Paths to Committing the Unforgivable Sin
- Michael E.B. Maher
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
We have seen thus far that it is entirely possible for believers to turn away from following Christ and go back into the world. The question is then asked, how is it possible that Christians can reach the point where they wilfully deny Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? As we will see in this section, the decision to fall away from following Christ never occurs on the spur of the moment, but rather it is a culmination of steps that believers take over time which ultimately brings them to the place where they are quite comfortable in their decision to turn their backs on Christ. And so in this section we will discuss the numerous paths that believers can walk on, which will lead them to the point where they will eventually commit the sin to death. The first such pathway which we will discuss is the pathway of progressive sin. In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle James teaches on the concept of progressive sin leading to the sin to death. This passage refers to believers and not unbelievers, for James addresses his letter to the brethren (James 1:2). I want you to notice in this passage that the Holy Spirit does not teach us that sin brings forth death, but rather that full-grown sin brings forth death. The death that James is referring to in this passage is spiritual death. And so we can see from this passage that sin that is allowed to reach maturity in the life of a believer will eventually bring forth spiritual death in that believer. In other words if believers continue down the path of sin unchecked they will eventually reach the point where they will commit the sin to death.
1 Corinthians 5:1-6 “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father's wife! (2) And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. (3) For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. (4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, (5) deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (6) Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul uses the analogy of leaven to warn the church about the effects of sin when it is left unchecked, for he tells us in this passage that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. In other words Paul is teaching us that if believers continue in sin that eventually they will be overcome by sin. In context Paul is speaking about the contagion effect of sin in the church. But nevertheless that same analogy is also applicable to sin in the life of an individual believer, for as we have already discussed from this passage, Paul intervened in the life this believer by judging him with early death. So why did Paul do that? Paul did that so that the leaven of sin could not reach the point where it eventually consumed this believer, or as James described, become “full-grown”. For Paul recognized that once that happened the spirit of this believer would no longer be saved, for he would have reached the point where he would commit the sin to death.
Romans 6:15-16 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! (16) Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”
Sadly many Christians abuse the grace of God in Christ Jesus, for they say that it is alright to commit sin because we are under grace and not under law and Jesus forgives us our sins. However, while it is true that Jesus does forgive our sins if we confess and repent of those sins, it was never God’s intention that as believers we should use the grace of God as a cloak for vice (1 Peter 2:16). In other words grace is not given to the saints so that they can indulge themselves in sinful practices. Sin is extremely dangerous, for the Lord Jesus Himself plainly taught us that the one who commits sin becomes enslaved to sin (John 8:34). And so in the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul confirms that same truth to us, for He teaches us in this passage that believers who continue in sin eventually become slaves of sin and that sin ultimately leads the believer to spiritual death. In other words those believers will eventually commit the sin to death.
Romans 8:12-13 “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. (13) For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
The apostle Paul is speaking to Christians in the above quoted passage of scripture, for he calls them “brethren”. In this passage Paul plainly states that Christians who continue to live according to the flesh will die. So what does that mean? To live according to the flesh is to live in sin, for the scripture teaches us that the works of the flesh are sinful (Galatians 5:19-21). And so Paul is teaching us in this passage that Christians that practice a lifestyle of sin will eventually die. Paul is not referring to physical death in this passage however, because all believers die physically, even those which by the Spirit put to death the deeds of their bodies. Rather Paul is referring to spiritual death; because the same principle applies, i.e. believers who continue to live a lifestyle of sin will eventually reach the point where they will commit the sin to death.
Hebrews 3:12-13 “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; (13) but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit is speaking to Christians, for He calls us “brethren”. And so in this passage the Holy Spirit tells believers to beware lest any depart from the living God. In other words the Holy Spirit is warning believers to be careful that they do not turn their backs on the Lord Jesus. He goes on in this passage to explain to us how it is possible for some believers to reach the point where they walk away from the Lord, for He says that they allow themselves to become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Therefore we see a principle revealed in this passage, i.e. that sin has the effect of hardening believers’ hearts. And so as believers continue in sin, over time their hearts become more and more hardened, to the point that they eventually become quite comfortable in committing the sin to death, thus departing from the living God.
Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul is again speaking to Christians, because at the beginning of the chapter He calls them “brethren” (Galatians 6:1). In this passage Paul tells us that God is not mocked, and that if a Christian continues to sow to their flesh i.e. they continue to live in sin, then they will eventually reap corruption. The word translated “corruption” also carries the meaning of “destruction”, which is the more accurate translation of the word in this passage, for the destruction in this passage is referring to spiritual death because it is the opposite of the everlasting life that those who walk in the spirit are promised. Sadly many Christians try to mock God by sowing to their flesh; not realising that the spiritual truth of reaping what you sow will ultimately result in the individual reaping spiritual death i.e. committing the sin to death.
2 Peter 2:18-21 “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. (19) While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. (20) For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. (21) For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
The apostle Peter is referring to two categories of believers in the above quoted passage of scripture. The first category is those who have already fallen away from following the Lord Jesus and are teaching others to do so as well. These are the ones who “speak great swelling words of emptiness”. We will not look at this category in this section, but rather we will concentrate on the second category, which are the believers who have been led astray by those who allure them through the lusts of the flesh. These are the individuals who have actually escaped from those who live in error, for the scripture teaches us that they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and they have known the way of righteousness and the holy commandment which was delivered to them. In other words these are born-again believers. Nevertheless they have once again become entangled in the pollutions of the world. And so these believers become slaves of sin once again, and are overcome by sin until they finally turn their backs on Jesus and commit the sin to death. As we have already mentioned, their end result is far worse than if they had never been born-again. And so we can see from all of the scriptures quoted in this section that it is very clear that Christians who continue down the path of sin become enslaved by sin. And that they are eventually hardened to the point where they commit the sin to death.
Michael E.B. Maher
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