The Unpardonable Sin by Elbridge M. Adams

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 16, 1915

The Unpardonable Sin

By Elbridge M. Adams

The Holy Spirit — No. 2

The Unpardonable Sin

ELBRIDGE M. ADAMS

BLASPHEMY against the Holy Ghost, that which Jesus said could not be forgiven, and John called the “sin unto death,” and David “the great transgression,” has been the theme of serious thought and much discussion. No doubt many conscientious persons have thought themselves guilty of this sin. Believing that the clearest and fullest answer to the question, “What is the sin against the Holy Ghost?” can be obtained from a knowledge of the office and work of the Holy Spirit, I wish to present for your consideration some things concerning this divine agency.

By comparing 1 Cor. 3:16 with 1 Cor. 6:19 it is manifest that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Ghost are the same. And though some with little thought upon the subject have believed that the Holy Ghost made its first appearance in the earth at Pentecost, such scriptures as Neh. 9:20, Isa. 63:11, and Acts 7:51, 52, plainly show that the Holy Spirit was in the earth before Pentecost. The following selection from “The Acts of the Apostles,” page 53, bears directly on this point:— “From the beginning God has been working by his Holy Spirit through human instrumentalities for the accomplishment of his purpose in behalf of the fallen race. This was manifest in the lives of the patriarchs. To the church in the wilderness also, in the time of Moses, God gave his ‘Good Spirit to instruct them.’ And in the days of the apostles he wrought mightily for his church through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The same power that sustained the patriarchs, that gave Caleb and Joshua faith and courage, and that made the work of the apostolic church effective, has upheld God’s faithful children in every succeeding age. It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that during the Dark Ages the Waldensian Christians helped to prepare the way for the Reformation. It was the same power that made successful the efforts of the noble men and women who pioneered the way for the establishment of modern missions, and for the translation of the Bible into the languages and dialects of all nations and peoples.”

Good Desires From the Spirit

The natural man is an enemy of God, and consequently of all that is good. “The carnal mind is enmity against God.” Though the perverted nature of man is filled with sin, and has no desire for a better life, God does not leave man in this hopeless condition. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.” This that convicts of sin and thus makes one dissatisfied with oneself and leads one to desire better things is the Spirit. “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin.”

Born of the Spirit

Good desires are not enough. The sinful life must die, and give place to a new and better life. This change, which is imperative for all who would enter the kingdom, is known as the new birth, and is accomplished by the same Spirit that brought to the heart its first good desires. “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Growth by the Spirit

As physical babes must grow unto maturity and develop the powers of a full-grown man, so must spiritual babes. Paul speaks of “babes in Christ,” in his first letter to the Corinthians. We find that the agent God employs in teaching and thus developing his children is the Holy Spirit. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”

Sealed by the Spirit

The climax of this work is called the sealing. Those only who have continued faithful can be sealed. For the promise of salvation is to those who “endure unto the end.” That man who can truly say at the end, with Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,” will be sealed by the Holy Spirit. “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

“The office of the Holy Spirit is distinctly specified in the words of Christ: ‘When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.’ It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin. If the sinner responds to the quickening influence of the Spirit, he will be brought to repentance, and aroused to the importance of obeying the divine requirements. . . .

“Having brought conviction of sin, and presented before the mind the standard of righteousness, the Holy Spirit withdraws the affections from the things of this earth, and fills the soul with a desire for holiness. ‘He will guide you into all truth,’ the Saviour declared. If men are willing to be molded, there will be brought about a sanctification of the whole being. The Spirit will take the things of God and stamp them on the soul. By his power the way of life will be made so plain that none need err therein.”—Id., pages 52, 53.

From this we can see that there is no phase of the Christian life in which the Spirit has not a vital part to act. What, then, is the sin that cannot be forgiven? It is the rejection of the Holy Spirit, the one agency ordained of God whereby he can draw the sinner to himself, for the work of the Holy Spirit is to prepare the way for repentance. And one has not committed the unpardonable sin so long as he has any good desires. For it is the Spirit alone that brings these good impulses to the heart.

The sinner does not arrive at a condition of absolute depravity by one act, but by a series of acts called “presumptuous sins,” from which the psalmist says if one keeps himself he will not be guilty of “the great transgression.” “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.”

Presumptuous sin is a deliberate departure from right doing. It may begin in some seemingly minor lapse, by a failure to attend prayer meeting; by wearing ornaments and gaudy clothing, when God has enjoined modest apparel; by neglecting the principles of health reform, which God has so mercifully given us; by holding in little esteem and heeding not the instruction God has been pleased to give through his servant to the remnant church; by being careless of the Sabbath and the house of worship; by neglecting Bible study; by giving way to that angry word or that impatient act; by harboring unkind feelings toward another; by criticizing; by lack of unity; by not paying a faithful tithe; by not giving freewill offerings; by not giving our lives to God for service anywhere and in any way he may desire; by being ashamed of God, his work, or his people; by not loving the brethren; by exalting self; by not assisting one in need when it is in our power to do it; by despising the poor and respecting the rich. In these ways and in many others we may be taking steps toward “the great transgression,” and be grieving the Holy Spirit, which brings these things to our attention.

Whenever we are guilty of sins of omission or commission there is a pricking of conscience. This is described by the prophet Isaiah in these words: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

Brethren, let us take heed, God has said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” There is a limit even to God’s mercy. And when there is no more remedy, it will be said, “The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn.”—‘The Great Controversy,’ page 614 Another sentence from the same source (page 627) ought to cause serious reflection: “The severity of the retribution awaiting the transgressor may be judged by the Lord’s reluctance to execute justice.”

Shall we not make a covenant this day with God, that, by his grace, we will no more grieve his good Spirit even in those things we may call unimportant? Thus we shall take no steps in the way toward “the great transgression,” the sin that cannot be forgiven.