Related Difficult Questions

Well, we are close to finishing. Hope may finish tonight. Hopefully we will. Tonight, what the Bible teaches about man and sin, we could have finished last week, but nobody showed up. The weather is better this week and we can be together. My intention is if we do finish tonight to begin another study next week on what the Bible teaches about salvation, we are actually moving progressively through some of the major Bible doctrines. Maybe next week if we begin that study we will kind of tie it all together and give you the big picture and see where all of this fits. But before we leave the doctrine of sin, I did want to deal with a couple of related issues, couple of thorny issues, interesting topics to a lot of folks. Before we leave this, we want to talk first of all about the unpardonable sin and then the sin unto death. Those are two specific issues that create a lot of confusion, generate a lot of discussion. So let's see if we can figure these things out biblically tonight as we see what the Bible actually has to say about them. Beginning with the unpardonable sin, we are going to talk about the unpardonable sin, probably a good idea to look at the passage that mentions it. The only passage that mentions this is Matthew chapter 12. So let's open our Bible to Matthew 12. We are just going to work our way through this passage. My goal is to show you exactly what the Scripture is saying and thus be able to identify with, I believe, a great degree of certainty what the unpardonable sin is. I think the Bible tells us here very clearly what it is. So Matthew 12, verse 22, this is a very important juncture in our Lord's ministry where the religious leaders are opposing him and their opposition reaches a peak right at this point. And it is such a critical turning point in our Lord's ministry that he begins immediately after this event to kind of turn away from the large crowds and speak to people about the coming kingdom. And that the kingdom will be placed on hold, if you will, and there will be a mystery form of the kingdom in chapter 13 which really describes this church age and so forth. So this is a really critical turning point. So it's important that we understand what's going on. Matthew 12, verse 22, then they brought him a demon possessed man who was blind and mute and Jesus healed him so that he could both talk and see. This is a man who is demon possessed and evidently the demon possession is tied to his physical ailments of not being able to speak and not being able to see. The reason we know that is because the charge after Jesus heals him, the charge is that he has cast out demons in the Elzables name and we'll see what all that means in a moment. And Jesus doesn't deny that he cast out a demon. He assumes that he that's a given. That's what was happening here. So Jesus speaks and heals him with just a word, but evidently that healing was to cast the demon out of him. Now you have to be careful. We've talked about this before when we talked about angels and demons. You cannot attribute every illness to demonic causes. That's just not appropriate. But there were times in our Lord's ministry when that clearly was the case when those two were clearly tied together. And this is one of those where this man's physical ailments are obviously caused by being demon possessed. Verse 23 says all the people were astonished and said could this be the son of David? This is a critical question. First of all it says they were astonished. That's a very strong word. The word Greek word literally means to stand out of one's self. It's an idiom, a figure of speech. Our idiom today would be they were beside themselves. That's the way we would say it if we were to try to communicate the same idea standing out of themselves. They were beside themselves with astonishment. They were just amazed. But then notice when they expressed their amazement, the expression of the form of question, could this be the son of David? Actually the way it is constructed in the original language expects a negative answer. The new American standard really translates it most literally. This couldn't be the son of David, could it? There's a Greek particle at the beginning of this phrase that is a negative particle and it kind of dictates the way the question is asked. It is expecting a negative answer. This couldn't be the son of David, could it? Surely not. But you can see them wavering in their thinking. The evidence that they've just seen seems to point to the fact that he is the son of David. And by the way son of David is another title from Messiah. The one who is a descendant of David who would rule on David's throne. And the Jews expected a literal kingdom to be set up by the Messiah and rule on David's throne. So that's what they're asking. Is this the Messiah? Surely this can't be the Messiah, can it? But you can see their very question is indicating that they're thinking this could be. But wait a second, the Pharisees, our religious leaders have rejected him. And we've always been taught that we should listen to our religious leaders. And so surely he can't be the son of David. Could he? There's a little bit of doubt. And so they're being swayed toward Jesus by this kind of miracle, by watching him cast out the demon. And