Hope from the Very Worst

Scripture: Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:32

Observation: Jesus is in the midst of a head-to-head fight with the Pharisees, and it begins when they claim he casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus corrects this clearly. However it is in this verse that he pivots the fight into a much stronger offensive. He will go on to condemn the very hearts and motives of the Pharisees, denying their motives, words, and thoughts. He places them as less faithful than the sinners of ancient Nineveh, or of the foreign Queen of Sheba. His logic is straightforward, and his warning clear:

-- Any and every act can and will be forgiven, even such a great act as hating Jesus himself.

-- However, if one curses the Holy Spirit, this is the act of knowing God exists yet in that knowledge actively rejecting his authority, and that is the unforgivable sin.

-- Those who do this may even still profess to believe in God - they may say good words, or give others good teaching - but their hearts are now revealed.

This isn't a sin of ignorance. This isn't a sin of anger or passion or deception or temptation or weakness. And this isn't even a willful sin that rebels against the laws, commands, and precepts of God. This is a sin outside of the body or soul. This is the sin of a personal spirit that has - with full knowledge, in sound judgment, and with total consciousness - chosen to reject God. It is the worst thing one can do.

However, in this same message is the greatest of all hope ... EVERYTHING ELSE is forgiven! Even cursing God himself, even rejecting Jesus ... these are forgivable with the act of repentance and faith.

Application: I have cursed God. I have rejected Jesus. I have declared independence from all belief. And I have repented of that, having discovered the love of God and salvation of Jesus in my life. And from this verse I know I am forgiven.

This is the takeaway for me here. It is not that there is some unforgivable act, but rather that I am forgiven of even the time in my life I actively declared that I rejected all concepts of salvation, God, and Jesus. I am now a believer. I publicly declared my faith, and was baptized into that faith, born again as a new creation. Jesus declaring the very worst sin possible against the Pharisees actually shows that billions and billions and billions of other wrongs are washed away, because God loves us so much that he gave his son.

Prayer: Lord, my Lord and my God, may I live every day without any thoughts or concerns about my former life, for it is all washed away. Thank you for your forgiveness, which I could never have earned. Amen.