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Good Fruit, Bad Fruit, and the Unforgivable Sin (Matthew 12:33-37)

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Good Fruit, Bad Fruit, and the Unforgivable Sin (Matthew 12:33-37)
https://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/784239844-redeeminggod-what-is-the-good-fruit-of-matthew-1233-37-is-it-good-works.mp3

In Matthew 12:33-37, in the context of warning the religious leaders about the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Jesus talks about good fruit and bad fruit. Is Jesus telling people to look at the lives of other teachers to see if they have good works? No! Not at all. Listen to the study to see what Jesus IS teaching and why this is important for properly understanding the gospel.

This study is an excerpt from my Gospel Dictionary online course. This course considers 52 key words of the Gospel and thousands of biblical texts. The course contains over 100 hours Bible teaching. You can take the course by joining my online discipleship group.

What is the “fruit” in Matthew 12:33-37 (Luke 6:43-45)?

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:33-37)

Matthew 12:33-37 (and the parallel passage in Luke 6:43-45) is a key passage for understanding the symbolic use of fruit in Scripture.

The context makes it explicitly clear that the fruit which comes from a person is not the works their life produces, but rather the words that proceed from their mouth. After Jesus says that “a tree is known by its fruit,” He states that the words of a person reveal what is in the heart. In this context, it is extremely clear that the good fruit of a person’s life are the good words that proceed out of their mouth. If these words agree with the rest of Scripture, they are good words, and therefore, good fruit.

Matthew 12:33-37 Primarily has Bible Teachers in View

It is important to point out that all of the teaching in Scripture about the good fruit of good words primarily have Bible and theology teachers in view.

Most of the passages that invite us to look to the words a person says as an indication of whether they should be listened to or not, only have in view the words they say about Scripture and theology, and even then, primarily to professional teachers.

The biblical teaching about good fruit does not apply to the views a person might have about politics, science, current events, or history. If a person has some nutty views about such things, while we might be wise to ignore their ideas, the biblical teachings about good and bad fruit do not apply to such cases. The biblical teachings about good and bad fruit only apply to people who are teaching Scripture and theology.

We can go a bit further as well.

Denying the Lord who Bought ThemThe biblical teachings about good and bad fruit don’t even apply to the average person who is generally uniformed or uneducated about what the Bible teaches. Instead, the warnings from Scripture about good and bad fruit primarily apply to those whose job it is to teach others about Scripture and theology.

In the days of Jesus, it was the religious leaders, the Sadducees, Pharisees, and scribes. Today it would be the pastors, theologians, and seminary professors. These are the ones whose teachings we must carefully analyze to see whether or not their words align with the overall teaching of Scripture.

In regards to their teachings, we are to be noble Bereans, and search the Scriptures to see whether or not what they say is true (Acts 17:11).

Good Fruit is Not about Good Works

One thing we are not invited to do is look at a person’s works.

The Bible reveals that if you want to know whether or not a person is a false teacher, all you need to do is listen to what they say and compare it with the teaching of Scripture.

After all, when it comes to false teachers, actions can be deceptive, but their teachings will rarely lie. It is as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 that false apostles can appear as apostles of Christ and even Satan is transformed into an angel of light. That is exactly what we see here in Matthew 12:33-37.

But what about the Unforgivable Sin?

It is significant that in the immediately preceding context, the Jewish religious leaders had accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub (Matt 12:24). In response, Jesus warns them about speaking blasphemy against the Spirit (Matt 12:31-32).

Unforgivable SinThis does not mean that they had spoken blasphemy against the Spirit; only that they were about to. As I explain in my book Why You Have Not Committed the Unforgivable Sin, there is no passage in Scripture which clearly tells us what blasphemy against the Spirit is. Though the sin is related to speaking words against the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 12:10), no passage clearly states what these words are that should not be spoken. It is probably not specific words anyway, but more of general attitude of the heart that is revealed through one’s words.

