all of the truth concerning the Person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:7-15). One who speaks against this work and testimony of the Holy Spirit concerning the Lord Jesus, in spite of all the evidence and eyewitnesses (Acts 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:3-8), and says that it is of Satan, is guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Such persons are so hardened against the Lord Jesus and the testimony of the Holy Spirit that they will never come to repentance and thus never receive forgiveness.
Are you afraid that you may have committed the unpardonable sin? Be encouraged! The very fact that you are concerned about it shows that you have not become hardened against the Lord Jesus. If you are already saved, the Holy Spirit will keep you from committing such a sin (John 10:28; Rom. 8:35-39). If you are not saved and want to be, the word for you is:”He who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).
Saul of Tarsus was “a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious” (1 Tim. 1:13). He was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” when the Lord stopped him short and miraculously saved him (Acts 9). Even he who consented unto the death of Stephen in his rage against Christ and Christians (Acts 7:61) did not commit the unpardonable sin!
The term, “total depravity,” is not found in Scripture; however, the truth of it is. This expression refers to the fact that sin affects every part of a human being. This includes the will (Rom. 7:14-24); the mind and understanding (Gen. 6:5; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17); the affections and emotions (Rom. 1:24-27; 2 Tim. 3:4); and the outward speech and behavior (Mark 7:21-23; Gal. 5:19-21; Jas. 3:5-9). This phrase does not mean that we are “utterly depraved” or as evil as we possibly can be. (This is true of Satan and his demons but not of humans in general.) Rather it means that no aspect of our nature is unaffected by sin. Because of this, we are totally unable to save ourselves. (We will come back to this later when discussing salvation.)
The next two months we shall consider what we are to do when we sin and when one sins against us.
Running the Race
“GOD FORGIVES, DOESN’T HE?” (I)
I was conducting a Bible study at work over 20 years ago. It came to my attention that a young woman who regularly attended the Bible study, and who professed to be saved, had taken up living with a fellow. I talked to her about this and she confessed she knew it was wrong. However, the relationship had progressed to the point where she felt she could not break it off. “Besides,” she said, “I have confessed it to God. God forgives, doesn’t he?” I assured her that God does indeed forgive, but also told her that her confession was meaningless if she was continuing in her sin. She went on to marry the man and has had a problem-filled marriage ever since.
Do you ever plan to sin with the idea of confessing it to God and receiving His forgiveness when you are all through sinning? Think it over carefully before you do such a thing. Are you prepared to accept the consequences of dishonoring God, reaping what you sow (Gal. 6:7)? Are you prepared to miss out on God’s blessings, unable to count upon His help and presence while you go on sinning (Deut. 28:15,23)?
Assignment 11: Write out verses in Galatians 6 and 2 Corinthians 12 that support the last point and that show that God helps us when we take a position of weakness.
Assignment 12: Even though King David eventually confessed his sins of adultery and murder, give from 2 Samuel 12 and 13 three consequences of his sinful behavior.