so the Pharisees recognize what's happening. The tide of public opinion is shifting. And even though they're still saying, you know, our religious leaders tell us he's not son of David. So he couldn't be. Could he? There's a little bit of doubt there leaning toward Jesus. So the Pharisees seize the opportunity to try to push them back away from Jesus. And that's the critical nature of what they say in verse 24. But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, it is only by the Elzebel, the Prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons. See, the Pharisees are quick to respond because they are, they're fear that they are losing the crowd. They fear that another miracle or two like this and the crowd is going to be lost from their grip and it's going to, you know, navigate toward Jesus. They're going to go that direction. And so they start saying spreading this charge that it is only by the Elzebel, the Prince of demons, that he drives out demons. Now in Jewish theology in that day, Belzebel was the name given by Jews to the Prince of demons who they believed was responsible for inflicting all disease. So Jesus casts out a demon who is creating these physical afflictions for this man. And they attribute his miraculous power to Belzebel, the Prince of demons, who is responsible for all disease. It's interesting, isn't it, that they do not deny the fact there's been a miracle? They can't deny that. There has been a miracle. They can't deny that. They just say that it's not by divine power that he's done it. It's by Satan's power. So basically, and here's the very important thing to recognize about their charge, they are saying that Jesus is permanently possessed by a demon. And that's where he gets the power from. He is a vehicle of Satan's power to cast out these demons. So what they're saying is rather than being the son of God who is coming human flesh, he is the very incarnation of Satan. He is entwelt by a demon. He is now the vehicle and tool of Satan. So that's a pretty serious charge. And Jesus responds to it, verse 25, Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Now Jesus recognizes this is a very crucial moment in the Pharisees hold over the people, over their minds and hearts. And so he calls the Pharisees together and responds to them. That's rare that Jesus does that. It's rare for Jesus to answer the attacks of the Pharisees. Usually, he will speak to the crowds about the Pharisees, but to answer them directly and refute what they are saying, that's rare for Jesus to do, but he recognizes this is a moment of decision for the people. They are being influenced to reject him and he's going to stake a claim. So basically what he does when he speaks to the Pharisees, he gives three answers to their charge that he's casting out demons by the Prince of Demons. Three answers. The first answer is in verse 25 and 26. And basically it's this, your charge is absurd. Notice what he says, every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? In other words, are you serious? You mean you're telling me you believe Satan is opposing Satan? That's crazy. That's absurd. Satan's kingdom can't stand if he tries to defeat himself. That's an absurd argument. So Jesus, first of all, says your charge is absurd. Secondly, he says your charge is inconsistent, verse 27. And if I drive out demons by beelzeable, by whom do your people drive them out? So then they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. You see, there were others in Israel that cast out demons. It's mentioned the time or two besides this in the Gospels. Even some of the Pharisees party who claimed to be able to cast out demons and they were considered by the religious leaders, God's gift to the nation. And so Jesus is saying, wait a second, your charge is inconsistent. You charge or you congratulate other people who cast out demons, consider them a gift of God to the nation. But when I do it, you say I'm doing it by Satan's power. And so your charge is inconsistent. The only alternative is if I'm not doing it by Satan's power, I'm doing it by the power of the Spirit of God. And if that is true, which it is, Jesus is assuming, if that is true, then my kingdom is genuine. Now he's starting with this answer to turn the argument back against them. You see, he's put them on the horns of a dilemma. You charge me by doing this by Satan's power. You got two alternatives. See the Satan's power or the power of God through the Holy Spirit. If it's Satan's power, that's inconsistent with your congratulating other people who cast out demons. So the other alternative must be the case, it's by the Spirit's power. Well, if what I'm doing is by the Spirit's power, then the king of mom announcing is a genuine God brought kingdom. So he's really paying them into a corner. But he goes even further with that and his third answer, his third answer is that your charge is contradictory, verse 29. