Is there an unpardonable sin that leads to death?
YES.
Sin is not a noun, as in a “thing.” People often get confused when they ask: If God created all things, then He must have created sin also? This is an error.
Sin is a verb—an action. Sin is rebellion against God.
“The wages [result] of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
God is the only source of life. When we push ourselves away from God, we cut ourselves off from the source of life. If we do this long enough or hard enough, it becomes the sin that can’t be undone. Even if you are a professing Christian, you can still go down this road. (The mere fact that you are reading this article shows that this doesn’t apply to you.)
God’s chief goal on earth is to reunite us with Himself. And so, He wants to remove anything that keeps us separate from Him.
God gave us 4 lifelines to accomplish that reunion.
▪︎GRACE, so often misunderstood, is a tiny measure of the Holy Spirit that is present within us and encourages us to draw near to God. But we have to grow in grace, like fanning an ember until it becomes a flame. If we fail to grow, or if we actively crush out the ember, there is no longer any link to God and no longer any attraction to draw us to Him.
▪︎God sent us His Law to re-educate us about how people act in His universe.
▪︎He sent His Son to show us what it is like to live according to the Law.
▪︎He sent us the Holy Spirit to write that Law on our hearts.
Israel rejected the Law at Sinai and put their fingers in their ears.
When Jesus came, they still didn’t want to hear the Law, so they killed the Son.
Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin and lead us into righteousness. This Holy Spirit is the GRACE that is speaking to our hearts.
God has no one else to send. If we reject this final lifeline, there is no other way for God to reach us.
Matthew 12:31-32 KJV 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. 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.
If we reject the Holy Spirit, we have smothered the voice of God completely. This is why the sin against the Holy Spirit is “unpardonable.” We have severed our final connection to God.
It isn’t God who no longer pardons, but we have no desire for reconciliation.
Hence, the rejection of the Holy Spirit leaves us without any way back to God.
It is often taught that the Law of God was “done away with” at the Cross. How can this be? Christ came in human form to speak the Law in our hearing and to show us how to keep the law. He died to show the importance of the Law. So this doctrine is just another way to reject the advances of the Father. It is rebellion against God in a way that severs the lifeline—therefore this teaching leads to mortal sin.
And the concept of “Once Saved, Always Saved,” is missing a key piece. We come to Christ and He pardons our sins. But that is only part of His job. Look at the second half of this verse:
1 John 1:9 KJV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We can believe in Christ and confess our sin, and He will forgive. We can be baptized to show on the outside that we are born as a new man.
But if we reject the grace that God gave us to lead us to righteousness, then we have done the same thing as the Jews when they stuck their fingers in their ears or killed their own Messiah. If we don’t continue to grow in grace, we are again rejecting the voice of God and severing the lifeline.
So it should rather be said, “A growing Christian is always saved.”
If we reject the Law, the Son or the Holy Spirit, or if we fail to continue to grow towards God, we have thrown away the lifelines that God has sent for our salvation. We are left without a rope back to God. This is a mortal sin that leads to death and can’t be undone.
But, as long as God continues to draw us towards Him, and we willingly go, there is always open to us a way for forgiveness and salvation.
God said, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked…” and Jesus added, “All that come unto Me, I will in no way cast out.” And the Holy Spirit invites:
Heb 4:16 KJV Boldly come unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
There is only one road to God, but there are two different directions. Even a born-again Christian can harden his heart, get turned around and go the wrong direction—away from God.
But the assurance of Salvation is this, as long as we come to God, He will not turn us away. He gives us the strength to come to Him. And Jesus will say in the end, “Of all the Father has given Me, I have lost none.” John 6:39
