Lesson
12: The forgiveness of sins
I
believe in God, the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And
in Jesus Christ, his only son, our lord;
Who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born
of the virgin Mary,
Suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
Was
crucified, dead and buried.
He
descended into hell,
And
on the third day he rose again;
He
ascended into heaven,
Where
he is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father, Almighty,
Whence
he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe
in the Holy Spirit,
The
holy, catholic church,
The
communion of saints,
The
forgiveness of sins,
The
resurrection of the body,
And
the life everlasting.
Amen.
Psalm 130:3-4
[3] If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord,
who could stand? [4] But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you
are feared.
2 Chronicles
7:13-14 [13] “If I shut up the sky so
that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land,
or
if I send pestilence among my people; [14] if my people, who are
called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
The Main
Points for This Lesson:
The purpose of this
series of lessons is, using the Apostles' Creed, to teach the
essential teachings of the Christian faith and what it means to
believe them. To state it simply, the goal is to teach what we
believe and what it means to believe it.
The Apostles' Creed
has three main sections. The third section begins with the Holy
Spirit. In this lesson we will learn about the third part of this
third section: “...The forgiveness of sins.”
Unless the Almighty
Maker of heaven and earth, the Giver of life, the Judge of all men,
were willing to forgive us, we would have no hope for this life or
the next, and would be lost forever. As the race of men we have
sinned against God, and even made ourselves his enemy. As individuals
we have each sinned against our holy Maker. Our sins have made a
barrier between us and God (Isaiah 59:2). Through our own choices and
actions we have incurred a debt of sin that can only be paid by
death. Would the Almighty Maker be willing under any conditions to
restore, or reestablish a relationship with us, who have been by
word, thought and deed his enemies, and owe such a debt? The Psalmist
tells us that there is forgiveness found with God (Psalm 130:4).
God offers
forgiveness to all men under certain conditions. That is, forgiveness
is given only to those who meet the conditions. The Holy Spirit,
leading holy men, has shown us both the possibility of forgiveness
and the conditions for receiving it from God.
We must humble ourselves. We must be honest with ourselves about
ourselves. Sin in our hearts and in our actions must be recognized as
sin. Jesus told of a Pharisee and a tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). The
tax collector went home justified (forgiven), because he humbled
himself (v14).
We must repent. While such honesty is necessary, it must be followed
by repentance, by an actual turning (in our heart, mind and daily
living) away from our sin and a turning to God and his ways. I may be
willing to admit that when I steal, or when I do not honor my
parents, I am breaking God's holy law. Until I decide that I no
longer want to steal, or no longer want to dishonor my parents, but
instead want to obey God above, until I repent in my heart and mind
and in how I live each day, I cannot expect to receive forgiveness
from God. It must be understood that repentance is not a single event
in time that can then be forgotten. We must daily live out our
repentance. The apostle John said it this way, “If we say that we
have fellowship with him and walk
in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth. But if we walk
in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all
sin” (1 John 1:6-7).
We must confess our sins. Humbling ourselves and repenting cannot be
a private matter in our own heart alone. You must confess your sins
to God. This is done through prayer. This confession of sins and
repentance must also be made with the mouth before men. This is often
done through baptism.
The debt of sin must be paid. This debt must be paid on two levels.
The debt of death must be paid. God demonstrated his love to us by
sending his own beloved Son to pay that debt for us while we were yet
his enemies (Romans 5:8). God paid this impossible debt. On a second
level, through our sins, we may have caused damage that should be
repaid. As much as possible, we should make restitution on earth for
our sins. Have we stolen? We should repay. Have we lied? We should
confess the truth. It was after Zacchaeus (Luke 19:8-9) publicly
pledged to give half his wealth and repay (four times as much)
whatever he stole that Jesus said, “Today, salvation has come to
this house.”
We must forgive others. Jesus taught simply that if we forgive
others, our Father in heaven will forgive us, but if we do not
forgive others, neither will our Father in heaven forgive us our
sins. If we do not forgive those who comes to us saying, “I
repent,” we cannot rightly expect God to forgive us.
