Matthew - The Soils

In today's study from Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-22, we continue to look at the Parable fo the Sower and the four soils.

The First Soil: the Wayside (v.4)

This soil represents the one who "hears but does not understand” (Matt. 13:19). These have hardened their hearts prior to hearing the Word (Matt. 13:15). Again, the fowls in v.4 represent the “wicked one” (v.19) who is the Devil.

Luke 8:12 “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

Again, the Devil is able to do this because of the hardness of their hearts which has led to spiritual blindness. Paul spoke of this in 2 Cor. 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” However, even though the Devil contributes to the blindness, he is ultimately not the cause of it!

The Second Soil: the Stony Places (v.5)

This soil represents the one who “hears the word and immediately receives it with joy (Matt. 3:20). Yet, he has no root and only endures for a short while (Matt. 13:21a). Because, when the tribulation and persecution comes, he immediately stumbles (Matt. 13:21b). They stumble because they are not grounded in the word. There must be a foundation that is built upon the Word of God!

The Third Soil: Among Thorns (v.7)

This soil represents those who hear the Word, but whose ability to bear fruit is chocked by three things: “the cares of this world (v.22b); “the deceitfulness of riches (v.22c); the pleasures of this life (Luke 8:14).

Luke 8:14 adds “and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” These three thorns can cause us to be unfruitful for us as well.

The Cares of This World

The cares of this world cause us to be unprepared.

Luk 21:34-36 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  (35)  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  (36)  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Carousing means to “overfeed or drink in such a way as to derange the functions”.

The Deceitfulness of Riches

Paul mentions the danger to young Timothy.

1Ti 6:9-10 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  (10)  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Again, the evil in “riches” is that they can divert our attention away from God. They tend to cause self-sufficiency!

1 Tim. 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”

The Pleasures of this Life

Pleasures are fleshly and divert our minds from Spiritual things.

Gal. 5:17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

As a matter of fact, sowing to the flesh makes it impossible to reap of the Spirit (Gal. 6:7-9).

Humor: Sir Robert Watson Watt, the inventor of the radar gun was arrested himself for speeding. He had been caught in a radar trap. Shortly after this irony, he wrote this poem:

Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt
Strange target of his radar plot,

And this, with others I could mention,

A victim of his own invention.

We reap what we sow! The Bible says that in the last days mean will seek pleasure more than God. Paul when speaking of the widows warned of those who seek pleasure more than God.

1 Timothy 5:6 “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.”

Matthew - The Parable of the Sower

In today's study from Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-23, we begin to take a look at the much misunderstood Kingdom Parables.

vv.1-2 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.  (2)  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Pastor Chuck Smith said that years ago when he was in Bible College, a professor told the entire class that they should not seek to teach on the parables of Matthew 13 until they had been in the ministry for at least 20 years. The reason people make the mistake of interpreting the parables wrong is that they do use what is called Expositional Constancy. For example, when you use something as a figure or type of something else, when that figure or type is used again, it is always the same.

Webster’s Dictionary says of a type or figure, “a “Type” is a number of things or persons that share a particular characteristic, or set of characteristics that cause them to be regarded as a group.  It could also be defined as something in the future, as an Old Testament event serving a prefiguration of a New Testament event, i.e., if the seed represents the Word of God in one parable, it represents the Word of God in all of the parables. That’s called Expositional Constancy.

The Parable of the Sower

vv.3-9 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;  (4)  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:  (5)  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:  (6)  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.  (7)  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  (8)  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.  (9)  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

vv.18-23 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.  (19)  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  (20)  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  (21)  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.  (22)   He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.  (23)  But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

By definition, a Parable is a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. Our Lord began to teach in parables after the religious leaders continuously tried to trap him and were obviously rejecting him and his message. (13:10-17)

To illustrate this problem, Our Lord told “The Parable of the Sower.” The parable illustrates how different people responded to His message. It is also one of the few parables that the Lord actually interpreted Himself.

The Sower

The Sower is the Son of Man (Matt. 13:37).

The Seed

The Seed is the “word of the kingdom (Matt. 13:19a).

The Fowls

The Fowls represent the Devil (Luke 8:12). He snatches away the Word from those whose hearts are hardened as we discussed in the previous chapter. As such, they are “blinded” by the Devil to the Gospel of the Kingdom. Paul said that the same thing happens today in 2 Cor. 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,  (4)  whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. However, while the Devil does contribute to the blindness, ultimately it is caused by hard hearts of our own making. No one will be able to blame God in the day of judgment.