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man, then he can plunder his house. You see that the argument here, if a thief goes into a man's house to steal his goods and the man is there, he's got to tie up the man first, render him powerless to stop him before he can rob his house. So you've got to have more power than the person you tie up. Right? That's his argument. And so Jesus basically is saying this, if I can enter Satan's stronghold and deliver people from his control, take back what belonged to Satan, then I've got to be like that strong man that bound the man in the house. I've got to be stronger than him. So if I'm stronger than Satan, how can Satan give me the power to do what I'm doing? It's a brilliant argument. And it turns the Pharisees basically on their head, as far as their arguments, there's no way they can answer this. And so Jesus pursues the argument further in verse 30 by issuing his own challenge. Now he really turns things back on the Pharisees. He says, whoever is not with me is against me. And whoever does not gather with me, scatters. Interesting the terms he uses here. He presents himself as gathering. In other words, he makes things whole. It is Satan who scatters and disrupts. And in the case of this man, that's exactly what happens. Satanic bondage, demon possession, scatters, disrupts the life of an individual. Jesus gathers, brings things back to one piece, makes a person whole again. So interesting choice of terms, but he basically says, if you're not with me, you're against me. If you don't gather with me, then you're scattering with Satan. So he turns their charge right back on them. Basically they start by saying, you're doing your miracles by the power of Satan. And by the time Jesus is done, they're the one serving Satan now. So I'm sure the Pharisees are just there like, what? What just happened? He just turned the whole thing around and put it right back on them. And then the critical words in verses 31 and 32. And so I tell you, so what he's going to say next is tied to this whole scene of casting up demons, the charge of the Pharisees against him, and how Jesus argues against that. It's all tied together. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven. So he's talking about their charge against him that he's done his miracles by the power of Satan. That's the slander that they obviously have just committed. Obviously what he's referring to. So every sin can be forgiven except this one. This is unforgettable. Why is that? Because specifically this sin is charging Christ with doing his miracles through the power of Satan rather than through the power of the Holy Spirit. That's specifically what the unforgivable sin is. Jesus makes it clear it is the slander that the Pharisees just committed against him. That's what the unforgivable sin is. Why is it unforgivable? Verse 32. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this age or in the age to come. Now a lot of people look at that and they say, well, you can blaspheme Jesus, but if you blaspheme the Holy Spirit today, if you say anything against the Holy Spirit, you can say all you want against God the Father and against God the Son. You say anything against the Holy Spirit, it's in a different category. That's not the point of this passage. Remember it's all tied together. So in the context what Jesus is saying is this, you can speak against me. You can reject my claims, but a person who rejected the claims of Jesus might still be persuaded that he was the Son of God in the Son of David by the miracles that he did. Which were supposed to be the empowerment of the Spirit of God to demonstrate that he was the Messiah. The miracles were the Holy Spirit's powerful credentials that he was the Messiah. So what Jesus is saying is you could quite possibly deny my claims, but then if you add to that, you deny the miracles that are designed by the Holy Spirit to show who I am, serve as my credentials. If you deny both of those things, then there's nothing left but judgment. It is not possible to be forgiven if you deny both what I say and the credentials, the miracles that back it up that there is no further witness available. God's given you every testimony possible. There's nothing left for you, but judgment. So what is the unpardonable sin? Let me mention in the notes here. Now I'm going to the second point. It's implications for today. What is the unpardonable sin? Can't it be committed today? No, it can't be committed today. Because the unpardonable sin only could be committed during the ministry of Jesus on this earth because it was having witnessed his miracles, denying that they were done by the Spirit of God and his power, but attributing them to the power of Satan and thus trying to sway the whole nation against him. That was the unpardonable sin. The unpardonable sin cannot be committed today because Jesus is not living on this earth, performing miracles to serve as credentials of him being the Messiah of Israel. In the context, that's exactly what Jesus says. The unforgivable or unpardonable sin is. So technically, no, you can't commit the unpardonable sin today that could only be committed while Jesus was on earth. Some people are fearful. They've committed an unpardonable sin. I've heard people say it. There are some people who say that suicide is an unpardonable sin. And the reason why they say that is because it's a final act. You know, and you can't ask forgiveness for it. But as I've said in comforting many families before who felt that way, all of us will probably die with some unconfessed sin. Maybe something we long ago forgot that we've not gotten right