Eternal sin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Major events in Jesus' life in the Gospels

This box: view • talk • edit

The eternal sin (often called the "unforgivable sin" or "unpardonable sin") is a concept of sin in Christian theology, whereby salvation or eternal life with God becomes impossible. Its origin comes from statements by Jesus in the context of his opponents' claim that his miraculous healings were a work of Beelzebub:

Truly I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter: but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: because they say, ‘He has an unclean spirit’. (Book of Mark 3:28-29)

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Book of Matthew 12:30-32)

(See Book of Luke 11:14-23 for the backstory for these quotes)

Mark 3:28-29, see also Mark 3#A house divided, is also paralleled in Luke 12:10 and the Gospel of Thomas saying 44.

This concept may have been developed further in the Book of Hebrews:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 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 the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Book of Hebrews 6:4-9)

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (Book of Hebrews 10:26-27)

Note that there is some difference between the concept of a single "eternal sin" and one of many "eternal sins," as suggested by Jesus' quote of "...an eternal sin."

Many Christian denominations such as Catholicism view the issue of eternal sin as a grave importance. Although any sin may be forgiven, denying the Holy Spirit results in denying the cause for forgiveness. Thereby it prevents any means of removing it. (CCC §1864). The Catholic Church also specifies six sins as going against the Holy Spirit:

Despair i.e. to not believe in Hope

Presumption i.e. to believe one does not need or already has grace

Impenitence

Obstinacy i.e. unwillingness to seek God

Resisting the known truth

Envy of another's spiritual welfare

Several groups believe that the Eternal sin is in fact suicide.

Other groups argue that the only eternal sin is denying that God is God and therefore destroying one's personal relationship with God, making it impossible to make peace and friendship with God.

Calvinists are a notable exception; instead claiming that since Christ is not on Earth but in Heaven, therefore no man on Earth can commit an unforgivable sin against Christ. From a doctrinal view, they take a more liberal approach toward the issue of salvation, under the belief that God is both loving and forgiving —and that the hardline view is at odds with the principles of faith, even when applied to the sinner and the question of eternal sin.

Calvinists and other dissenters to the hardline view often look at the continuation of the Hebrews passage, which says "But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak." Here, the "beloved" is in reference to the subject, who is the recipient of Jesus' gospel —as a reminder to even the subject of God's wrath that he is a beloved creation of God. "Though we thus speak" is in reference the passages previous, which harshly condemn "those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift." The passage continues:

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."Hebrews 6:9-11

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

The above scripture passages clearly indicate that an individual can taste spiritual realities and know the moving of the Holy Spirit, yet remain unsaved. Experiences prove nothing if they don't result in a new heart. Even the most wicked of men have known the working of the Spirit - examples include Balaam and Judas. "But, beloved," says the writer of Hebrews, "we are persuaded of better things of you, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner." The fruit of the Spirit in the Hebrews' lives showed they had salvation, in contrast to "those who were once enlightened" but who only produced "thorns and briers". These "thorns and briers" bring to mind the "thorny ground" in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13) - people who fall away from what they once knew, choked by the pleasures of the world. A "sow that was washed returning to wallow in the mire" (2 Peter 2:22) was always a sow. Just as a tare was always a tare. Those never saved eventually display their true nature.

An alternative interpretation of the scripture "Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" further indicates that one who has the Holy Spirit, who is saved, is not going to commit the "unforgivable sin" but will be prevented from doing so by the Spirit.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, have a similar understanding of the unpardonable sin. The founder of the Church, Joseph Smith, said

All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it. ("The King Follett Sermon," Ensign May 1971)

In addition, a few people think that since the unpardonable sin is linked with being a son of perdition, you need to be a man, and have the priesthood to sin the unpardonable sin. As the quote suggests you need to know beyond a doubt that the Gospel is true and then not only turn away from it, but fight against the gospel. The more you read about this subject, the more you see that only someone with the priesthood could possibly commit such a sin.