The First Soil: the Wayside (v.4)

This soil represents the one who "hears, but does not understand” (Matt. 13:19). These have hardened their hearts prior to hearing the Word (Matt. 13:15). Again, the fowls in v.4 represent the “wicked one” (v.19) who is the Devil. Luke says it this way in Luke 8:12, “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” Again, the Devil is able to do this because of the hardness of their hearts which has led to spiritual blindness. Paul said in 2 Cor. 4:3-4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,…” However, even though the Devil contributes to the blindness, he is ultimately not the cause of it!

Matthew - The Necessity of Transformation

In today’s study from Matthew 12:43-45, we take another look at these verses to see the application for the church today.

An Analogy

vv.43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.  (44)  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.  (45)  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Many simply interpret these verses to mean that Jesus was speaking about the issue of Demon Possession. Many times, I have heard them used as a proof text to show that it is useless and unwise to cast a demon out of a lost person. However, just a casual look at the context, would indicate that Jesus was simply making an analogy for the generation of His day, and not necessarily addressing the issue of demon possession.

In these verses, our Lord is describing the generation of His day.

1. He had already described them as “evil and adulterous” (v.38-39).

2. He had already told them that the Ninevites and the Queen of the South would rise up to condemn them at the judgment (v.41-42). We have to keep it in context folks. A text out of context is a pretext. Don’t run with a pretext!

3. And now He describes them as “wicked” (12:45).

Interpretation / the Foolishness of Self-Reformation

Why did our Lord call them wicked? He calls them wicked because they were attempting self-reformation by rejecting His offer of the Kingdom. He simply uses the example of demon possession to show them the foolishness of it.

Illustration: Self-reformation is like driving a car with its front end out of line.  You can stay on the road IF you grip the steering wheel with both hands and hang on tightly.  Any lapse of attention, however, and you head straight for the ditch.

Israel erroneously thought that by “griping the steering wheel” (keeping the external aspects of the Law) they could be self-reformed and ultimately saved from the ditch. However, Jesus taught that self-reformation was not possible as that it would require keeping the Law perfectly. He was already doing that for them, but they were refusing.  Jesus had already addressed the futility of self-reformation in Matthew 5:27-28. He was trying to show them that self-reformation was not possible because the Law is spiritual and not physical (5:20-22). In other words, “The Law is broken in the heart long before it is broken by the hand.”

The Heart is Wicked

Why? - Because the “heart” is wicked. Jeremiah said that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” in Jeremiah 7:9. The truth of the matter is that the heart cannot be reformed, it must be transformed. Reformed is physical in that it is merely “a removal of faults by improved conduct”. Transformed is spiritual in that it is implies a “change of nature.” Reformed is external while Transformed is internal (Cf. Romans 12:1-2).

Our Lord’s Point

Our Lord’s point in this analogy of the Demon Possessed man is that while self-reformation is impossible, transformation is not. However, transformation is not a one-time thing; instead it’s an ongoing process. It can only come about through “sanctification.” It speaks of becoming holy. Not necessarily externally, but internally. To stop this process of transformation (sanctification) is to digress and the last may prove to be worse than the first.

Such had been the case with the Jews of Jesus’ day. Many had initially repented at the preaching of John (3:5-6). Yet, they eventually rejected Jesus and called for his crucifixion. Truly, their “last state” was “worse than the first.”

Application for the Church

The application for the church is the necessity of Transformation. There is an important lesson in the Lord’s analogy for us as well. If we aren’t careful, our “last state” could end up being “worse than our first.”

Illustration: How many of us know someone who seemingly came to the Lord and are now totally in the world worse than they were before?

There is a tremendous need for continued transformation (sanctification) in our lives. Paul said in Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Our Heart is a House

The Bible compares our heart to a house. In it can reside things that produce much harm. Our Lord said, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” in Matthew 15:19.

But it can be the source for much good. Our Lord said in Mat 12:35, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. In essence, when we come to Christ our heart (house) is cleansed. The writer of Hebrews said in 10:22, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” The Bible also says in Acts 15:8-9, “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”

Fill the House

However, after our house has been cleansed by salvation, we must immediately begin to fill it with holy things. We can’t just leave it vacant or the unholy that left will begin to slowly creep back in.

What if We Don’t?

Scientifically, nature abhors a vacuum. If we do not make the effort to fill our house with good things, then evil things are likely to return with a vengeance.

Example of the Corinthians

Consider the example of the Corinthians mentioned by the Apostle Paul. He said of them in 1 Cor. 6:11 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Obviously, they had been born again.

