Satan loves to torment with scripture, He even tried it with Jesus. Satan twisted scripture with Jesus..the author of it, so we'd be naive to think the same ploy isn't used against us.

Many have written me, contacted me, concerned and even feeling guilty that they had committed the unpardonable sin. If you had been joining us in our Zoom bible study, you too have witnessed those in our group fearing they have done just that. Many plagued for years with fear believing they had... One of the most difficult tasks I'm faced with often is getting a person to believe they haven't. It's an interesting position to be in having published online to have people who can relate to what I've written regarding OCD reach out to me in desperation (that is the reason I published in the first place if it might help, if nothing else, let them know others share in the same sufferings as them/us and they/we understand this battle). When they reach out however, my response, my battle isn't getting them to believe in Jesus, it's getting them to believe they aren't condemned by Him.

Interesting enough they believe in Him and don't seem to have a problem with His existence, His deity, His right to judge, they even believe what the bible says is true (which is why the devil uses it against them, because they find and agree it's writings are valid, if they didn't, Satan wouldn't be able to effectively use it). The problem is they/we listen to Satan's twisting of scripture and in this case, every anxiety sufferer seems to eventually arrive at the battle with thinking they've committed the "unpardonable sin". Why? Because of fear.

One who struggles with OCD struggles likewise with fear. Fear and anxiety (tools of Satan) are then used to filter the bible, sufferers read the bible through them, read the bible along with them, and when they read verses with phrases like "fallen from grace", or "there is a sin for which there is no forgiveness" fear and anxiety automatically apply those phrases to the sufferer. My problem when they write me is convincing them otherwise. Interestingly they don't doubt those verses, they regard them as authoritative, if they didn't, they wouldn't fear what's written. But fear and anxiety are screaming, even loud enough to hijack them from whatever they are doing and when they yield, those tools of Satan have us keeping our eyes on the waves (Matt. 14:30).

That said, let me address this unpardonable sin, and to do that first I must build a foundation. In the very discourse of Jesus talking about unpardonable or unforgivable sin He says this:

"“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people..." - Matthew 12:31a

Just after that He speaks of the unpardonable sin, I chose to not list it, because I don't want fear hijacking you from what I'm writing. We who are well acquainted with fear will read of this unpardonable sin, lock onto it, and watching the waves will just cause more fear which will just cause us to direct more attention to the waves. This is our cycle as anxiety sufferers.

Back to the verse. Listen to what He is saying here, EVERY sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven, except one which we are calling the unpardonable sin. (I know you, because I know me, if the fact I mentioned it there generated a little fear, bear with me), but lets look at this mathematically.

ALL sins forgiven except one. So we know that there is only one sin which is unforgivable. Just one. In other words, besides this one unpardonable sin, all others are forgiven. Ok, good, so there's just this one sin that will keep a person out of heaven. But what about the sin of unbelief? I thought it was those who didn't believe in Jesus that didn't get into heaven, so how can it be that both unbelief and the unpardonable sin both can disqualify you from heaven. Isn't that two sins? Yes... unless the two are one and the same.. let me elaborate.

Just after the famous verse John 3:16 Jesus says this:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." - John 3:16-19 (NKJV)

Notice the phrase "this is the condemnation". in other words, what is about to come defines what condemnation is, namely "that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Notice it does not add on to the end "...or they committed the unpardonable sin".

Now if Satan has buffeted you with this worry of committing the unpardonable sin may I encourage you, that if you're reading this and you've made it this far in this writing because this resonates with you, may I say this: If you are worried that you might have committed the unpardonable sin I can assure you that you have not. The fact you are concerned, the fact you give a rip indicates that the Spirit is still striving with you.

Lets walk through this, first let me quote the whole verse and the one following:

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 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, either in this age or in the age to come. - Matthew 12:31

In this same notion God said to Jeremiah “As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you." (Jer. 7:16, 11:14). To Hosea God said "Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone." in Romans 1 God speaks of a group of people that God has given up on. In Genesis 6, verse 3, just before the judgment of the world was announced to Noah (6:13) God said "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever" (6:3).

