Hillside Community Church                                             Pastor Kent Tucker

 

THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL SECURITY

 

Definition: Eternal security is that work of God which guarantees that the gift of salvation, once received, is possessed forever and can never be lost.

 

Security is a biblical truth whether or not one has assurance or even if one does not believe in it. Since security rests on God’s guarantee, it’s truthfulness, then, does not rest on one’s feelings or experiences.

 

Assurance is the confident realization that one has eternal life.

 

 

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION AND PROBLEM PASSAGES

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit-Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 12

 

Matthew 12:31-32  "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32"And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.

 

What are the implications one could draw from this passage?

 

 

Introduction:

“Blasphemy of the Spirit”, the unforgivable sin, is recorded in Matthew 12 and Mark 3. However, these passages are referring to the same event that took place at a pivotal, turning point in Jesus ministry.

 

Jesus healing on the Sabbath in total disrespect of the rules of the religious leaders was the “last straw”. In response, the unbelieving religious leaders decided that Jesus must be eliminated (Mark 3:6; Matt. 12:14). That’s when they began to discredit his power by saying that it was from Satan (Mark 3:22; Matt. 12:24). Jesus response to them was four-fold:

1)      First, He asked them the logical question: Why would Satan give me power to destroy his kingdom? (Mk. 3:23-27; Matt:12:26)

2)     He then provided a more logical conclusion: If my power is from the Spirit of God, then God’s Anointed must be in your midst. (Matt. 12:28)

3)     He then warned the unbelieving religious leaders about the implication of rejecting him and his offer of forgiveness: It would be an unforgivable sin, a sin with ‘eternal’ consequences. (Matt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29)

4)     He then pointed them to the most irrefutable evidence that he would provide to prove he was the Savior—his future resurrection from the dead—so that they would change their mind and turn to him as Savior. (Matt. 12:38-40)

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION AND PROBLEM PASSAGES

 Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the unforgivable sin.

Matthew 12:9-40; Mark 3:1-30,

                            Passage                                                         Comments

Mark 3:1-30  And He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there with a withered hand. 2And they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they might accuse Him. 3And He said to the man with the withered hand, "Rise and come forward!" 4And He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. 5And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6And the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Jesus healing on the Sabbath in total disrespect of the rules of the religious leaders was the “last straw”. In response, the unbelieving religious leaders decided that Jesus must be eliminated.

7And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the multitude, in order that they might not crowd Him; 10for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed about Him in order to touch Him. 11And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they would fall down before Him and cry out, saying, "You are the Son of God!" 12And He earnestly warned them not to make Him known.

Multitudes were coming to Jesus because his power to heal and cast out demons helped them, and it provided evidence that he was who he claimed to be—The Savior.

." 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."

The religious leaders, in an attempt to discredit him, began telling people that his power came from Satan.

23And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24"And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25"And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26"And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!

Jesus asked them the logical question, “Why would Satan give Me the power to destroy his kingdom?”

Matthew 12:28-29 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29"Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Jesus then gives them the logical conclusion, “If My power is from the Spirit of God, then God’s Anointed must be in your midst.

Mark 3:28-30  28"Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- 30because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." 

The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was called an “unforgivable sin” because it was rejecting Jesus and his offer of forgiveness. So Jesus here warns the religious leaders about the consequences of rejecting him—it would be an  unforgivable sin.

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. Jesus offers forgiveness for all of our sins—including those of the religious leaders. What is the only sin Jesus cannot forgive? Why is it called an “eternal sin”? Who is the only kind of person who can commit the unforgivable sin?

Matthew 12:38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

What did Christ do to keep pointing the religious leaders to the evidence that he was who he claimed to be—so that they would change their mind and turn to him as Savior?

 

 

Summary:

  1. The Pharisees in this passage did not believe in Jesus as Savior and, in fact, were seeking to kill him.
  2. When Jesus warned these Pharisees about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, he was talking about their rejecting the testimony and power that the Spirit of God, through miracles, to prove that Jesus was the Savior.
  3. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was called an “unforgivable sin” because it was rejecting Jesus and his offer of forgiveness. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. Jesus offers forgiveness for all of our sins—including those of the religious leaders. What is the only sin Jesus cannot forgive? Rejecting the offer of forgiveness.
  4. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was called an “eternal sin” because rejecting Christ as Savior has eternal consequences.
  5. The blasphemy of the HS is a sin that can only be committed by unbelievers, like the Pharisees in this passage, because it is the rejection of Christ as Savior. That is why Jesus said that the one who commits the unforgivable sin, “never has forgiveness.” (Mark 3:29).
  6. Ultimately the unforgivable sin is not committed until someone dies without Christ. That is why Jesus warned the Pharisees not to commit the unforgivable sin and pointed them to his future resurrection as irrefutable proof that he was the Savior—so they would change their minds and believe in him. (Matt. 12:38-40)

 

 

Review Quiz:

1.     Who is Jesus talking to?

2.    What was their heart response to Christ at this point?

3.    What is the unforgivable sin?

4.    Why did Jesus mention the unforgivable sin here?

5.    Who is the only type of person who can commit the unforgivable sin?

6.    Could the unbelieving religious leaders still change their mind and believe in Christ?