with God. So that's not, you know, suicide in and of itself does not send a person to hell. It's not an unpardonable sin. Any sin that we leave unconfessed has not been forgiven in the sense of our fellowship with God. Now there are some who say, well, wait a second, unbelief is the unpardonable sin. And there's a sense in which I get that. If you continue an unbelief, you'll never be forgiven. Right? You'll never be saved. But is the sin of unbelief impossible to be forgiven? No, all you have to do is believe. If you believe then the sin of unbelief is forgiven. Right? So it's not like it's unpardonable impossible for that to be forgiven. So all the discussion about have I committed the unpardonable sin or did this person commit the unpardonable sin? The only people that committed the unpardonable sin were the Pharisees or others who in Jesus' ministry spoke against his miracles. That was the unpardonable sin. That's blasphemy against the spirit. Okay, now I've done all the talking so far too much probably so comments, questions, let's go to Randall Nenville. In this particular case, it was the man being blind and mute. There were a few others in the in the ministry of Christ, but not in this particular case. There were occasions when Jesus cast out a demon that was causing a physical illness in a person's life. A few instances of that in the in the gospels and a few different illnesses. But then Jesus also healed people of blindness like Bartimaeus in Luke 18 without there being any demonic involvement. So not all again, not all physical illness is related to demons. It's just in this case we know it was Bill. It would be in the same category I guess. It's just not the same setting of being present and seeing Jesus perform as miracles and then attributing them to the power of Satan so that the nation will not believe on him and reject him as their Messiah. It's maybe in the same category, but still not the same thing. Not quite the same thing. So people who would see miracles and deny them today, that's obviously a very strong kind of unbelief. And it would maybe be first cousin to the unpardonable sin. And there's a sense in which again, as long as a person continues in denial and unbelief, they will not be forgiven. They will not be pardoned. So if we can use the term loosely in that way of unbelief being an unpardonable sin, but not I don't think technically in the same way this was. Not quite the same thing. Very close, not quite. Stephen and Kristen. Well, it's probably two different prepositions, whether or not Jesus meant anything, the subtle difference. I don't know. Kingdom of God is upon you means that it's here. It's like we would say, you know, that car is coming up so fast, it's on me. You know, it's here. That's probably the meaning of that preposition. The king of God is among you would be the fact that it is here in the presence of the king. I'm here. So the kingdom is being presented. I think so. Yes. Both announcing his deity. Both introducing the fact that because the king was here, the kingdom was being offered. It's not like the kingdom had been set up yet. The Jews rejected it so it wasn't set up. But it's being offered. So it's here. It's among you. I'm here. So the kingdom is being offered. I think that's the idea. Just maybe two different ways of saying it. Right. Right. Yeah. This happens all through the 18 month. Got great. Got all the imperial ministry. I don't know. I'd have to. I'd have to look more carefully at it. Could be. There are only six times in the gospels that a whole day of our Lord's ministry is described. I'm not sure that's one of them, but could be. I'd have to look more carefully at that. But the point is. Pardon me. Yeah. Constantly dogging you steps constantly after. Kristen. I'm sorry. I'm not. I'm not hearing you. I'm sorry. I think he's simply referring to the present time and the future time. What the New Testament calls the Eskitan or the coming the coming kingdom, the future heaven. I think he's saying you're not going to be saved or forgiven in this life or in the future life in heaven. I think that's all that that's referring to. He's not using the term age in the sense that we do of dispensations. It simply means a particular time frame in this case. Okay. Other questions about the unpardonable sin. I think my point is that you don't have to fret about whether or not you've committed the unpardonable sin or need as anybody else. This was a very specific sin in a very specific time that had to do with witnessing Jesus miracles in the flesh while he was on earth. I just don't think it's something that people need to be worried about today. What people need to be worried about rather than I think it actually can be a tool of Satan to convince people that they can never be saved. And really what they need to worry about is you're not trusting in Christ and you need to trust Christ. That's what you need to do. Stop worrying about whether or not you've committed the unpardonable sin. Get saved. Trust Christ. So you see that can even be used by Satan to get people to think, oh, I'm hopeless for me. I can't be saved. I committed the unpardonable sin. And Satan could use that to deceive people. Okay. Yeah. Again, we can use the word blaspheme in a number of different ways. And