What sin are you committing? Is it grievous or unpardonable? There are two kinds of sin in the Bible. One is called sin unto death, and the other is sin not unto death. Let us first read 1 John 5, verse 16. “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. ” In the Bible, there are sins which are considered mortal sins, and there are sins which are not mortal sins. Even if your brother or a sister sin unintentionally, because you have to consider the lifetime of a person, if you will live 90 years old, chances are you may repeat the same sin all throughout those 90 years of life. And if the sin is not intended, it is not planned, but because of human weaknesses or temptations or situations that maybe you are put in a situation which is not under your control, even if you have sometimes repeatedly committing the same sin, if it is not intended or it is not intentional, it is not meditated, it’s not premeditated sin, there is a chance for forgiveness.
In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ, teaching the apostles, said to Peter, when Peter asked a particular question in the book of Matthew chapter 18 verse 21 to 22, let us read. “Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven.” That is how broad the understanding of a Christian in dealing with a fellow Christian. Because the apostle Peter is asking, how many times, how oft or how often shall my brother sin against me, so it is not sin unto death, it is sin not against the Holy Spirit, it is not classified as those sins which are unpardonable. In Portuguese, they call it imperdoável. But the Bible tells us that if a brother may sin seven times, am I going to pardon him? The Lord Jesus Christ replied, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven. That is 490. If the sin is not a grievous sin, 490 times it can be forgiven. As the Lord Jesus Christ taught one of his apostles, Apostle Peter. Now, how must we accept that teaching? That teaching does not encourage us to sin, sin repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly, no. It just shows to us the possibility that a man may sin repeatedly all throughout his life. The possibility for us to understand how broad is the forgiveness of God to man.
If the sin that he may commit does not belong to those sins, which are called unpardonable sin. Because if you sin willfully about sins which are unpardonable sins, here’s what the Word of God says. In the book of Hebrews chapter 10, verse 26 to 27, let us read. “For if we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.” That is dependent on the intention or in the situation also. If we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. It just means that Jesus Christ our Lord is qualifying or teaching us how to classify sins of our brother, our sister, ourselves. What sin are you committing? Is it grievous or unpardonable? If it is a grievous sin or unpardonable sin and you sin willfully, meaning of your own free will, you committed that sin, there is no force behind. There are no situations that compel you to do such transgression, then you will answer for it. If we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.
