I have been thinking about sin and what it is today because while we still acknowledge most of the traditional sins, pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, sloth and gluttony, we fail to recognise the deadliest sin and this is the one that is more prevalent now than ever.
There are sins of action, robbery, murder, rape and the like, and these we continue to regard as sins though we may not use that word any more. Then there are sins of desire and emotion such as anger and envy and these we often excuse unless they have real world outcomes that lead to crime or violence. And then there are sins of thought and the only ones of these we recognise now are those that go against the ephemeral fashions of the moment and are called racist, sexist, fascist etc. None of those were traditionally regarded as sins unless they included in their make up a real sin, pride or envy, for instance, or else real hatred. However, there is a real sin of thought, a spiritual sin, and this is not only not regarded as a sin but can even be seen as a positive thing, a virtue almost. At worst it has a neutral significance.
This sin is rejection of God. The rejection of God is more than unbelief. Unbelief nowadays is generally a passive thing but rejection is active. It is a deliberate denial of God not simply a lack of belief in him. I would say that even passive unbelief is a sin because God is real and if you are not for him you are against him but it is a sin that can be forgiven, assuming repentance and acceptance, of course. But the fully conscious calculated rejection of God is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and that, so we have been told, cannot be forgiven.
I have labelled this post under free will because that is what all this is about. We are sent to this plane of being because here our innate tendencies can be brought out and this is especially true at the present time which, I would surmise, is why so many souls are alive now. This is a unique testing period in human history. Only those who actively choose to accept God will pass the test.
3 comments:
@William "But the fully conscious calculated rejection of God is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and that, so we have been told, cannot be forgiven."
I'm sure this is right in essence - but I think it creates a false impression to say it 'can't' be forgiven; when the nature of this sin is that it does not want to be forgiven.
Anyone who sins but loves God is in a position where they may choose to repent, in order to get what they *most* want. But one who has positively desired to reject God - who knows God is real but rejects Him, clearly does not desire forgiveness from God.
I don't see this as a matter of God (the supreme judge and King) having a set of prohibitions, of which this is the most harshly punished, without any possibility of remission (which is how I have heard some people talk about it - not You, but some people); but instead that the essence of *this* sin is precisely that it rejects forgiveness.
I think you're right, Bruce. The rejection of God is also a rejection of forgiveness so the non-forgiveness comes from the rejecter not from God. That's an important distinction so thanks for pointing it out.
I am at risk of losing my head facing opaque opposition of lies. I become aggressive and confrontational, to the point of insanity as it is viewed by establishment people. It may be a cause for others to reject God, the necessary contemplation of a transcendent life. I need to maintain aggression because it is simply a powerful component of my self but I have to reign it with impartiality. The greatest target of choice is the transcendent life and to clearly communicate this although to confrontation. It isn't avoidable, but the danger of rejecting God is unmistakable and I need to be vigilant against becoming an instrument of this.
Being inhuman is far less tolerable than otherwise, I now realize.
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