it's used in the scriptures other than the way Jesus uses it here. Paul said he was a blasphemer. So this is not the only kind of blasphemy. But this is a special occasion where that term is used of a special sin where they were accusing Jesus of doing his miracles through demons. So yeah, I guess you could say that a faith healer who let's say one who knowingly is a charlatan and who knowingly is deceiving people. That's a form of blasphemy. It's attributing something to the Holy Spirit, which is not being done by the Spirit. But it's not the same kind of blasphemy Jesus is talking about here. And maybe that's part of the difficulty we have here is because I'm not saying this is the only kind of blasphemy. There are lots of different kinds of blasphemy. Any time you say anything negative about God, that's blasphemy. But this is a particular charge of the Pharisees. It's not just general blasphemy. It's a particular charge that was basically taking away from the people the very credentials the Old Testament said would verify who the Messiah was. That is a tremendous charge. It's very different. It's a category all by itself. Okay. You ready to move on? We got about seven minutes to deal with the sin and the death. So let's see if we can do it. First John, chapter five, first John, chapter five, the sin and the death. First John, five, 16, if you see any brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those who sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death or sin unto death as I think the King James may say it. There is a sin that leads to death. I'm not saying that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin and there is a sin that does not lead to death. This is a, it can be a very confusing passage. As I restudied it, I became aware of two or three more views that I was not aware of before and got myself confused at one point and so I had to rethink this whole thing. First of all, this is not talking about a specific sin that you can label. If you commit this sin, you're going to die. This is, it's not talking about a particular one specific sin that always leads to death. Basically this could be best understood and maybe best translated as there is a manner of sinning that leads to death. There is a kind of sinning that leads to death and there is a kind that does not lead to death. He's evidently speaking of physical death because he says if you see a brother commit this sin, a saved person. He's talking about physical death. There are some, there are some sins that lead to a level of chastening. God chastening his children. There are some sins that lead to a level of chastening that results in death. And the reason for that obviously is because God's chastening is not responded to with confession and repentance. When God chastens a person about sin and they buck up against God and will not confess, will not repent and they continue on, continue on, continue on, continue on. He keeps chastening, keeps dealing with them but they will not repent when that happens. There may come a point where God chooses to judge that person and the judgment may take the form of physical death. Now when that happens, his actions that that certain determined judgment, that action is beyond the scope of our prayers and we must simply leave the result to God. I believe that's what John is referring to but please notice John does not forbid praying for that person. He just says, I'm not saying that you should pray about that. He's not forbidding praying for people because, come on, let's be honest, we don't know when a person has reached a point where God has determined judgment upon them. We don't know that. So John is not forbidding us to pray for anyone. He's just saying there may come a point where we must yield to God's will when it's clear that God is judging a person with physical death because of their sin and unwillingness to get right with God. I believe that's what this passage is talking about and the other two passages that I've got on your outline are examples of what I'm talking about and what this passage I believe is talking about. And I think the examples help make it clear what this sin and the death is. The first example is 1 Corinthians 11 where Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about how they're abusing the Lord's supper in their midst. And he says, so then whoever eats the bread, 1 Corinthians 11, 27, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner and that's already been described as to how they were doing the love feast or fellowship meal before the communion service. Rich people eat in one corner, poor people eat in the other corner, disunity being displayed, greed, all kinds of sin involved in that. So they're eating in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sending against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine himself before they eat and drink, eat the bread, drink the cup for those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ, eat and drink judgment on themselves. Now look at verse 30, that is why many among you are weak and sick and the number of you have fallen asleep. Obviously this is physical punishment here. Paul says as a direct result of your unwillingness to deal with sin that God has chastened you about, some of