What Is the Unforgivable Sin?

"Have I committed the unforgivable sin?"

If you sincerely hate your past course of sin and truly want to change, then you have not committed the unforgivable sin. God can forgive even repeated relapses into the same sin as long as your heart has not permanently hardened against him. -Proverbs 24:16.  

Some people feel that they have committed an unforgivable sin because they are troubled by nagging feelings of guilt.  However, the Bible teaches that we cannot always trust our feelings.  (Jeremiah 17:9) God has not authorized us to judge anyone-even ourselves.  (Romans 14:4, 12) He can forgive us even when our own heart still condemns us. -1 John 3:19, 20. 

Did Judas Iscariot commit and unforgivable sin?

Yes, he did. His greed moved him to steal money that had been donated for a sacred use.  He even pretended to be concerned about the poor when his real interest was to acquire more money to steal.   ( John 12:4-8) Once Judas' heart had become permanently set in doing wrong, he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus knew that Judas could never truly repent for he had done, and he called him "the son of destruction."  (John 17:12) This meant that when Judas died, he would suffer permanent destruction, with no hope for a resurrection. -Mark 14:21. 

Judas did not show true repentance for his sin. He confessed, not to God, but to the religious leaders he had conspired with. -Matthew 27:3-5; 2 Corinthians 7:10. 

Next time: Is Gambling a Sin?/The Bible's answer

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