What is your Understanding of the Unforgivable Sin (Matt 12:30)?

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In 2 or 3 sentences, can you explain your understanding of the unforgivable sin? Thanks.
 
I think it is attributing to the devil the works of the Holy Spirit.
 
So you think that the unforgivable sin is one that you do not repent? That’s as good a definition as any, I suppose.
 
From a non-christian that believes the Bible has truths, but not near the entire picture:

Looking at the Holy Spirit, and what He is and does - the unforgiveable sin is essentially spitting on the forgiveness and love offered - a rejection of love that is so deep as to cause the very one ‘pulling’ you out of sin to grieve. In short, the unforgiveable sin is placing yourself in Hell. (I don’t agree with the concept of dieing in mortal sin, but that may more stem out of a lack of understanding of certain aspects of Catholic theology than anything else…)
 
Rocky said:
So you think that the unforgivable sin is one that you do not repent? That’s as good a definition as any, I suppose.
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IN Matt 12:32, Jesus speaks of the unforgivable sin, after the group he is addressing attributes his miracles to the devil, so it would be easy to conclude that THAT was the unforgivable sin. But in my Douay Rheims Bible there was a footnote that said something to the effect that the people (who did that) had hearts that were so hardened, it was highly unlikely they would repent (seeing as how they went so far as to say such a thing and to say it publicly). Yet, the implication was that they could repent, just that it would be extremely difficult…

I believe there are a lot of people out there who believe they have committed this sin when they really have not. When i was out there in the mostly Protestant and un-Christian world, i heard all kinds of explanations for what the unforgivable sin was. i even heard it was suicide… Anyway, if a person believes he is damned no matter what he does, that’s a terrible Hell to be in, so please pray for these people… Some people u know may be walking around believing such a lie & you don’t know even know it…
B4 i was properly catechized (by myself 😦 ), i wondered if i had done something unforgivable… We all know how the devil can get us to think/feel that way… Its probably one of his best tricks… :mad: i felt so free when i read that footnote in the Douay Rheims Bible…
But others haven’t read it, don’t accept Catholic exigesis…
Believing such a thing has awesome consequences.After all, if we are unforgivable, it doesn’t matter what we do, right? Might as well live it up… and then, when we live like that, other people are drawn into Hell also… or into very long sentences in Purgatory…
Anyway, God bless… 🙂
 
dmelosi said:
An unforgivable sin is one that you commit and know is a sin, yet do not repent.
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So even little sins like slightly over-eating (out of boredom or loneliness or whatever)… You could go to Hell if you didn’t confess that and repent of it? What if you didn’t really believe it was a sin??

I’m not giving u a hard time, i just want to know… 🙂
 
If you’re concerned you might commit the “Unforgivable sin” I think it’s safe to say you haven’t.
 
I have to say this particular scripture baffles me
the sin is clearly important, so why isn’t it mentioned explicitly?
 
Denying the forgiveness of God, that your sin is greater than God’s mercy.
 
smolderingwick said:
So even little sins like slightly over-eating (out of boredom or loneliness or whatever)… You could go to Hell if you didn’t confess that and repent of it? What if you didn’t really believe it was a sin??

I’m not giving u a hard time, i just want to know… 🙂
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I was trying to make as brief a statement as possible because you asked us to keep it to 2 or 3 sentences.

I didnt say confess or repent, I said repent, just wanted to clear up because not sure if by confess you meant go to confession.

I was simplifying things. If a person knows that what they are doing is a mortal sin, yet do it and show no remorse, that would be unforgivable because they didnt ask for forgiveness.
If a different person commits the same sin, did not know it was a mortal sin, once he/she finds that it is and repents…it is forgivable.
 
jack_hawkins said:
I have to say this particular scripture baffles me
the sin is clearly important, so why isn’t it mentioned explicitly?
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Many things are not explicit in the Bible… which is why we need an infallible Church to interpret it.