Yet later, he says of these same people in 2Co 12:20-21, “For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:  21  And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

How about Us?

Our hearts too, if left empty, will yearn for other things to fill it. Pro 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. The writer of Hebrews warns in Heb. 3:12-13 “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.  But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. If we are not continually being sanctified, the writer of Hebrews says that we are capable of doing the vilest things. He lists three of them in Heb 10:26-29.

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  28  He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  29  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (insulted the Spirit of grace)” 

Hebrews even warns that by so doing, we could reach the point in which it is impossible to be renewed again to repentance (Heb 6:4-6). Now, many have used this as a proof text for one being able to lose their salvation. If it is, they cannot be “resaved” according to the text. However, I believe a more accurate interpretation of the text is that they could be sent to an early grave because they have committed the sin unto death as mentioned in 1 John 5:16 that we discussed earlier. Either way, “The last state of the man is worse than the first.”

Matthew - Rising Up in Judgment

In today's study from Matthew 12:41-45, we see that our Lord declares that the people of the ancient city of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba will rise up against Israel for rejecting him as their long-awaited Messiah.

Rising Up in Judgment

vv.41-42 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.  (42)  The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

In these verses, the Lord’s whole point is that the people of Nineveh repented with far fewer signs having been given to them that Jesus had done for the Jews. The Queen of the South heard the wisdom of Solomon and was amazed, and yet they were rejecting the wisdom of the very Son of God.

Condemnation from Nineveh

Notice, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it.” Why judgment by Nineveh?

a.   Nineveh repented and Israel did not.

b.   Nineveh received the message of Jonah and Israel rejected the message of Jesus.

Jonah was a reluctant prophet who became angry when God didn’t destroy them. However, Jesus was a compassionate prophet who lamented and wept over Israel.

Why judgment by the Queen of the South (Sheba) (1 Kings 10:1-10)?

a.   She traveled a great distance to see Solomon and brought with her spices, gold and precious stones (1 Kings 4:29-34). 

b.   She praised him for his wisdom.

c.    She honored him with gifts.

She was willing to travel a great distance just to hear a mere mortal’s earthly wisdom while the Jews were unwilling to simply walk across the street to hear what Jesus had to say.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that the Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba will judge the Jews of Jesus' day because they showed less interest and willingness to heed even though they had a much greater opportunity.

An Analogy

vv.43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.  (44)  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.  (45)  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Many simply interpret these verses to mean that Jesus was speaking about the issue of Demon Possession. Many times, I have heard them used as a proof text to show that it is useless and unwise to cast a demon out of a lost person. However, just a casual look at the context, would indicate that Jesus was simply making an analogy for the generation of His day, and not necessarily addressing the issue of demon possession. In these verses, our Lord is describing the generation of His day.

1. He had already described them as “evil and adulterous” (v.38-39).

2. He had already told them that the Ninevites and the Queen of the South would rise up to condemn them at the judgment (v.41-42).

We have to keep it in context folks. A text out of context is a pretext. Don’t run with a pretext!

3. And now He describes them as “wicked” (Matt. 12:45).

Interpretation / the Foolishness of Self-Reformation

Why did our Lord call them wicked? He calls them wicked because they were attempting self-reformation by rejecting His offer of the Kingdom. He simply uses the example of demon possession to show them the foolishness of it.

Self-reformation is like driving a car with its front end out of line.  You can stay on the road IF you grip the steering wheel with both hands and hang on tightly.  Any lapse of attention, however, and you head straight for the ditch.

In the same way, Israel erroneously thought that by “griping the steering wheel” (keeping the external aspects of the Law) they could be self-reformed and ultimately saved from the ditch. However, Jesus taught that self-reformation was not possible as that it would require keeping the Law perfectly. He was already doing that for them, but they were refusing. Jesus had already addressed the futility of self-reformation in Matthew 5:27-28.

He was trying to show them that self-reformation was not possible because the Law is spiritual and not physical (Matt. 5:20-22). In other words, “The Law is broken in the heart long before it is broken by the hand.”

The Heart is Wicked

Why? - Because the “heart” is wicked. Jer. 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The truth of the matter is that the heart cannot be reformed, it must be transformed.

Reformed is physical in that it is merely “a removal of faults by improved conduct”. Transformed is spiritual in that it implies a “change of nature.” Reformed is external while Transformed is internal (Romans 12:1-2).

