The Most Dangerous Sin

Matthew 12:22-32

There once were two islands so far away from civilization that ships only passed by them once a year. These islands were connected by a seven mile bridge. One island was lush and full of trees; the other island was barren, but it had a beautiful mansion on it built by a brilliant architect who happened to live in his own mansion. The lush island was owned by a retired lawyer who was mostly a reasonable man, but he had one quirk: he loved lighting fires. Unfortunately, in his passion for setting things ablaze he accidentally burnt down his own house. The architect was gracious and helped the man rebuild his home.

Well, it wasn't long before the lawyer burned down his house down again. He told the architect, "I was just trying to see if I could burn my waste instead of throwing it into the sea." Several months passed by after the second house was built, and then it happened again--in some mad fire experiment the house burned down once more. The architect was a patient man, but concerned. He was especially concerned because it seemed like the lawyer was losing it. All of the house burnings had been accidents but there were pieces of the land that were scorched. It seemed that the lawyer was not just enjoying fire at a small experimental level but that that he was beginning to take delight in destroying the forest. The lawyer even confessed, "You don't understand how exciting it is to watch my forest go up in flames."

The architect told him. "I can keep helping you rebuild your house but the best way I can help you is to stop you from lighting fires completely. My willingness to help you is unlimited, but I need you to know that there is one structure that if you burn down, I will not help you again."

The lawyer listened a little and tried to stop lighting fires, but the temptation got too strong and he gave into it and before he realized it he was compulsively lighting fires. So much so that he burned most of his forest down. With so little wood left on the island he started setting small fires to the bridge then putting them out. One day it happened. A little fire on the bridge toward the architects side of the bridge started to grow into a medium fire, and while the lawyer wanted to put it out he decided to linger just a little and by then the fire grew into a large fire and the bridge was a blaze. The architect tried to help him put it out from his side, but he couldn't do it. Finally, when he realized that the bridge would burn he yelled, "I can no longer help you. I have no wood and no way to reach you. I wish you luck!"

This is the unpardonable sin. It is not unpardonable because God cannot pardon; it is unpardonable because the heart of sinner no longer knows, needs, or wants pardon.

The Pharisees critiqued Jesus for healing a man. They said, "You do it by the devil." Jesus response was a warning he said, "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 the age to come" (Matthew 12:32). They could criticize Jesus, but once they started to criticize the source of his power (the Holy Spirit) they were endanger in cutting themselves off from God. The Holy Spirit is the way that conviction reaches our hearts. Cut off the Holy Spirit and you've just nipped the oxygen supply to your soul.