1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
====================R723 : page 4FORGIVABLE AND UNPARDONABLE SINS.In view of the foregoing review of Future Retribution, somemay inquire, If for every pernicious word and every willfulmisdeed, an account must be rendered and a punishmentinflicted, wherein consists the forgiveness of sins, of which somuch is said in Scripture? Does Scripture teach a differencebetween sins--that some are forgivable and others unpardonable?We answer, that under the provisions of God's law of life, no sinis excusable; perfect obedience--righteousness, is the onlycondition of perfect life and happiness. Under this law the entirerace was judged representatively in Adam, and through hiswillful disobedience, condemned to death--destruction--asunworthy of life, and the penalty--death-- passed upon all. (Rom.5:12.) They cannot be excused nor pardoned. The penalty is thejust expression of the will and the law of God toward man--"Thewages of sin is death."But to give exercise to His love without varying or impairing hisjustice or his righteous and wise law, God arranged the plan bywhich Jesus as His agent became the Redeemer or Purchaser ofthe race, by becoming a man and tasting death FOR every manand thus gaining the right to set at liberty all the prisoners, in hisown time and way, without opposition to or hindrance fromJustice and its requirements.Having obtained control and right to be master, owner, and Lordof all, Jesus will exonerate or grant forgiveness and remission ofsins to all the race. He will however, require each individual toapply for the exoneration for himself, in order that each mayfully realize his necessity and dependence, as well as the Lord'sbounty in this free gift of justification, which he purchased forthem with his own blood. He did all the purchasing; to them it isfree for the asking and accepting.This then is the forgiveness presented in the Bible--the free giftof God THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord. Jehovah does not setaside his law to forgive: He could not: to revoke or set aside hislaws, would be to unsettle his kingdom by the King antagonizingits laws himself. But his great gift to sinners, was Jesus, whosesacrificial death bought or ransomed man from death.But for what did Jesus die? Not to grant sanction and license tosin and sinners. Not to permit men to continue to sin, but torelease them from the injuries and penalties of theirrepresentative's failure; and in hope that the experience thusgained, might help each individual in the new trial, which byvirtue of the ransom given, he wills, and has the right to givethem--an individual trial.
If this be true, the sacrifice of Jesus while covering "manyoffences" (Rom. 5:16) covers and is the basis of forgiveness toonly such offences as come more or less directly as a result ofAdam's disobedience and fall. Hence it does not cover such sinsas are not the results of Adamic weakness. It does not coverWILLFUL SINS, against light and ability.While, therefore, we recognize this clear distinction between thetwo classes of sin, we must not forget that the depravity resultingfrom the "fall" and impairment of the moral as well as physicalqualities of human nature, furnishes a tendency toward willfulsin, even when the surrounding circumstances do not entirelymislead the judgment. Not being able to fully appreciate theweight and influence of circumstances, and depravity, is onereason why we may not decide against some whose professionsand actions widely differ; we must, therefore, "judge nothingbefore the time."Nevertheless Scripture lays down certain marks by which wemust judge those whose professions and actions are atagreement. "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee." TheLord in Matt. 12:31, and the apostles in Heb. 6:4,6, and 10:26-29and 1 John 5:16 point out unforgivable sins, and in the light ofour foregoing remarks we trust all may be able to see to whythese sins can not be forgiven, and do not come under the classfor which a ransom was given by Jesus.Our Lord addressed the Pharisees; in their presence he hadhealed the sick, cured the blind and lame, cast out devils, andeven raised the dead; and though depravity through the "fall"might have so blinded them that they could not accept of Jesus asthe promised Messiah, they were certainly inexcusable forsaying as a last resort when they could find no fault--"We knowthat this man hath a devil" and casts out devils by the power ofBeelzebub the prince of devils, v. 24. Such a manifestation ofhatred, malice and opposition to light came not through the "fall"and cannot be forgiven as such, and so Jesus informs them: "Allmanner of sin and blasphemy [malicious words of opposition v.36] shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against theholy spirit shall not be forgiven unto men." They might rejectJesus and speak evil of him, misunderstanding him and hismission; but when a demonstration of the power [spirit] of Godin doing a good work was manifested, though they might nothave received it as a proof of Jesus' claims, they wereinexcusable for attributing it to Satanic power.If then, that blasphemy shall not be forgiven them, neither in thisworld [age --Jesus miracles and preaching were thecommencement of the Gospel age as he is the head of the Gospelchurch] neither in the future, [age occurs but once in this text],what shall we say of those Pharisees, have they no hope forfuture life? We answer, they are not without hope; the blood ofChrist was still applicable to cleanse from all Adamic sin, and
- Page 44 and 45: then may those have, who have fled
- Page 46 and 47: the Father and Son are two, and not