God forgives us. God
does not owe us forgiveness. We have not earned forgiveness by our
humility, repentance and confession. God gives forgiveness freely to
whom he will. He has told us through his apostles and prophets, and
through his Son, that he will give forgiveness to those who “humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked
ways” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Forgiveness
is not simply a one time event. God forgives us at the beginning of
our Christian life, that is, he establishes
a relationship with us who were once his enemies. We
do not outgrow humility, repentance, confession or forgiving others.
When we outgrow these things, when we no longer walk in humility,
when we no longer turn from our sins to God, when we no longer
confess our own sins and forgive others, when we outgrow these
things, then we outgrow forgiveness. As did the king's servant
(Matthew 18:23-35), we will lose the forgiveness we once had.
Are there means or
methods of obtaining forgiveness from God? Has God himself
established means for men to receive forgiveness? In the words of
Jesus and in the teaching of the apostles we do see such means
established. It should be noted that these means are different from
the conditions. A man who has fulfilled the conditions must receive
forgiveness through the means God has chosen.
Baptism. John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. Jesus and his disciples baptized people (John
3:22). Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples, baptizing
them (Matthew 28:19). At the first pouring out of the Holy Spirit,
the apostle Peter offered hope to the crowds, saying, “Repent, and
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38). Baptism has been established by
God as a means of receiving forgiveness of sins.
The church. When on earth, Jesus had authority to forgive sins. When
on earth, he gave this authority to his church. He told his disciples
that they had the authority to forgive or to not forgive men's sins
(John 20:23). For this reason, baptism is connected and should be
connected to the church. Beyond baptism, James wrote about confessing
our sins to one another. He wrote about calling for the elders for
prayer, and he connected this to forgiveness if sins had been
committed. God has established both baptism and the church as means
through with he gives forgiveness to the humble, repentant sinner.
What does it mean to
believe this? If we believe in the forgiveness of sins, we will
desire God's forgiveness. We will take account of the conditions for
forgiveness and humbly do our part to fulfill those conditions. We
will come to God for forgiveness under his conditions using his
means. If we believe in the forgiveness of sins, we will live in
humility, forgiving others, until we see our Lord face to face.
Suggestions:
Open each lesson
with prayer for the teacher and the students and this class time.
Remind the children
that we are using the Apostles' Creed to teach the essential
teachings of the Christian faith, that is, what we believe and what
it means to believe it. Read through the Apostles' Creed with the
children.
For the purpose of
these lessons, we have broken the creed into twelve parts. Let the
children know that today we will talk about the tenth part: ...The
forgiveness of sins.
Ask the children
what they think forgiveness means. Help them to understand that
forgiveness means that God is willing to have a relationship with us
again. They may understand the example of a friend. When a friend
hurts you, and then the friend comes and says they are sorry, the
friendship is not mended until you forgive them so that you can be
friends again.
Read the story of
Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) to the children. Use this story to mention
the idea of conditions for forgiveness. You can ask questions such
as: Did Zacchaeus seek after God? (He sought after Jesus) How did
Zacchaeus change? Could you say that he repented? When did Jesus say
that salvation had come to his house?
You don't need to
read it, but you could remind the children of the story of the
Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18:9-14. You can ask them
who was justified, or who was forgiven. What was the difference? Do
you think humility is important if we want to be forgiven by God?
Close the lesson
with prayer related to the subject and the students. Pray the Lord's
Prayer together.
