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The Unforgivable Sin

The Unforgivable Sin

Regarding the subject of the unforgivable sin, also
called the sin against the Holy Ghost or blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost,* we must begin by understanding that
there are two spiritual seeds. Genesis has the foundational
Scripture.

Genesis 3:15:
And I [God] will put enmity between thee [serpent,
devil] and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed; it [the woman’s seed] shall bruise thy head,
and thou [devil’s seed] shalt bruise his heel.

The victor in this confrontation will obviously be the
seed of the woman. What is the significance of seed?
Seed is necessary in order to beget children, in order to
bear fruit. A child cannot be born physically without seed
first being planted in the mother’s womb. Once this seed
is planted, the resulting fruit cannot be altered. You are
the result of the seed of your earthly father as long as
you live. But Genesis 3:15 speaks of a woman having
seed. What is “her seed”? Galatians 3:16 clarifies “her
seed” in saying, “. . .And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

So it is spiritually. In order to be born spiritually (called
“being born again”), seed must be planted. A spiritual
seed cannot be changed any more than a physical seed
can be changed.

The Word of God tells us that there are two spiritual
fathers and, therefore, two possible sources for seed: God,
the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the
devil, the god of this world. Thus a person can spiritually
be born of either one of these two fathers. To
observe the result of either of these two spiritual seeds
being planted in man, let us take a hypothetical case—
John Doe.

John Doe is born a man of body and soul—a natural
man who has physical seed. However, he has no spiritual
seed in him. When John Doe, a man of body and soul,
confesses with his mouth Jesus as Lord and believes
that God raised Him from the dead (according to the
command of Romans 10:9 and 10), he is born again
with God’s seed (Christ)** in him. God’s seed (Christ)
is spirit, thus John Doe is now a man of body, soul and
spirit—spirit which is eternal and which is life.

However, there is another possibility. Rather than confessing
Jesus as his Lord, John Doe could believe that
the devil is the true God. John Doe, confessing the devil
with his mouth and accepting the devil as his lord, is
born again. This spiritual seed which is born within is
the seed of the devil. Once John Doe is born of the
devil’s seed, he can never rid himself of it for this seed,
like all seed, is permanent. This acceptance of the devil
as lord is the unforgivable sin—it can never be rooted out.

The Epistle of I John distinguishes between forgivable
sins and the unforgivable sin.

I John 5:16:
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not
unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life
for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto
death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Praying for John Doe after he has confessed the devil
as his lord is useless. God can no more take the devil’s
seed out of John Doe than He can take His own seed
out of a man once that man has confessed and believed
in Jesus Christ as Lord. It is futile to pray for forgiveness
from the “sin unto death” for that sin is seed and cannot
be changed.

It is possible for a man of body and soul to go through
life and never be born again of either seed. A person
does not always make a choice. But if he does, he has
only two alternatives. A man can either accept Jesus
Christ as his Lord, or he can accept the devil as his lord.
There is a complete separation between the households
of the two gods. They are opposite forces and antithetical
essences. Once one of these gods is accepted, nothing can
be done to eradicate the seed or to change the consequences.
The seed and its inherent qualities are permanent.

All four Gospels have records of the unforgivable sin.
Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and explained the unforgivable
sin to these outwardly religious leaders.

Matthew 12:31:
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.

Mark 3:29:
But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost
hath never forgiveness. . . .

Why? Because that person is born of the seed of the
serpent. Luke also speaks of blaspheming against the
Holy Ghost.

Luke 12:10:
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son
of man [against Christ], it shall be forgiven him: but
unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost
it shall not be forgiven.

A full and interesting account of Jesus’ teaching of the
unforgivable sin is recorded in John 8.

John 8:2:
And early in the morning he [Jesus] came again into
the temple, and all the people came unto him; and
he sat down, and taught them [the scribes and Pharisees].

These were the same scribes and Pharisees spoken of
in Matthew, Mark and Luke. They were the ones who
had committed the “sin against the Holy Ghost,” “blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost,” the “unforgivable sin.”
Note the argument as it developed.

John 8:12-19:
Then spake Jesus again unto them [the Pharisees],
saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth
me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.
The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest
record of thyself; thy record is not true.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear
record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know
whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell
whence I come, and whither I go.
Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am
not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
It is also written in your law, that the testimony of
two men is true.
I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father
that sent me beareth witness of me.
Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus
answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye
had known me, ye should have known my Father
also.

Jesus said in addressing the rulers of the temple, the
religious leaders, “You Pharisees do not even know my
Father.” What leadership!

John 8:20, 21:
These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught
in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his
hour was not yet come.
Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and
ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither
I go, ye cannot come.

There must have been a profound reason for Jesus to
use such strong language.

Verse 22:
Then said the Jews,*** Will he kill himself ? because
he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

When people are born again of the wrong seed, they
cannot be taught spiritual truths for they cannot understand;
the eyes of their understanding are closed. The
Pharisees said, “Will he kill himself ?” They thought that
if a person killed himself he would go to hell. This was
clever reasoning since the Pharisees were certain that
they themselves were heaven-bound. How wrong people
can be and still think they are right!