- Page 48 and 49: "my Father is greater thanall" (Joh
- Page 50 and 51: no interest except as matters of je
- Page 52 and 53: the rule in interpreting types and
- Page 55 and 56: so formed as to have naturally both
- Page 57 and 58: consummation--to the great jubilee
- Page 59 and 60: shows the blessedness of that resto
- Page 61 and 62: every one for his gain. Isaiah 56:1
- Page 63 and 64: R718 : page 7Seminary, and be adjud
- Page 65 and 66: We further add to this the testimon
- Page 67 and 68: ...and have need of nothing" (i.e.,
- Page 69 and 70: the world per year, which would, we
- Page 71 and 72: harmony with the sense of thepassag
- Page 73 and 74: gave for the life of the world. If
- Page 75 and 76: true, it simply proves that the pub
- Page 77 and 78: "A WISE man ought to hope for thebe
- Page 79 and 80: postage stamps, as we can make no u
- Page 81 and 82: their present Prince has ever provi
- Page 83 and 84: page 2(and the ones and twos) that
- Page 85 and 86: Tower," "Food for Thinking Christia
- Page 87 and 88: understood him to teach that hencef
- Page 89 and 90: R721 : page 3Our Friend, our Brothe
- Page 91 and 92: entirely unaware of it (Prov. 5:21)
- Page 93: "shall shine as the brightness of t
- Page 97 and 98: which God considers necessary to a
- Page 99 and 100: they were redeemed by his precious
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- Page 103 and 104: Secondly, Satan so far as we are in
- Page 105 and 106: Paul says that God--In the ages to
- Page 107 and 108: The reference in this text is to Ch
- Page 109 and 110: "Further than this, let me frankly
- Page 111 and 112: the New Testament repeatedly. Hence
- Page 113 and 114: But is not deadness to sin, or a ce
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- Page 117 and 118: ecome joint-heirs with Him. Like Je
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- Page 121 and 122: their numbers were far less, but th
- Page 123 and 124: ook. Every one will be called a Chr
- Page 125 and 126: that I tried to shake it off, but i
- Page 127 and 128: Taunton, Mass.DEAR BROTHER:--Please
- Page 129 and 130: the responsibilities of our maturer
- Page 131 and 132: their office, of their being finall
- Page 133 and 134: passed away because the necessity f
- Page 135 and 136: These thoughts were suggested by tw
- Page 137 and 138: Hence without attempting to teach i
- Page 139 and 140: us a copy of such paper with the ar
- Page 141 and 142: can bring against it. Since then, t
- Page 143 and 144: for existence though every proof-te
If this be true, the sacrifice of Jesus while covering "manyoffences" (Rom. 5:16) covers and is the basis of f<strong>org</strong>iveness toonly such offences as come more or less directly as a result ofAdam's disobedience and fall. Hence it does not cover such sinsas are not the results of Adamic weakness. It does not coverWILLFUL SINS, against light and ability.While, therefore, we recognize this clear distinction between thetwo classes of sin, we must not f<strong>org</strong>et that the depravity resultingfrom the "fall" and impairment of the moral as well as physicalqualities of human nature, furnishes a tendency toward willfulsin, even when the surrounding circumstances do not entirelymislead the judgment. Not being able to fully appreciate theweight and influence of circumstances, and depravity, is onereason why we may not decide against some whose professionsand actions widely differ; we must, therefore, "judge nothingbefore the time."Nevertheless Scripture lays down certain marks by which wemust judge those whose professions and actions are atagreement. "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee." TheLord in Matt. 12:31, and the apostles in Heb. 6:4,6, and 10:26-29and 1 John 5:16 point out unf<strong>org</strong>ivable sins, and in the light ofour foregoing remarks we trust all may be able to see to whythese sins can not be f<strong>org</strong>iven, and do not come under the classfor which a ransom was given by Jesus.Our Lord addressed the Pharisees; in their presence he hadhealed the sick, cured the blind and lame, cast out devils, andeven raised the dead; and though depravity through the "fall"might have so blinded them that they could not accept of Jesus asthe promised Messiah, they were certainly inexcusable forsaying as a last resort when they could find no fault--"We knowthat this man hath a devil" and casts out devils by the power ofBeelzebub the prince of devils, v. 24. Such a manifestation ofhatred, malice and opposition to light came not through the "fall"and cannot be f<strong>org</strong>iven as such, and so Jesus informs them: "Allmanner of sin and blasphemy [malicious words of opposition v.36] shall be f<strong>org</strong>iven unto men, but the blasphemy against theholy spirit shall not be f<strong>org</strong>iven unto men." They might rejectJesus and speak evil of him, misunderstanding him and hismission; but when a demonstration of the power [spirit] of Godin doing a good work was manifested, though they might nothave received it as a proof of Jesus' claims, they wereinexcusable for attributing it to Satanic power.If then, that blasphemy shall not be f<strong>org</strong>iven them, neither in thisworld [age --Jesus miracles and preaching were thecommencement of the Gospel age as he is the head of the Gospelchurch] neither in the future, [age occurs but once in this text],what shall we say of those Pharisees, have they no hope forfuture life? We answer, they are not without hope; the blood ofChrist was still applicable to cleanse from all Adamic sin, and
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