Are You Unforgivable? Have you committed a sin so serious that you can no longer be saved? Are you afraid that you will “get what you deserve” after you die? What does your Bible really say about forgiveness—and whether God still considers you eligible to receive it?
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By Richard F. Ames
arlier this year, when divorce courts reopened on March 1 in the Chinese province of Xian—after millions of residents had spent more than a month isolated with their families in “lockdown”—officials reported a record number of divorce appointments. One court officer explained that “many couples have been bound with each other at home for over a month, which evoked the underlying conflicts” (“Chinese city experiencing a divorce peak as a repercussion of COVID-19,” Global Times, March 7, 2020). Even in ordinary times, many of us find it difficult to forgive one another. In times of stress, we may find it even harder to forgive those around us. As imperfect human beings, we know we need others to forgive us. And we may feel guilty, thinking that we don’t really deserve forgiveness, though we want it desperately—especially when we fail to forgive others. As much as we want forgiveness in our human relationships, how much more do we desire forgiveness from God? Many of us have heard of the “unpardonable sin” and wonder whether we have done something so awful that even God will not forgive us.
12 Tomorrow’s World | September-October 2020
Jesus Christ’s somber warning is recorded in Scripture: “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” (Mark 3:28–29). Perhaps, in a moment of despair or depression, you have cursed God or doubted the reality and power of His Holy Spirit. Does this mean that you are cut off from God forever, with no opportunity for redemption? Has this thought produced even deeper despair, or have you even become angry at a God who would cut you off with no hope of salvation? The good news is that if you have these worries—if you are really concerned and troubled by the fear that you may have committed the unpardonable sin—you haven’t actually committed it! As we will see in this article, only those who don’t worry about it—who have hardened their hearts—can commit that dreadful sin. If you repent, your sin is pardonable—and with God’s help you can repent, if you set your heart to doing so! Turn or Burn? Your Bible explains that there will be a future time of fiery judgment—a lake of fire for those who persist
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