The Unforgiven Sin

[infinitelord1]

[Matthew 12:32]- "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."


I was wondering what this verse is saying. I thought that all sins are forgivable. Is it possible that if we go to confession and a priest forgives us of the sin that if we do not repent and we repeat the sin that we are not forgiven? And by repeating the sin over and over the holy spirit [via priest] eventually stops forgiving us for that sin?

[Nihil Obstat]

The sin for which repentance is rejected. Basically the only sin that cannot be forgiven is the rejection of the forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. Self-explanatory, at that point.

[MithLuin]

It is my understanding that the unforgivable sin is to be unrepentant (or to deny God's power to forgive) - something like this would certainly interfere with God's forgiveness!

The context of Jesus' statement is that he was casting out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, and he was accused of doing so using the power of demons - that's blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Basically, calling good evil means that you have no concept of sin, so how can you then repent?
Or if you deny that the Son of God (by the power of the Holy Spirit) can cast out demons, are you also denying God's power to forgive sins because that would be 'too much'?

It's some clear misunderstanding of the nature of God and refusal of His grace.


I do not think that God fails to forgive 'repeat offenses' - Jesus tells us to forgive our brother 70 x 7 times, yes? But....if we remain obstinate in our sin, it is possible that we will become less and less likely to truly repent. We won't be sorry any more....and brazen sinners are not forgiven. So, there is a clear danger in repeated sin, that we will reject God rather than let go of our personal hang-up. But I don't think that's what Jesus is referring to in this passage (though I may be mistaken).

[Nihil Obstat]

Back in the very olden days there was an idea floating around that a Christian wasn't able to take advantage of confession more than once in their lives. Thankfully we determined after time that this was incorrect. I'm thinking of either Tertullian or Origen, because I usually get them mixed up.

[Nihil Obstat]

Looking briefly at Wikipedia, I think in was Tertullian while he was in his semi-Montanist stage, and of course when he was fully Montanist as well.

[MithLuin]

Deathbed baptisms were also quite popular at that time, were they not? The thought being....you'd have all your sins forgiven, and not have to do any penance for them. Not bad, but of course, there's always the danger you'd die suddenly unbaptized....quite the gamble, there!

Infant baptism loses the drama, but increases the grace .

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='MithLuin' timestamp='1308900463' post='2258011']
Deathbed baptisms were also quite popular at that time, were they not? The thought being....you'd have all your sins forgiven, and not have to do any penance for them. Not bad, but of course, there's always the danger you'd die suddenly unbaptized....quite the gamble, there!

Infant baptism loses the drama, but increases the grace .
[/quote]
Constantine did that. We might even speculate, to a very limited extent, that he's a saint because of it. I prefer not to do so, but I've heard the argument in the past.
Oscar Wilde was reconciled to the Church (and baptized conditionally) on his deathbed. Plus all of the last Sacraments, of course. Pretty fascinating, imo. I wonder about the fate of his soul. Will be interesting to know one day a long ways into the future.

[MithLuin]

My father did a deathbed baptism once. He considered it one the most important things he's done in his life. Meaning, when he got the call and they asked if he could come over, he thought 'What could I *possibly* have planned for this afternoon that would be more important than that?!" Instant sainthood is kinda cool, but the chance of dying in a car crash would make it....stressful. My brother-in-law went to war unbaptized, and I honestly found it very difficult to believe he would do such a thing (he's baptized now).

[mortify]

[quote name='infinitelord1' timestamp='1308897059' post='2257996']
[Matthew 12:32]- "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."


I was wondering what this verse is saying. I thought that all sins are forgivable. Is it possible that if we go to confession and a priest forgives us of the sin that if we do not repent and we repeat the sin that we are not forgiven? And by repeating the sin over and over the holy spirit [via priest] eventually stops forgiving us for that sin?
[/quote]


This is from Haydock's Biblical Commentary which is available online for free (see link below.)

[quote][b]Ver. 32.[/b] [i]Whosoever, &c[/i]. It was their duty to have a knowledge of the Holy Ghost, and they obstinately refused to admit what was clear and manifest. Though they were ignorant of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and might take him to be merely the son of a poor artizan, they could not be ignorant that the expelling of demons, and miraculous healing of all diseases, were the works of the Holy Ghost. If, therefore, they refused to do penance for the insult offered to the Spirit of God, in the person of Christ, they could not hope to escape condign punishment. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xlii). --- Against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; i.e. they who for want of sufficient instruction, were invincibly ignorant that Christ was God, might more easily be brought to the true knowledge and faith of Christ, and so receive forgiveness of their sins: but if he shall speak against the Holy Ghost, i.e. against the Spirit of God in Christ, and shall oppose the known truth, by attributing to the devil that doctrine, and those miracles, which evidently were from the Spirit and the hand of God, that sin shall never be forgiven him. But how is this consistent with the Catholic doctrine and belief, that there is no sin any man commits of which he may not obtain pardon in this life? To this I answer, that in what manner soever we expound this place, it is an undoubted point of Christian faith, that there is no sin which our merciful God is not ready to pardon; no sin, for the remission of which, God hath not left a power in his Church, as it is clearly proved by those words, Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, &c. St. Chrysostom therefore expounds these words, shall not be forgiven them, to imply no more, than shall scarcely, or seldom be forgiven; that is, it is very hard for such sinners to return to God, by a true and sincere repentance and conversion; so that this sentence is like to that (Matthew xix. 26.) where Christ seems to call it an impossible thing for a rich man to be saved. In the same place St. Chrysostom tells us, that some of those who had blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, repented, and had their sins forgiven them. St. Augustine, by this blasphemy against the Spirit, understands the sin of final impenitence, by which an obstinate sinner refuseth to be converted, and therefore lives and dies hardened in his sins. (Witham) --- Nor in the world to come. From these words St. Augustine (De Civ. lib. xxi. chap. 13.) and St. Gregory (Dial. iv, chap. 39.) gather, that some sins may be remitted in the world to come; and consequently that there is a purgatory, or a middle place. (Challoner) --- St. Augustine says these words would not be true, if some sins were not forgiven in the world to come; and St. Gregory says, we are to believe from these words in the existence of the fire of purgatory, to expiate our smaller offences, before the day of judgment. St. Isidore and Ven. Bede say the same. St. Bernard, speaking of heretics, says, they do not believe in purgatory: let them then inquire of our Saviour, what he meant by these words. --- It is well known that Ven. Bede, on his death-bed, bestowed several small tokens to the monks who were present, that they might remember to pray for his soul in the holy sacrifice of the mass. (Haydock) [/quote]


Thank God we're not stuck with the NAB commentary, eh?

http://haydock1859.tripod.com/id27.html