Only One Unpardonable Sin
John 3:9-21 King James Version (KJV)
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 10:25-30 King James Version (KJV)
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
INTRODUCTION:
One of the problems we have with this type of tragedy is we are unsure what the Bible teaches about suicide. Some believe that if someone takes his/her own life, they will never go to heaven. This leaves family and friends in serious doubt and pain. The Bible is clear about the problem of sin in our world. There is only one way to get to heaven – through our Lord Jesus. He died on the cross for the sins of the world. In this time of worry, we must ask very important questions.
1: Was our loved one a Child of the King?
The Bible tells us in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” So, anyone who asks Jesus to come into his/her heart has everlasting life with the Father. Many people go to church, give their money, and do good deeds but have never made a commitment to Jesus. They think their good works will get them into heaven. This simply is not so. But as they realize that God can give them hope, they begin looking for answers in Him.
Jesus often met with religious folks during His lifetime on earth. In one instance, He talked with a man named Nicodemus. This man was a teacher of the Jewish religion who came to Jesus by night. He asked questions. Jesus told him what it really means to be born again spiritually in John 3:16, “who ever believes in Jesus should not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 10:9 tells us “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” If we want to be born of the spirit, we have to confess and believe. We need to confess that we are people who have sinned. We have to admit that we are outcasts in the sight of God. We have to admit that we cannot save ourselves. We have to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that He was raised from the dead to give eternal life in Heaven. If we confess and believe, we have eternal life. The King will accept us into His Kingdom of Heaven.
2: Was our loved one condemned by the King?
Lets return to John chapter 3. In verse 18 we read “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Here we see that belief in Jesus takes condemnation away from an individual. Only not believing condemns someone – nothing else can. John 3:16 tells us that those who do not believe in Him must endure God’s wrath.
3: Can anything or anyone take a believer out of the Father’s hand?
We have to ask, “Is my loved one someone who accepted Jesus as his/her personal Saviour?” Only two people now the answer to this question, our loved one and God. We have to leave our loved one in the hands of a holy and just God. Remember, John 10:28-29, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Once someone enters the family of God, they will never leave, no matter what happens in this life.
CONCLUSION:
In such a time of great sorrow and distress, we can trust God with our loved one. The question that remains with us is – have we accepted Jesus as our personal Saviour so we can join our loved ones in Heaven? I encourage you to confess and believe in the Lord Jesus. There is only one thing that will keep us out of heaven. That is to not believe in Jesus. Here in the midst of death, we are given the opportunity for eternal life!
About The Author
Rev Jim Constant
Rev. Jim Constant has a degree in Pyschology from Southwestern State University. He has served as pastor for several churches in Oklahoma and is currently pastor at the Colony Baptist Church of Colony, Oklahoma