One of the most wonderful encouragements that can come from that statement is that God's Spirit does indeed strive with man. God's Spirit speaks to us about sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) but the warning from the above passages mentioned is that He will not always strive. There comes a point when God gives over and at that point the things which the Spirit draws them to ceases such as conviction of sin and drawing them to the love of Jesus. Such a person enters the state Paul wrote about in Romans 1:24-31. If you are here, and you are worried that's you..it's not. Such people aren't worried anymore. If you are worried, if there is a war in you, if God's spirit is striving with your heart today, be thankful.

Side note: If you are locking on to these writings and fear is overtaking you as it often does us OCD sufferers, take courage, that very worry testifies that God's Spirit isn't done with you. That said, be deliberate to hear what is actually being spoken of and not what fear is saying.

In Romans 1 verses 18-31 you see a degradation staring with the statement that everyone knows about God and therefore are without excuse (v20), then it speaks of a people who deliberately, willfully exchange the glory of God for that of man and animals (v23), and they become worse. Then as it progresses they exchange the truth of God for a lie and choose to worship that falsehood (v25) and they become worse. Then they reach a point where they no longer even acknowledge God at all (v28) and therefore God gives them over to what they want. They take God and exchange Him for evil pursuits, deliberately and willfully. Not by accident, not because they somehow mistakenly in a moment of poor choices spoke something unforgivable, but because in their minds God became something they didn't care about at all anymore. Therefore God stopped striving with them. Such people do not worry about committing this sin, on the contrary, even though "they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them." (v32).

This is what happened with the Pharisees. In John 12:39 it speaks to the condition of the Pharisees where God had given up striving with them and as a result they were unable to believe. What happened that they could not believe? Well, you've read the accounts and you'll notice it resembles that of the Romans discourse above. They first met Jesus and saw the Miracles He did and they were faced with the issue of whether or not He was the promised Messiah, after some questioning and arguing they decided He was not. Each time they saw another miracle the question would rise again "Could He possibly be the Messiah?" and each time they exchanged the true answer for a lie. It had gotten so bad that when Jesus approached a man with a withered hand the Pharisees looked on not to investigate if He was the Messiah but if Jesus would heal the man on the Sabbath, and the reason they were looking on is "that they might accuse Him." (Mark 3:2).

The realization that someone was among them doing Miracles didn't phase them at all anymore. They had been so consumed with their hatred of Jesus that even though Jesus was performing healing miracles in front of their eyes, they only looked on with contempt, no longer impacted by God performing miracles for them but only hating that He was challenging their position in the synagogues. (On a side note, amazingly Jesus heart toward the Pharisees...while He was angry with them, Jesus was also "grieved at their hardness of heart" (Mark 3:5)). Many times they were forced to decide what to make of Jesus, whether or not He was the Messiah, and many times they chose to not only ignore but exchange the evidence, truth, and glory, for a lie. It's what they wanted. They loved darkness and the light only angered them. This brings us to the context for the unpardonable sin (Mark 12:22-32).

A demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought before Jesus and Jesus healed Him. Like the man with the withered arm above, here was indisputable evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. The people were amazed and began asking "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" (v23). When the Pharisees heard this they were forced to answer it, not only for the crowd but for themselves. If they were going to continue in their desire to exchange the truth of the Messiah in front of them for a lie they were going to have to reconcile this miracle performed in front of their very eyes.

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” - Matthew 12:24

This wasn't just some alcohol influenced flippant statement they made, this was a bitter defense of their way of life and reflected their heart's desire. The light standing before them repulsed them at their very core because at their core they loved darkness (remember John 3:19 above) and at every intersection of contemplating the truth of the Messiah they've chosen to exchange the truth of God for a lie because they wanted the lie. Now with a miracle so obvious they couldn't discredit the miracle as if it wasn't indeed a miracle, so they attack what's behind it. The Pharisees were forced to acknowledge the evidence and though they acknowledge the miracle they did not acknowledge the Messiah, therefore they gave credit to Satan for it.