you are weak. Some of you are sick and some of you have fallen asleep. Again, that's Paul's favorite expression for the death of a believer. So obviously he's talking about physical illness leading to death. He says if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves in verse 31, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. So his point is God is chastening rebellious, unrepentant Corinthians because of their sin in this special environment of protecting the Lord's suffer. He's judging them, chastening them, disciplining them, he says. And the result of that is that some of them are weak, some of them are sick, some of them are have died. Now you can see the deterioration there, the gradual decline, weak, sick, dead. So obviously this is a process of chastening that has not been responded to. So those who are weak, God is still continuing to chasten but they don't respond so they get sick. And he still works with them, they don't respond. So some of them, God chastens or disciplines to the point of death. Now again, don't draw the wrong conclusion here, not every weakness, not every sickness, not every death is attributable to sin. And unrepentance, there are a lot of godly people that die in great fellowship with the Lord. And all of us are going to die at some point, right? Unless the Lord comes back first. So don't jump to that conclusion. He's just saying in this case, discipline of the Lord, chastening of the Lord was not responded to. And in the case of some people it resulted in death. I think that example really helps me see what he's talking about with a manner of sinning unto death. This is a good example of it. And then the other one acts five, Ananias and Sephira. We won't take the time to look at it. But you remember the story, Ananias and Sephira lied about what they were giving to the church and they were immediately struck dead. And the thing that's different about that one is this is one sin and boom, they're gone. And it's not like there was a pattern of sinning and resistance. But I think that's a special case. I think there's a sense in which at the very beginning of the church age, and this is in the early days of the church, God is making a point that he is still the same holy God that Israel is doing. Israel saw in the Old Testament and he will not tolerate that high-handed rebellion against him. And so he makes a statement at the very beginning of the church age. This is the age of grace if you want to call it that, but I'm still holy. And so I'm not going to tolerate that kind of high-handed rebellion. Now thankfully not everybody who sins in that way or some other grievous way is struck dead. But in that case, it just took one sin and rebellion against God for God to take their lives. So I believe that's what the sin on the death is. It is a manner of sinning which continues on in spite of God's chastening and conviction and discipline continues on to resist God and shut out his voice and God continues chastening. And finally, when there is no response, continued, continued, continued sin, in some cases God takes a believer on home in death. Okay, so again, I can't look at any particular situation and say, I believe that's what happened there. I can't say that with any certainty. Only God knows people's hearts. But the Bible does leave the door open that that can happen. Now I think that's what the sin on the death is. Pardon me? He really is. In some sense, even though it's still an act of chastening, he's being merciful basically to keep them from doing any more damage to other people in their testimony. And he is being merciful in taking them home, yes. Okay, Randall? No, it's not a good question, Randall. There's no way to quantify that. There's no way to say, okay, God gives us five chances or God gives us 10 or 15. I know this. If Israel is any example, God put up with them for 800 years before they went into captivity. So God's a very patient, long-suffering God. And it's just impossible to say there's a certain level at which he reaches that point that he says, okay, I'm done judgment. We don't know. And it may differ from person to person. So there's no way we can put a limit or a number on that. It's just the reality of it, of the possibility of it is there and should be enough to cause all of us to take pause whenever we continue on in the face of God to sin and not repent. No way to calculate it. No. And let's face it, all of us fail and will until we get to heaven. We will fail in certain areas of our lives. I would love to take more questions. It is already five after. Let's take yours real quick. Okay, okay, we better stop. All right, let's pray. Father, thank you for the fact that your grace and mercy and love covers our sins as far as our standing before you. If we've trusted Jesus, we know that we will be in heaven with you someday. But Lord, I pray that that would not lead us to a false complacency that would indicate in our minds that we can get away with anything. I pray that we would be careful to serve you and live for you and to strive with spiritual disciplines to live a godly life. Be pleasing to you by your grace and your spirit's power so that we may indeed bring you pleasure and joy rather than chasing. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.