I must admit that I don’t like the Bible’s answer to this
question. It is more comfortable for me to teach that there is always hope for all individuals. It would seem that there is. It would seem that
this hope remains for all it light of the fact that the worst sinners have come
to repentance (1 Timothy 1:15-17). However, there are other verses that claim
that such a hope, regarding all people, is not Biblical. Here are a few verses
that should give us pause. According to Jesus, it seems that some have gone too
far:
·
“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy
will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be
forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this
age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31-32)
Even if it is true, as some argue, that it is no longer
possible to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, because His miracles are no longer so
pervasive, it still suggests that the fate of certain people had already been
sealed. However, it seems that this is even a possibility today:
·
For it is impossible, in the case of
those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and
have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God
and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them
again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to
their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain
that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it
is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and
thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be
burned. (Hebrews 6:4-8; 2:3; 10:25; 1 John 5:16)
I would rather present a more user-friendly and marketable Christianity – one that is appealing and not threatening. However, honoring God by honoring His Word must come first.
·
For if we go on sinning deliberately
after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice
for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will
consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)
Christ is the only sacrifice for sin. If we continually
reject the Lord’s pleadings, He allows us to go our own way to make our own
choices (Romans 1:23-28), eliminating any chance of salvation (John 6:44):
·
For if, after they have escaped the defilements
of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they
are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for
them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known
the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy
commandment delivered to them. (2 Peter 2:20-21)
According to Peter, “to turn back” from God is a worse fate
than never having known Him.
All of these verses pertain to people who had once been
knowledgeable about God and had even experienced His goodness. In contrast,
Paul claimed that he had received mercy because he had persecuted the Church in
relative ignorance and unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13).
These verses also argue against a belief that has now become
popular – “Christian” Universalism, the belief that all will be saved even if
they have to undergo some form of after-death purgatory or payment for their
sins in order to bring them to repentance. Frankly, I find this belief
appealing, since it removes some of the distaste for Jesus. However, there is
one monumental problem. It is not faithful to His Word, which must not be altered
in any way (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 12:30; Joshua 1:7; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation
22:18-19) lest we incur our Lord’s great displeasure.
Nevertheless, we must comfort those who fear that God will
not receive them. If they have such a fear, it means that our Lord is still
drawing them. Consequently, this verse applies fully to them:
·
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9;
Psalm 32; 51; Romans 10:12-13; John 6:37)
Consequently, there is always hope for those who want the hope.
ADDENDUM:
I feel the need to balance out what I have written. The
warnings about Christians falling away to the point where they cannot be
restored seems to be only hypothetical – it won’t happen. Here are two examples
of this:
·
Hebrews 6:4-6, 9: For it is impossible, in the
case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly
gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the
word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to
restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son
of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt…Though we speak in this
way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that
belong to salvation.
·
Hebrews 10:26-27, 39: For if we go on sinning deliberately after
receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will
consume the adversaries…But we are not of those who shrink back and are
destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
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