“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief’ (1 Timothy 1: 15).
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
God does not want anyone to perish. In fact, He gave His only Son to die on Calvary, so that every individual can be saved from eternal punishment. It is the very character of God (faithful and just) that guarantees that our sins can be forgiven. And yet, when we realize just how sinful we are, it staggers our mind that God would forgive all of our sins.
When not examined in their context, there are certain verses of Scripture that can aggravate the nagging doubt that, perhaps, we cannot be forgiven a certain sin. Examine them with me.
First, there is the question about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy is speech that would insult God — the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 12:31,32 the Bible says that “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.”
One view of this passage holds that this comment was directed to the nation of Israel, not individuals. According to verse 24, this statement was made to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the nation of Israel. Also, look at verse 32. The word world is translated from the Greek word aion. It means an age, a period of time. The nation’s sin of rejecting Christ and attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan would not be forgiven in the Age of Law (in which they were) or the Age of Grace (which we are in now). Indeed, as we study prophecy, we discover that Israel will not truly return to God until after the dispensation of grace has ended.
Another view is, perhaps, stated best by John F. Walvoord, “There has been much misunderstanding about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Here it is properly defined as attributing to Satan what is accomplished by the power of God. Such a sin is not unpardonable in itself, but rather because it rejects the person and work of the Holy Spirit, without whom repentance and restoration is impossible. As far as it applies today, it is not the thought that one seeking pardon will not find it, but that one who rejects the Holy spirit will not seek pardon. It is the ultimate of unbelief.”
It is interesting that Paul was forgiven for the sin of blasphemy. “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief’ (1 Timothy 1:12-13).
Often, the next question is about the “sin unto death.” “If any man sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it” (1 John 5:16). The “sin unto death” (physical death, not spiritual) is committed by Christians. Notice the phrase “If any man sees his brother” Also, compare 1 Corinthians 11:30. Paul makes it clear that Christians are sometimes sick and sometimes die because of sin in their life. It has been often said, “God will take His children home to heaven rather than let him bring reproach to His cause by open sin.”
The final question concerns the one who sins willfully. Hebrews 10:26-27 says, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” The truth is that there is only one sacrifice for sins. It is not true that this one sacrifice cannot cover more than one sin. When a person willfully sins against God, there is that expectation of judgment. It is natural. However, the sacrifice of Christ shedding His blood on the cross is sufficient for all our sins. There is no additional sacrifice to help.
In any case, a person wants to be delivered from his sin only when the Holy Spirit draws him toward God. He may want to escape the consequence of his sin on his own, but only when the Holy Spirit speaks to him will he want real salvation/forgiveness. So if the Holy Spirit has caused you to want to be free from your sin, you do not need to worry about whether you can. Get things right with Him right away.