Our Lord’s Point

Our Lord’s point in this analogy of the Demon Possessed man is that while self-reformation is impossible, transformation is not. However, transformation is not a one-time thing; instead, it’s an ongoing process. It can also be called, “sanctification.” It speaks of becoming holy. Not necessarily externally, but internally. To stop this process of transformation (sanctification) is to digress and the last may prove to be worse than the first.

Such had been the case with the Jews of Jesus’ day. Many had initially repented at the preaching of John (Matt. 3:5-6). Yet, they eventually rejected Jesus and called for his crucifixion. Truly, their “last state” was “worse than the first.”

Matthew - Accountability and Signs

In today's study from Matthew 12:33-40, our Lord speaks to how we each are going to be held accountable for our words and the sinfulness of looking for signs.

The Lord’s Point

v.33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

After he warns them again blaspheming the Holy Spirit, he goes goes on to prove that these men were evil by pointing out their fruit (cf. Matt. 7:16-20).

Mental Treasure Hunting

vv.34-35 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  (35)  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Once again we see the Lord’s tone changing. The rejection is almost final. He is no doubt, accusing them of being evil.

How about our mouths?  What comes out of them? I guess that depends upon what you’re treasuring. What do you count worthy of putting in your mental treasure box? I will indeed come out eventually.

The Warning

vv.36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  (37)  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

First and foremost is still dealing with the “words” that the religious just spoke about him by calling him the “god of dung.” He is also letting them know that they will give account of not only those words, but every word that comes out of their mouths.

There are only about 800,000 words in the English language.  The average person only knows about 10,000 of them and only uses about 5,000 of them in their everyday speech. And the Lord here in these verses says that we are going to give an account for every one of them.

Pro. 13:2-3 “A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.  He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”

Pro. 21:23 “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”

Cf. James 3:8-12

Seeking Signs

vv.38-40 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.  (39)  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:  (40)  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

You gotta ask yourself at this point, “What do mean that you want another sign?” He has already healed everybody and their mother. Luke adds a little more light to the motivations of their wicked hearts. Luke 11:16 adds and “Others, testing  Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.” The bottom line is that those seeking signs lack faith or they wouldn’t be asking. There are entire religious movements around the world that focus on miracles, e.g., slain in the spirit, holy laughter, speaking in tongues, healings, the virgin in a piece of toast or on a tortilla, etc… You know why? – Lack of faith in what our Lord has already told us in his Word!

One denominational Statement of Faith actually states, “In the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, received subsequent to the new birth, with speaking in other tongues, as the Spirit gives the utterance, as the initial physical sign and evidence.”

Why the need for signs? - Simple, no faith. 2 Cor 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Rom 14:23 “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Anything that is not done out of faith is sin. Seeking signs to establish one’s faith is sinful. Look hard enough and the Devil just might give you one. Instead of looking for signs of one’s “salvation” or “holiness”, we should be looking for fruit and fruit alone.

Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Martin Luther once said, “There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of the new obedience do not grow.

The Only Sign

The only sign that any of us should need and will receive according to Scripture, is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To desire anything more is sin because it comes from a lack of faith. 

Matthew - Blasphemy Against the Spirit

In today's study from Matthew 12:31-32, our Lord warns them of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What did he mean by that? Can we commit it today?

The Unpardonable Sin

vv.31-32 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the  Holy  Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  (32)  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Our Lord knew full well that his offer of the Kingdom was not only being rejected but that his works were being attributed to Satan (v.24), they had just told him as much. He is warning them now that if they reject him, they will commit a sin that will be unforgivable. Why the Holy Spirit? – Because, while the Holy Spirit had not been given in the same measure as it Pentecost, his primary ministry was and still is to testify as to who Jesus Christ. Jesus told them in John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

When one rejects the message of the Holy Spirit in regards to who Jesus is, they are calling him a liar, and thus rejecting his message. The religious leaders were doing this and anyone today who does the same. This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or what is also called the unpardonable sin. The bottom line is that the only sin that God will not forgive you for is dying without having received His Son as your Lord and Savior. Therefore, one has accepted the testimony of Christ (or the Holy Spirit) cannot commit this sin.

Confusion

I have had some express to me that they are afraid that they have actually committed this sin. My only response is that if one desires Jesus at all, they have not committed this sin. However, my encouragement is that they not continue to reject the offer of salvation, because, I do believe that the heart can eventually become so hardened that the point of no return will be passed. I have heard some people say that they will come to the Lord in their own time. I categorically reject that statement. You will come will he calls you, or you will not come at all.

Sin unto Death

However, many confuse this sin with the sin that leads to death that the Apostle John refers to in 1 John 5:16-17. I believe that we see an example of this in the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.