John 8:23-29:
And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are from [of the]
beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I
am not of this world.
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your
sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die
in your sins.
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus
saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you
from the beginning.
I have many things to say and to judge of you: but
he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those
things which I have heard of him.
They understood not that he spake to them of the
Father.
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up
the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he,
and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father
hath taught me, I speak these things.
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not
left me alone; for I do always those things that please
him.

Why did Jesus bother to tell these great truths when
He obviously knew that He could never convert the Pharisees
who were already born of the seed of the devil? He
gave this information because of the other people present
in the Temple; they were fertile ground.

John 8:30-38:
As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free.
They [the Pharisees] answered him, We be Abraham’s
seed, and were never in bondage to any man
[Yet at that very time they were in bondage under
the Romans! ]: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made
free?
Jesus answered them. . . .
I know that ye are Abraham’s seed [according to the
flesh, their physical bloodline]; but ye seek to kill
me, because my word hath no place in you.
I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and
ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

There are two different fathers mentioned: one is the
God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and the other
father is the devil. Those people whom the devil fathers
are his children. Those whom the true God fathers are
His children. Note the impact of the next verse.

John 8:39:
They [the Pharisees] answered and said unto him,
Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye
were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works
of Abraham.

How could Jesus in verse 37 agree with the Pharisees
that they were of Abraham’s seed, and in verse 39 turn
and differ with them saying, “If ye were Abraham’s children.
. .”? Verse 37 refers to the Pharisees as being of
Abraham’s bloodline, whereas verse 39 is speaking of
Abrahamic believers. The Pharisees could claim Abraham
as their ancestor; but they did not believe in God as
Abraham did and, therefore, they were not in the line
of believers as Abraham was—in contrast to what the
Pharisees believed of themselves. The heated discussion
continued.

John 8:40, 41:
But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told
you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did
not Abraham.
Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to
him, We be not born of fornication; we have one
Father, even God.

The Pharisees surely sounded religious. They truly
sounded sincere; but sincerity is no guarantee for truth.
The Pharisees said, “We have one Father, even God.”
When people say, “We have a Father,” it is important to
find out which father, which God, for there are two. To
accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior is one birth; to
have the devil as one’s father is totally different.

As Jesus and the Pharisees conversed, the Pharisees
became increasingly irritated and so resorted to personal
attacks on Jesus. They slammed Jesus by saying, “We
be not born of fornication.” These Pharisees believed
Jesus was an illegitimate child. The Pharisees boasted
that they were not conceived out of wedlock; and then
they continued by boasting that they had one father, even
God. They neglected to say which god, so Jesus clarified
this for them.

Verse 42-44:
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye
would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from
God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because
ye cannot hear my word.
Ye are of your father the devil [Could anyone write
it more plainly? Could it be more clear?], and the
lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a
lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the
father of it.

“Ye are of your father the devil. . . .” These religious
leaders had accepted the devil as their father, the unforgivable
sin of which they could never repent. Once the
devil’s seed is born within, it can never be withdrawn.
The Pharisees of John 8 were permanently and irrevocably
the children of the devil.

A point of confusion arises concerning seed when
occasionally followers of Christ claim that since they
are born again of God’s seed, they can no longer sin.
These people usually quote I John 3:9 as their substantiating
Scripture. Let us read this passage in its proper context.

I John 3:9, 10 and 12:
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for
his [God’s] seed remaineth in him: and he cannot
sin [Where? In that of which he is born, spirit], because
he is born of God.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the
children of the devil. . .
Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one [the
devil]. . . .

I John 3 says that a man cannot sin in the seed which
he has accepted. The context does not even suggest that
a person, once born of God’s seed, cannot sin in the flesh.
God’s seed remains sinless; but a saved man must work
on perfecting the actions of the flesh.

The context of I John 3 also explains why God did not
receive Cain’s offering as recorded in Genesis 4. Cain
was “of that wicked one.” He was born of the seed of
the devil and thus could have nothing to do with God.
Because he was “of that wicked one,” Cain could actually
hate his brother. Hate is a manifestation of the seed of the
devil. When a man is born of the seed of the devil, he has
the hate of the devil. When a man is born of the seed of
Christ, he has love in the spirit that is within. True hate
and true love begin as qualities inherent in spiritual seed;
they are characteristic of their respective fathers.

How clearly the Word of God explains life to us. The
unforgivable sin, the seed of the devil being born within
a man, is Biblically accurate and, therefore, makes sense.
Seed cannot be changed; so, when a person accepts the
seed of the devil, he has it eternally, even as one who
accepts the seed of God the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ has His seed eternally. One seed means eternal life;
the other, eternal damnation. Man’s freedom of will permits
him to choose the seed he wants and thus determine
his own destiny.

* Holy Ghost is pneuma hagion, Holy Spirit. King James Version
has Holy Ghost 89 times and Holy Spirit 4 times. In our day the
word “Spirit” communicates more exactly the true meaning rather
than “Ghost.”
** Galatians 3:16b: “. . .He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but
as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
*** The word “Jew” and its derivatives, as used in the King James Version,
should always be understood as meaning “Judean” or “of the
Judean religion.” The word “Jew” was never used in any text until
1775.