Expert: Brenda Martin - 3/28/2004

Question
What about the definition of sins?Is prayerlessness consider sin?I have a personal problem of not being consistent and always putting(for eg) tv first instead of prayers.Is this sin too?I learnt in my bible class that if I missed one a night of prayer with God,I don't have to go on a guilt trip and just have to 'make it up' the next time.Please give me some advice.Does God always forgive like in my case?Thanks.
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
hi there,I happened to browse thru' yours answers to previous questions and I read that you mentioned there's only 1 unforgivable sin in the Bible.That's to sin against the Holy Spirit.I'm curious to know what are the sins that the Holy Spirit considers unforgivable and how to avoid doing those things?
Will the Holy Spirit indefintely depart from anybody if he/she commits those sins just like what happened to King Saul?
Answer -
Hi there Angeline, you asked--"WHAT ARE THE SINS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT CONSIDERS UNFORGIVABLE AND HOW TO AVOID DOING THOSE THINGS?"

Some sins are unforgivable. Jesus Christ said: “Every sort of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31) So, then, blasphemy against God's holy spirit, or active force, will not be forgiven. The apostle Paul alluded to such sin when he wrote: “It is impossible as regards THOSE WHO HAVE ONCE FOR ALL BEEN ENLIGHTENED, but who have fallen away, to revive them again to repentance, because they impale the Son of God afresh for themselves and expose him to public shame.”—Hebrews 6:4-6.

Only God knows if a person has committed the unforgivable sin. However, Paul shed light on this matter when he wrote: “If we practice sin willfully AFTER having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment.” (Hebrews 10:26, 27) A willful person acts deliberately, or is “obstinately and often perversely self-willed.” (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary)

Anyone willfully and obstinately continuing to practice sin AFTER HE KNOWS THE TRUTH is not forgiven. Hence, it is not so much the sin itself as it is the heart condition, the degree of willfulness involved, that affects whether the sin is forgivable or not. On the other hand, what is likely the case when an erring Christian is deeply disturbed about his wrongdoing? His great concern probably indicates that he has not, in fact, committed an unforgivable sin.

2 EXAMPLES--Certain Jewish religious leaders who opposed Jesus did commit willful, and thus unforgivable, sin. Though THEY SAW GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK through Jesus as he did good and performed miracles, those clerics ascribed his power to Beelzebub, or Satan the Devil. They sinned with their eyes wide open to the undeniable operation of God's spirit. Thus, they committed unforgivable sin, for Jesus said: “Whoever speaks against the holy spirit, it will not be forgiven him, no, not in this system of things nor in that to come.”—Matthew 12:22-32.

The sin of Judas Iscariot also was unforgivable. His betrayal of Jesus was the willful, deliberate culmination of a course of hypocrisy and dishonesty. For instance, when Judas saw Mary anoint Jesus with costly oil, he asked: “Why was it this perfumed oil was not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor people?” The apostle John added: “[Judas] said this, though, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box and used to carry off the monies put in it.” Soon thereafter, Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. (John 12:1-6; Matthew 26:6-16) True, Judas felt remorse and committed suicide. (Matthew 27:1-5) But he was not forgiven, since his deliberate, persistently selfish course and his treacherous act reflected his sin against the holy spirit. How appropriate that Jesus should call Judas “the son of destruction”!—John 17:12; Mark 3:29; 14:21.
----------------------

Willful sins stand in sharp contrast with the errors of those forgiven by God. Take King David of Israel as an example. He committed adultery with Bath-sheba, the wife of Uriah, and later had Joab maneuver Uriah's death in battle. (2 Samuel 11:1-27) Why did God show David mercy? Principally because of the Kingdom covenant but also because of David's own mercifulness and his genuine repentance.—1 Samuel 24:4-7; 2 Samuel 7:12; 12:13.

Consider, too, the apostle Peter. He sinned seriously by repeatedly denying Jesus. Why did God forgive Peter? Unlike Judas Iscariot, Peter had been honest in the service of God and Christ. This apostle's sin was due to fleshly weakness, and he was truly repentant and “wept bitterly.”—Matthew 26:69-75.

The foregoing examples show that even a person who sins grievously can obtain God's forgiveness. But what attitude is required in order to be forgiven? True repentance is vital if an erring Christian is to be forgiven by God. To repent means “to turn from sin out of penitence for past wrongdoings” or “feel regret or contrition for what one has done or omitted to do.” (Webster's Third New International Dictionary)

A truly repentant person would show remorse over any reproach, sorrow, or problems his sin had brought on Jehovah's name and organization. The repentant wrongdoer would also produce corresponding fruit, performing works that befit repentance. (Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20) For example, if he had defrauded someone, he would take reasonable steps to compensate for the loss. (Luke 19:8) Such a repentant Christian has sound Scriptural reasons to be confident that Jehovah will forgive in a large way.

WILL THE HOLY SPIRIT INDEFINTELY DEPART FROM ANYBODY IF HE/SHE COMMITS THOSE SINS JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO KING SAUL?

Yes the bible is clear that anyone who sins against the Holy Spirit can lose out on everlasting life, however let me stress, this can only happen AFTER a person has received the TRUTH from the scriptures, in other words after they are a true worshipper of Jehovah and then deliberately go against what they KNOW to be true.

Heb. 10:26, 27, RS: “If we sin deliberately AFTER RECEIVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.” (Thus the Bible does not go along with the idea that no matter what sins a person may commit after he is “saved” he will not lose his salvation. It encourages faithfulness. See also Hebrews 6:4-6, where it is shown that even a person anointed with holy spirit can lose his hope of salvation.)