I didn’t have much peace about my own sins until i heard t he Catholic viewpoint on the unforgivable sin…

In Matt 12:32 where it is mentioned, one needs to study closely to see what it is… and yet, even with a lot of study, i never figured it out so i more or less had to trust the Church (which at that time in my life wasn’t as easy as it is now).

Anywya, it just makes logical sense that if there is only one unforgivable sin, it would be rejecting God’s forgiveness… The people in that passage seem to have done that. If they persist in that condition till death, they won’t be forgiven in Purgatory… (“the next age”).
 
jack_hawkins said:
I have to say this particular scripture baffles me
the sin is clearly important, so why isn’t it mentioned explicitly?
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I think it is explicit.

It has always shown to me that more people than we might think will eventually receive Grace.

The Atheist who does not believe in God, but tries to live a moral life can be forgiven.
The Muslim who has a misconception of God and does evil for allah can be forgiven.

But the person who stands in knowing opposition to God; who says they know He is there, they know what He said, and they believe it to be true: despite that, if they seek out to lead astray His followers and defame that which is holy on purpose, or kill using the Name.

To use the essence of God to further evil. I think that is what Christ is refering to.
 
Verisimilitude said:
I think it is explicit.

It has always shown to me that more people than we might think will eventually receive Grace.

The Atheist who does not believe in God, but tries to live a moral life can be forgiven.
The Muslim who has a misconception of God and does evil for allah can be forgiven.

But the person who stands in knowing opposition to God; who says they know He is there, they know what He said, and they believe it to be true: despite that, if they seek out to lead astray His followers and defame that which is holy on purpose, or kill using the Name.

To use the essence of God to further evil. I think that is what Christ is refering to.
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hmmm the problem with saying atheists etc get redemption through living a moral life is that is salvation by works
 
dmelosi said:
f a person knows that what they are doing is a mortal sin, yet do it and show no remorse, that would be unforgivable because they didnt ask for forgiveness.
If a different person commits the same sin, did not know it was a mortal sin, once he/she finds that it is and repents…it is forgivable.
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Ok.

The thought occurs to me that someone who commits mortal sin and knows it and doesn’t care doesn’t have a relationship with the Lord… maybe he has “watered down” his conscience or whatever… :eek:

I think sometimes we forget that there really are some people in the world who have sold out to the devil… little by little… Those are the ones we need to pray the hardest for… Virtually every night, i pray for those lost to pornography, adultery, etc… They are the most to be pitied, even more so tahn those who don’t have enough to eat, etc…
 
jack_hawkins said:
hmmm the problem with saying atheists etc get redemption through living a moral life is that is salvation by works
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I don’t agree. Because in order to be saved through works, you would have to do those works for the purpose of being saved… yet most atheists probably don’t do that. They just do good because it seems the best way to go…

The Church teaches that good works are of no merit unless they are done for God…
 
cathgal said:
Denying the forgiveness of God, that your sin is greater than God’s mercy.
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Amen…
Though some people have severely low self-esteem and don’t forgive themselves (sub-consciously) because they have never been able to do so. God understands this inner conflict and takes it into account, along with every other important factor, when judging us…
 
smolderingwick said:
I don’t agree. Because in order to be saved through works, you would have to do those works for the purpose of being saved… yet most atheists probably don’t do that. They just do good because it seems the best way to go…

The Church teaches that good works are of no merit unless they are done for God…
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no, that doesn’t follow at all?:confused:
salvation by works is salvation by works
all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
it wouldn’t make sense for the Apostles preaching if that weren’t the case and just being “good” would suffice
 
smolderingwick said:
Ok.

The thought occurs to me that someone who commits mortal sin and knows it and doesn’t care doesn’t have a relationship with the Lord… maybe he has “watered down” his conscience or whatever… :eek:

I think sometimes we forget that there really are some people in the world who have sold out to the devil… little by little… Those are the ones we need to pray the hardest for… Virtually every night, i pray for those lost to pornography, adultery, etc… They are the most to be pitied, even more so tahn those who don’t have enough to eat, etc…
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And the people who cause others to commit the sins are even worse than the ones who commit them.
 
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