When we watch the news, we see evil acts taking over our local communities. We become so frustrated about the amount of hate, violence, and negativity in the world. The acts some people commit are absolutely pure evil and our first thought might be “they should burn in hell.”
While this isn’t how God wants us to think, it does draw up the question “do certain acts automatically condemn a person to hell?” If so, have you already committed one? As Christians this is a scary thought!
Here is the truth about sin straight from the Bible.
No Sin is Too Great
People who commit murder and rape innocent woman automatically go to hell, right? Wrong. The truth is that there is no sin too great that God cannot forgive. Anyone that truly repents for their sins, puts their faith in God, and accepts Jesus Christ as their savior can be forgiven by God, no matter what sin they have committed.
The Apostle Paul is a great example of this. Before he came to Christ, he absolutely hated Christians. He was even responsible for the death of a few. The Bible says before his conversion he was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). Paul called himself the foremost of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) but the Lord still forgave his sins and made him an apostle.
The Bible gives us a second example of this. In Matthew 27, there is a story about two robbers and murderers were crucified. The two men lived only for themselves and mocked Jesus. However one of them, while hanging from the cross, observed Jesus and came to faith in Him. Luke 23:42-43 says “And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” Jesus promised the murder that he would be going to heaven, despite the acts he had committed. Not only that, but a murderer who had moments left before death.
Is it fair that these people who committed evil acts can still go to heaven? Some people get frustrated and think the answer is no. While it doesn’t seem fair, there is actually a great amount of comfort in this. God loves His children so much that He refuses to ever turn His back on them. God chooses to save sinners. If He can truly save the former evil men, He most certainly will be able to save you and your family.
The Unforgiveable Sin
Many Christians are scared, understandably, about a sin they read in the Bible called the “unforgivable” or “eternal sin.” In one New Testament scene, Jesus’ critics accuse Him of being in association with the Devil. When answering His critics, Jesus refers to the “unforgivable sin.” This is what Jesus says.
“I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever.” — Mark 3:28-29
This confuses many Christians because they think it contradicts verses like 1 John 1:9-10, which state that God can forgive any wrongdoing. However if you are worried you committed this sin, you most certainly haven’t. Having concern about it reveals the complete opposite of what the sin is about – those who are guilty wouldn’t care because they have no stress over the possibility.
Jesus didn’t address the comment He made to His disciples or the crowd. He was talking specifically to Pharisees, who had witnessed Jesus’ miracle of transforming a blind and mute demon possessed man. Instead of acknowledging the fact that Jesus had incredible divine powers, Pharisees attributed that His power was from Satan. Pharisees willfully rejected God and deliberately refused to believe in His abilities, despite being shown direct evidence. “He has an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:30).
Blasphemy against the Spirit is not just a one-time offence, but rather an ongoing attitude of rebellion against God by continually rejecting, insulting and resisting the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy against the Spirit is not unforgivable because of something done unintentionally in the past, but because of something being done deliberately and unrelentingly in the present.
The Lord is ready to forgive us of our sins; all we have to do is ask. The Bible is very clear that God is ready to give us! He wants us to be able to come to Him and celebrate in heaven. You can acknowledge your sin, feel legitimate remorse for your actions, work towards turning away from sin and cast yourself upon the mercy of God.