Mark 3:29, JB: “Let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.”

In the war against the Amalekites, Saul transgressed God's command by sparing the best of their flock and herd as well as their king, Agag. When asked why he had not obeyed God's voice, Saul disclaimed guilt and shifted the blame onto the people. Only after Samuel emphasized the serious nature of the sin and said that, because of it, GOD WAS REJECTING HIM AS KING did Saul acknowledge that his error was the result of his fearing the people. After Saul pleaded with Samuel to honor him in front of the older men and in front of Israel by accompanying him, Samuel did appear with him before them. Then Samuel himself proceeded to put Agag to death. After that, Samuel parted from Saul and they had no further association.—1Sa 15:1-35.

It was after this and after the anointing of David as Israel's future king that God's spirit left Saul. From then on “a bad spirit terrorized him.” Having withdrawn his spirit from Saul, God made it possible for a bad spirit to gain possession of him, depriving Saul of his peace of mind and stirring up his feelings, thoughts, and imaginations in a wrong way.

Saul's failure to obey God indicated a bad inclination of mind and heart, against which God's spirit offered Saul no protection or resistive force. —1Sa 16:14-23; 17:15.

The incident that led to Jesus' statement concerning the unpardonableness of such sin demonstrates that it refers to opposing the operation of God's spirit. This would not be because of deception, human weakness, or imperfection; but the opposition would be willful and deliberate.

ALL THE BEST BRENDA


Answer
THE DEFINITION OF SIN?

Definition: Literally, a missing of the mark, according to the Hebrew and Greek Bible texts. God himself sets the “mark” that his intelligent creatures are to reach. Missing that mark is sin, which is also unrighteousness, or lawlessness. (Rom. 3:23; 1 John 5:17; 3:4) Sin is anything not in harmony with God's personality, standards, ways, and will, all of which are holy. It may involve wrong conduct, failure to do what should be done, ungodly speech, unclean thoughts, or desires or motives that are selfish.

**The Bible differentiates between inherited sin and willful sin, between an act of sin over which a person is repentant and the practice of sin.

IS PRAYERLESSNESS CONSIDERED SIN?

Yes and No, it is something we should do, according to the bible, however it is NOT an UNFORGIVABLE sin, that's the difference.

To not pray, perhaps as much as we should, is due to our "inherited "sin from our first parents, God continually forgives sins because he knows we are all born of Adam so we are all imperfect and make mistakes naturally and inherently.

If God were to condemn mankind because they sin, then we would all be dead, as we all sin, through no fault of our own we are born sinners. It is impossible for us NOT to sin, but that doesn't mean we can do as we like, no, God is looking for us to do as he says to the best of our imperfect ability. I hope this next paragraph helps you understand what an unforgivable sin is okay--

What is unforgivable sin?

Knowledge brings greater responsibility. Pilate's sin was not as great as that of the Jewish religious leaders who turned Jesus over to the governor, nor that of Judas, who betrayed his Lord. (Joh 19:11; 17:12) Jesus told Pharisees of his day that if they were blind, they would have no sin, evidently meaning that their sins could be forgiven by God on the basis of their ignorance; however, because they denied being in ignorance, ‘their sin remained.' (Joh 9:39-41)

Jesus said they had “no excuse for their sin” because they were witnesses of the powerful words and works proceeding from him as the result of God's spirit on him. (Joh 15:22-24; Lu 4:18) Those who, either in word or by their course of action, willfully and knowingly blasphemed God's spirit thus manifested would be “guilty of everlasting sin,” with no forgiveness possible. (Mt 12:31, 32; Mr 3:28-30; compare Joh 15:26; 16:7, 8.)

This could be the case with some who came to be Christians and then deliberately turned from God's pure worship. Hebrews 10:26, 27 states that “if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and there is a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition.”

At 1 John 5:16, 17, John evidently refers to willful, knowing sin in speaking of “a sin that does incur death” as contrasted with one that does not. (Compare Nu 15:30.) Where the evidence indicates such willful, knowing sin, the Christian would not pray for the one so offending. God, of course, is the final Judge as to the heart attitude of the sinner.—Compare Jer 7:16; Mt 5:44; Ac 7:60.

For instance, persons who are momentarily overreached in telling a lie do not automatically become guilty of an unforgivable sin. The case of Peter, in denying Jesus three times, illustrates that if a person is truly repentant, God will forgive him.—Mt 26:69-75.

Since Adam and Eve were perfect creatures, and since God's command to them was explicit and understood by both, it is evident that their sinning was willful and was not excusable on the basis of any human weakness or imperfection. Hence, God's words to them afterward offer no invitation to repentance. (Ge 3:16-24)

So, too, with the spirit creature who had induced them into rebellion. His end and the end of other angelic creatures who joined him is everlasting destruction. (Ge 3:14, 15; Mt 25:41)

The sins we commit each and every day are totally different from the unforgivable ones just mentioned-

Rom. 3:23; 6:23: “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

What God does expect is for people to try and live up to his standards to the best of their ability, he knows we will fail time and time again because we are imperfect, but he expects us to keep trying to live by his laws and when he sees us trying, he forgives us when we fall.

Here is what God wants—"

"This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth" (1 timothy 2;3)

God wants people to learn about him and his purposes for mankind, then as they learn about him, they start to apply his words more fully in their lives and this leads to their salvation.

So if you would like help in coming to an "accurate knowledge of truth" I would be happy to discuss the bible with you on a regular basis.

All the best meantime
Brenda