Stories:
Matthew 18:21-35
[21] Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” [22]
Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but,
until seventy times seven. [23] Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is
like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his
servants. [24] When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him
who owed him ten thousand talents. [25] But because he couldn’t
pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children,
and all that he had, and payment to be made. [26] The servant
therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, ‘Lord, have
patience with me, and I will repay you all!’ [27] The lord of that
servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him
the debt. [28] “But that servant went out, and found one of his
fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed
him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
[29] “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him,
saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’ [30] He
would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay
back that which was due. [31] So when his fellow servants saw what
was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their
lord all that was done. [32] Then his lord called him in, and said to
him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you
begged me. [33] Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow
servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ [34] His lord was angry, and
delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due
to him. [35] So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t
each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”
Luke 19:1-10
[1] He entered and was passing through Jericho. [2] There was a man
named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. [3]
He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the
crowd, because he was short. [4] He ran on ahead, and climbed up into
a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. [5] When
Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him,
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your
house.” [6] He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. [7]
When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to
lodge with a man who is a sinner.” [8] Zacchaeus stood and said to
the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I
have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as
much.” [9] Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this
house, because he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man
came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
More Stories
and Examples:
Matthew 9:1-8
[1] He entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own
city. [2] Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying
on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son,
cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you.” [3] Behold, some of the
scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.” [4] Jesus,
knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your
hearts? [5] For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’
or to say, ‘Get up, and walk?’ [6] But that you may know that the
Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” (then he said
to the paralytic), “Get up, and take up your mat, and go up to your
house.” [7] He arose and departed to his house. [8] But when the
multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given
such authority to men.
[Mark 2:1-12; Luke
5:17-26]
Luke 7:36-50
[36] One of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered
into the Pharisee’s house, and sat at the table. [37] Behold, a
woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was
reclining in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of
ointment. [38] Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet
his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her
head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. [39] Now
when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself,
“This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what
kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.” [40]
Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” He
said, “Teacher, say on.” [41] “A certain lender had two
debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. [42]
When they couldn’t pay, he forgave them both. Which of them
therefore will love him most?” [43] Simon answered, “He, I
suppose, to whom he forgave the most.” He said to him, “You have
judged correctly.” [44] Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do
you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no
water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped
them with the hair of her head. [45] You gave me no kiss, but she,
since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. [46] You
didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with
ointment. [47] Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are
forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the
same loves little.” [48] He said to her, “Your sins are
forgiven.” [49] Those who sat at the table with him began to say to
themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” [50] He said to
the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Luke 18:9-14
This
is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This shows the
importance of humbling ourselves before the Lord. It was in this
humility that the tax collector was justified.
Other Verses:
Exodus 34:5-7
[5] Yahweh descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and
proclaimed Yahweh’s name. [6] Yahweh passed by before him,
and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, [7] keeping
loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience
and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s
children, on the third and on the fourth generation.”
Psalm 32:1-2
[1] Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is
covered. [2] Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute
iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit. [Romans 4:7-8]
Psalm 103:2-3
[2] Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits; [3]
who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases;
Psalm 130:3-4
[3] If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? [4]
But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared.
Isaiah 59:1-2
[1] Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save;
neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear: [2] but your
iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your
sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Micah 7:18-20
[18] Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes
over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t
retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness.
[19] He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our
iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into
the depths of the sea. [20] You will give truth to Jacob, and
mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of
old.
1 John 1:6-10
[6] If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the
darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth. [7] But if we walk
in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from
all sin. [8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say that we haven’t sinned, we
make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
FORGIVENESS AND
JESUS
Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they
are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.
Acts 13:37-39
[37] But he whom God raised up saw no decay. [38] Be it known to you
therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you
remission of sins, [39] and by him everyone who believes is
justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by
the law of Moses.
Colossians 1:9-15
[9] For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t
cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled
with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, [10] that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please
him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing
in the knowledge of God; [11] strengthened with all power, according
to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with
joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; [13] who
delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the
Kingdom of the Son of his love; [14] in whom we have our
redemption, the forgiveness of our sins; [15] who is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 2:13
You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all
our trespasses,
1 John 2:12 I
write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for
his name’s sake.
FORGIVENESS AND
BLOOD
Ephesians 1:7
in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
FORGIVENESS AND
REPENTANCE
2 Chronicles
7:13-14 [13] “If I shut up the sky so that there is no rain, or
if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence
among my people; [14] if my people, who are called by my name, shall
humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land.
