Question:
Dear Greg,
I
am currently in a DANGEROUS situation according to the Word and my Christian
friends. I would like to know--can
God help a person who cannot repent? I
constantly fear I committed the “unpardonable sin” and I want out of it.
But it says that those who commit the sin of blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit will NEVER be forgiven. I
have read your comments about this and I would like to know how God can soften a
heart that has gone hard? I have met
people who deliberately and willfully reject God’s offer of salvation and
forgiveness to follow sin. All I can
say is, even in THAT condition, is there hope for Jesus to save them?
I am asking because I am in that position and I still seek salvation.
I have traumatized all my Christian friends and they tell me to repent
and I am trying to but I need a new heart for it.
Can Jesus give me a new heart and soul?
I have repeatedly asked for his forgiveness but I am not sure if I am
forgiven. Does he forgive me?
I would sincerely love forgiveness from God from this terrible thing, and
I am trying to fix my hard heart but I cannot.
Is Jesus the one to do the job? If
so, how can I trust in him? Can you
learn to trust? Is it possible?
I
hope you can answer these questions for me.
Emily
Answer: Dear Emily,
How
have you become convinced that you cannot repent?
Perhaps, for sake of example, the specific problem that has led to this
dangerous situation is alcoholism. Perhaps
you are convinced that you cannot repent because you cannot kick this habit.
The fact that you can’t overcome an addiction would not be proof that
you are refusing to repent and that you are blaspheming God.
It may be proof that you need help, for you cannot deal with the
addiction by yourself.
Those
who will never be forgiven are those who essentially make that decision
themselves, by refusing to ask for forgiveness.
God ALWAYS forgives. But we
must ask. And of course, it’s a
given that when we ask we are doing so sincerely.
Those who are not forgiven simply do not wish to be forgiven.
They have not come to the place where they acknowledge a power other or
higher than themselves, so therefore what’s the use of asking someone equal to
or less than yourself to forgive you?
You
seem to think that your heart was once “soft” but is now “hard”.
Perhaps it is. Perhaps it
never was “soft”—if you mean changed and softened by spiritual rebirth.
You say you have met people who have deliberately rejected God’s offer
of salvation. How do you make this
judgment? How do you know that they
completely understand God’s offer of salvation?
In order to reject something you must understand what it consists of and
what it involves.
You
say that your Christian friends are telling you to repent.
Again, they may be correct in that you should cease the kind of activity
and behavior to which you have reference. However,
as I mention above, perhaps you do not have the ability (without help) to deal
with the massive problem(s) that face you. It’s
much easier to pass out glib advice, telling someone to get his or her life
together, than it is to be that person and understand exactly what may be
involved in getting a life together.
Yes,
Jesus can give you a new heart—he can give you a new life.
Yes, he forgives you. He is
willing to forgive anything. Nothing
shocks him. Whatever you have done,
no matter how bad you are, or think you are, God has seen it all before.
He will forgive you. Don’t
let the idea that “God is so offended by my sin that he will never have
anything to do with me again” stop you from going to God and asking for his
love, mercy and forgiveness.
Again,
Emily, you may need some physical, perhaps professional help, depending on the
nature of this “dangerous” situation. Your
parents and good friends may be able to support and stand by you as you seek
such help. We are all human.
We are all weak and strong in differing ways.
You need help in a specific way, so please take the steps necessary to
find and obtain it.
We
at PTM will be praying for you. If
there is anything further we can do please let us know.
God bless you.
In
Christ,