The Unpardonable Sin (Part 2)

This is the second of a five-part series through which I hope to share my thoughts on the subject of the “Unpardonable Sin.” It is my desire that these words will give comfort, and inspiration, to those who have chosen to separate themselves from their brethren. I truly believe they are not lost to us forever!

An Erring Ministry

Contrary to what some of the many differing Churches of God would have you believe -- our ministers are not yet perfect! That which they preach and teach -- is not yet the perfect truth of God! Only when the individual comes to realize and accept this truth can he or she begin to more perfectly understand; perhaps then he or she may truly begin to: “...work out [his or her] own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Please understand that I bear no malice towards any of the ministers of the many Churches. With some few exceptions I do indeed believe them to be the ministers of God and the shepherds of His sheep. I also believe that collectively they do a good work.

That they are not yet perfect is a truth we as their brethren must accept; and as their brethren, with our own imperfections, we must realize that as individuals we shall one day be judged according to our own works. The errors of the ministry will not be an acceptable excuse for our own shortcomings!

To accept that the ministers are imperfect should bring our attention to the possibility that their understanding and therefore their teachings may also be imperfect. When we base our beliefs, our understanding, “and our faith” on that which we learn from them, we have a duty before God “to diligently search the scriptures” whether these things are so!

We know that we must “...prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” To their credit, our ministers have preached this truth to us many, many times. We have been taught not to believe what they tell us “about the Bible,” but to prove what the Bible “actually does say!” Unfortunately, very few of us ever show more than a passing observance to this edict.

Some of us may check the scriptures used in a sermon, or a booklet, or a tape, but usually we concern ourselves only with those scriptures the minister has singled out to support a particular teaching. How many of us use true diligence to actually “search the scriptures whether these things are so”? If the teaching of our minister does contain error, then the final responsibility for accepting or rejecting that error falls on the individual -- not on the minister!

Gifts and Rewards

I have spent a great deal of time studying the fate of those who are our brethren -- those who have (for whatever reason) fallen away from their faith. For the sake of this present study I shall simply state openly what I believe to be true. Those who are begotten of God but who have fallen away from the truth and do not repent of their sins before death will lose the rewards they had earned in this lifetime -- but they themselves shall be saved!

Before going any further with this, let’s try to agree to a few basic truths:

1) If an individual is truly called of God then he or she “may or may not” one day be chosen by God. For this truth I refer you to the statement of Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

2) If an individual reaches the point of “true repentance,” then he or she will almost certainly be brought before one of the ministers of God. If the minister believes this to be a true calling and repentance, before God, then the individual will almost certainly be baptized and have hands laid upon him for the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy [Spirit].’”

3) Following true repentance and a proper baptism the Bible states quite clearly that the individual “shall be saved!” Is this not “the promise of salvation”? Is this not God’s promise that those who repent and are baptized “shall be saved”? Do we automatically lose this awesome promise of God by simply “falling away”?

Notice what the Apostle Paul had to say in 1st Corinthians 3:1-15 -- (You should study this entire passage for yourself but pay special attention to verses 14-15):

1st Corinthians 3:14-15 “If any man’s work abides which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved…!”

In this passage, Paul tells us there can be only one foundation to our faith; that is Our Saviour Jesus, who is the Christ. Following true repentance, conversion, baptism, and the receiving of God’s Spirit, the foundation of our faith has been laid and the promise of salvation received, waiting for us to build thereon.

I have come to believe that after the individual receives God’s promise of salvation, he or she must then proceed to build upon that promise. What we do or do not do after we have received God’s promise will determine the importance of the reward we may or may not receive in the life to come -- “...but he himself shall be saved!”

Questions to Ponder

If we can accept that the teaching of the ministry is not infallible, then we must be ready and willing to question anything and everything that our understanding is not completely comfortable with. We must also be willing to search, and search again, the accuracy of the doctrines upon which we have built our faith. If those doctrines are sound, they will stand firm no matter how deeply we question them. If those doctrines are unsound, then we as workmen of God’s truths must not be ashamed to admit our errors and correct any misunderstanding. Flawed doctrine must ultimately lead to a “flawed faith” and I cannot believe God will honour such faith!

Q…“Is the ‘Unpardonable Sin’ any sin not repented of prior to the time of our death.”

Must we accept that a wrongful act in the final few moments of life may undermine our hope of salvation? If we allow ourselves to fall into a wrong or rebellious attitude in the last few days or hours of our temporal lives will we forfeit our eternal lives? Does the sacrifice of our Saviour only apply if we remember each and every one of our sins and repent of each one individually -- or would it be acceptable if in the final few moments of life we make a blanket repentance to cover all sins?

Q…“The gift of God is eternal life…”

Salvation is the unmerited gift of God! We cannot earn salvation; neither do I believe we can lose “the promise of salvation” having once received it. We can however “reject salvation” and this I believe is the teaching of the Bible! However, for this premise to be true the question must be asked: “When will we as individuals be faced with the final choice of accepting or rejecting God’s salvation?”

Q…“Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to [everyone] according to his work.”

We know that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord; but what is the reward of the saved? I believe the answer is summed up in the scripture which tells us: “…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Having received eternal life as an unmerited gift from God, would it not be truly wonderful to also receive a position of importance during the 1,000 year reign of Jesus over Our Father’s Kingdom? As the begotten children of God it is our duty and our responsibility to prepare ourselves for the time of that Kingdom -- to make ourselves ready for whatever duties we may be asked to perform.

Q…“If any man’s work abides which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved...”

In the Worldwide Church of God of the early 1970’s there was a spirit of certainty among the brethren that we were the true Church of God. Of those brethren whom I once knew and loved I remember one couple in particular, a husband and wife who were both deacons of the Church; there was not a doubt in my mind that those two individuals were truly begotten of Our Father. By their works and their service to the ministers, to the brethren, and to the Church, there could be no doubt they were destined for positions of importance in the soon coming Kingdom of God.

Those individuals are only two of the many who have “fallen away.” From what I’ve been able to determine they have rejected all they had once believed; if they do not repent before leaving this life they will have committed what many have come to understand and accept as the “unpardonable sin.” But have they.....? Have they rejected God and His teachings -- or have they rejected what they perceived to be an arrogant and deceitful ministry? Make no mistake: the brethren of the Worldwide Church of God were subjected to a level of deceit and betrayal by their ministers that may have no parallel in the history of the true “church” of God.

Note: Next week I hope to present “Part 3” of my thoughts on “The Unpardonable Sin.”