Unforgivable Sins

In 1 Samuel 2 we read of two priests named Hophni and Phineas. They were sons of the main priest Eli. Hophni and Phineas were evil priests… they took the sacrifices the people offered and used them for themselves… they stole from God. In addition, they were having sex with some of God’s women servants.

Their father Eli had heard the reports about his two sons and confronted them about it. Here’s what he told them….

“Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?”

Now get this, all sin is against the Lord because he instituted the Law, but there is a type of sin against other people for which there is a sacrifice and another sin against God for which there is no sacrifice.

Blasphemy, or speaking against God, is one of those sins for which there is no sacrifice. There was no “I’m sorry” or “here sacrifice this lamb for my sin”. It required an instant death penalty. In fact that was the charge made against Jesus… that he blasphemed the name of God by claiming to be God.

OK, this information clears some things up for me.

In Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira are killed by God… why? Because they lied and stole from God when they held back part of their offering. Hmmm, that’s a lot like Hophni and Phineas.

In Acts 12 God kills King Herod… why? Because Herod accepted the praise of the people after his oration. They said… “the voice of a god and not of a man” Herod blasphemed by accepting that praise and God killed him for it.

In Matthew 12 when Jesus (In conjunction with the Holy Spirit) cast a demon out of a man the Pharisees said he did it not by the power of the Holy Spirit but by the power of Satan. They Blasphemed the Holy Spirit and Jesus said that it was an unforgiveable sin (Just like Eli told his sons Hophni and Phineas) because they sinned against deity.

Most of our sins are against other people… fornication, theft, untruthfulness, etc. But it is possible to sin directly against God and have no hope at all unless God chooses to extend mercy. Choose the path to conquer all sin because that path leads to eternal life… but I’m warning you don’t sin directly against God.