The bottom line is this, they loved darkness with everything they have and therefore wanted nothing to do with the light. Every part of them wouldn't believe in Jesus Messiah no matter how obvious it was. Everyone who is in this state isn't there because they haven't been given the evidence to believe, they are there willfully because they don't want to believe. And just as they no longer see fit to acknowledge God, God gives them over to what they want.

The actual attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil was evidence that they were approaching or had arrived at that place of no return. The place where the Spirit would no longer strive with them. The place where God would say, "Let them alone, pray no more for them, I have given them up". Since salvation is only found in Jesus, if those who want nothing to do with Jesus to the extent they would even look at a direct miracle He had performed and although they know better (Rom. 1:20) yet they choose to make up and believe a lie instead of believing in Him, to these is the warning of such a sin not being forgiven as it leaves a man under condemnation. This is not something that happens by accident, this is something desired. Much like those in Revelations 6:15-16 who would rather have the rocks and mountains fall on them than repent.

For those that are among the ones who stand before the judgment of the great white throne of God there will be one charge against them, the deliberate, willful refusal to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior not because they couldn't as if they didn't have the opportunity nor ability, but rather they deliberately chose to exchange the truth of the evidence for a lie. It's not that they couldn't, it's that even though the Spirit had striven with them, they refused all testimonies of Him at every turn and being forced with evidence that left them without excuse (Rom. 1:20) and although they knew better, they credited that evidence and those miracles to another in order that they would not have to acknowledge God.

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 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, either in this age or in the age to come. - Matthew 12:31

This is not a warning to believers, this is a warning to those who perpetually and willfully choose to not believe despite the evidence given. Such a person has entered a state of spiritually atrophy. Physical atrophy is the loss of a muscle of organ in the body through non-use. For example, a person who's arm has been put into a cast for a long time loses quite a bit of muscle mass and require physical therapy. Likewise they say if you're in total darkness for a long enough period of time where no light could stimulate the nerve cells in your eye, you would become blind. Refuse to allow a part of your body to function in its God ordained fashion for a long enough period of time and that organ of the body will lose it's capacity to function. Many in the medical field express the phrase "you don't use it you lose it". Likewise spiritually, refuse your heart to yield to Jesus Christ a sufficient number of times, and you will lose the capacity to do so.

85% of people who are saved, are saved between the ages of what's referred to as the 4 - 14 window when a person's heart is still pliable and not yet hardened by continual refusal. One source reports that at the age of 25 and not having accepted Jesus your chances being saved are about 1 in 5000. At 35 and not saved it's 1 - 125,000 people. The odds continue to decrease so that if you are 65 years old and have been rejecting Jesus Christ all these years the chances that you will be saved are so slim that you defy the odds, and your salvation is nothing short of a miracle of grace.

Studies and imaging have shown that every action or decision makes a pattern of connections in your brain. An often repeated action begins to make such a pattern that the function can be done automatically without thinking about it anymore, this is often referred to as training (Prov. 22:6) or jokingly referred to as "I was on auto-pilot". Take knitting for example, first timers focus all their attention on learning but seasoned veterans can strike up a conversation with each other while their hands operate from auto-pilot. How do we find the light switch in the dark? Because we've found it so many times we're trained to it's location.

When people first hear the gospel of Jesus they feel the tug and a real battle ensues in them and when they decide Jesus isn't for them they say no. The next time the gospel is presented and they are asked to accept Jesus it's a little easier for them to say no for a pattern has already been established in their brain. Pretty soon saying no to Jesus is done so on training, no longer do they consider the evidence, logic, or reasoning, but it's become an automatic response. Their eyes have become closed to it and their hearing has become dull (Matt. 14-15). Thereafter when someone asks them to believe in Jesus, now their whole body rises in rebellion and they become vehemently opposed to the thought. These people are in danger of entering the same state the Pharisees were in when John declared "Therefore they could not believe" (John 12:39).

This is why the prophet Isaiah said,

Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked abandon his way,
And the unrighteous person his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. - Isaiah 55:6-7

Hebrews Chapter 3 warns of the danger of unbelief:

Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we keep the beginning of our commitment firm until the end, while it is said,

“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” - Hebrews 3:12-19