Jeremiah 36:1-3
[1] In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, [2] Take a scroll of
a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you
against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from
the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.
[3] It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I
purpose to do to them; that they may return every man from his
evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to
finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to
make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the most holy.
Mark 1:4-8
[4] John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the
baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. [5] All the
country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They
were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. [6]
John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his
waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. [7] He preached, saying, “After
me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am
not worthy to stoop down and loosen. [8] I baptized you in water, but
he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
Mark 4:11-12
[11] He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom
of God, but to those who are outside, all things are done in
parables, [12] that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and
hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they
should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’”
Luke 24:45-48
[45] Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the
Scriptures. [46] He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it
was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the
third day, [47] and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at
Jerusalem. [48] You are witnesses of these things.
Acts 2:37-40
[37] Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said
to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we
do?” [38] Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every
one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins,
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the
promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off,
even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” [40] With
many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save
yourselves from this crooked generation!”
Acts 3:19
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins
may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing
from the presence of the Lord,
Acts 5:30-32
[30] The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging
him on a tree. [31] God exalted him with his right hand to be a
Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission
of sins. [32] We are His witnesses of these things; and so also
is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Acts 8:22
Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if
perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
FORGIVENESS AND
CONFESSION
James 5:16
Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous
person is powerfully effective.
1 John 1:8-10
[8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. [10] If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him
a liar, and his word is not in us.
FORGIVENESS AND
FORGIVING OTHERS
Matthew 6:9-15
[9] Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept
holy. [10] Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in
heaven, so on earth. [11] Give us today our daily bread. [12] Forgive
us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. [13] Bring us not
into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the
Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’ [14] “For if
you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you. [15] But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:25-26
[25] Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything
against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also
forgive you your transgressions. [26] But if you do not forgive,
neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”
Luke 17:3-4
[3] Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If
he repents, forgive him. [4] If he sins against you seven times
in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you
shall forgive him.”
Ephesians 4:30-32
[30] Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. [31] Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. [32] And
be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God also in Christ forgave you.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
[1] But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will
come. [2] For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,
boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, [3] without natural affection, unforgiving,
slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, [4]
traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God; [5] holding a form of godliness, but having denied its
power. Turn away from these, also.
FORGIVENESS AND
BAPTISM
Mark 16:16 He
who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who
disbelieves will be condemned.
Acts 22:16
Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins,
calling on the name of the Lord.’
FORGIVENESS AND THE
CHURCH
John 20:23 If
you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you
retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained.”
James 5:14-16
[14] Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the
assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord, [15] and the prayer of faith will heal him who
is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins,
he will be forgiven. [16] Confess your offenses to one another,
and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent
prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
2 Kings 5:18-19
[18] In this thing may Yahweh pardon your servant: when my master
goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my
hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon. When I bow myself in
the house of Rimmon, may Yahweh pardon your servant in this
thing.” [19] He said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed
from him a little way.
In
this Old Testament story, Naaman seeks forgiveness (future) from God
through the prophet of God. Elisha released Naaman from guilt
regarding the matter.
FORGIVENESS AND NOT
FORGIVEN
Matthew 6:14-15
[14] “For if you forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. [15]
But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 12:30-32
[30] “He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t
gather with me, scatters. [31] Therefore I tell you, every sin and
blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven men. [32] Whoever 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, neither in this age, nor in
that which is to come. [Mark 3:28-29]
Mark 3:28-29
[28] Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man
will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may
blaspheme; [29] but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit
never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
[Matthew 12:30-32]
Hebrews 10:26-31
[26] For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge
of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, [27]
but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of
fire which will devour the adversaries. [28] A man who disregards
Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three
witnesses. [29] How much worse punishment, do you think, will he be
judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has
counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an
unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know
him who said, “Vengeance belongs to me,” says the Lord, “I will
repay.” Again, “The Lord will judge his people.” [31] It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