Nevertheless, although the Bible doesn’t say precisely identify the nature of this particular sin, many pastors and teachers claim to know what this sin is and they  use their teachings to create fear in the minds of others by warning them against committing it. Such pastors and teachers should be ignored and avoided, for they are speaking where Scripture has not. Such teachers are close to doing the same thing as the Pharisees in this passage, and it is toward them that Jesus directs the warning about blasphemy!

Matthew 12:33-37 and Good Fruit

This entire context reveals the truth of Jesus’ teaching about fruit.

By verbally challenging the words and teachings of Jesus, the Pharisees revealed the fruit of their heart, showing all that they were bad trees who produce bad fruit, and therefore should not be heeded, listened to, or obeyed. Though by all outward appearances, the Pharisees were the most observant and scrupulous keepers of the Mosaic Law, their accusatory words revealed the true condition of their hearts.

Note, however, that once again, nothing is said in this context about being able to discern the eternal destiny of others. Even when someone speaks falsely, while their words may mark them as a false teacher, this does not mean they are eternally condemned. It is possible that they have eternal life, but are simply confused or deceived themselves.

Though bad fruit from the lips reveals that a bad tree has taken root in the heart, bad fruit reveals nothing one way or the other about whether or not a person has eternal life.

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology, z Bible & Theology Topics: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, false teachers, good fruit, good words, good works, heresy, Luke 6:43-45, Matthew 12:33-37, Unforgivable Sin

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What is the Sin Against the Holy Spirit?

By Jeremy Myers
19 Comments

What is the Sin Against the Holy Spirit?

sin against the Holy SpiritA reader recently asked me this question: “What if you incorrectly identify something as demonic?” While I will answer that question, I think the fear behind it is something related to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The real question that was probably being asked was this: “What is the sin against the Holy Spirit?”

The reason I say this is because there is an event in the life of Jesus that is often used by some power-hungry and control-freak pastors to beat and cajole the people in their church into submission, to quell all dissension, and to quiet all objections. These pastors usually accuse people of committing a sin against the Holy Spirit (or blasphemy against the Spirit) if they challenge or question the pastor, and especially if someone accuses the pastor of doing something demonic.

Let me just say this: Some of the most demonic things that have ever been done in the history of the world have been done in the name of Jesus Christ.  In fact, I would go further and say that if one person does something evil, and another person does the exact same thing but does it in the name of Jesus Christ, the second action is way more demonic and evil than the first.

Doing evil is bad enough, but there is nothing worse than doing evil in the name of God. 

Anyway, back to the point…

Matthew 12 and the Sin Against the Holy Spirit

The event from the life of Jesus that some pastors and church leaders refer to is found in Matthew 12. Jesus performs some miracles and the religious leaders accuse Jesus of operating under the power of Beelzebub (aka, Satan). In turn, Jesus accuses these religious leaders of being close to committing a sin against the Holy Spirit, or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

So when one Christian accuses a church leader of doing something evil or wrong, the pastor often feels justified in retorting the same way Jesus did, and accuses his accusers of committing a sin against the Holy Spirit. They teach that if someone is doing something by the power of the Holy Spirit, and someone else says they are doing it by the power of the devil, that this is a sin against the Holy Spirit, and those who commit this sin will never be forgiven.

You see how this works? Some pastors use Matthew 12 to make sure that no one ever challenge or questions their ideas, teaching, actions, or motives. For they are “God’s anointed” and if you do question them, then maybe you are committing the sin against the Holy Spirit and will end up damned for all eternity as a result.

Hmmm…. is this true? Let’s consider the specific situations where this occurs a little more closely.

There are some churches out there that have times in their weekly services where they engage in practices like speaking in tongues, prophetic utterances, and miraculous healing. A second group of leaders and churches (which do not practice these things) often accuse the first group of doing these miracles in the power of the devil rather than in the power of God.

[Read more…]

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, Holy Spirit, Matthew 12:31-32, sin, Theology of Sin, Theology of the Holy Spirit, unforgivable sin

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Make Sure You Never Commit the Unforgivable Sin

By Jeremy Myers
30 Comments

Make Sure You Never Commit the Unforgivable Sin

Unforgivable SinHow can you know if you, or a friend, or relative, have committed the unforgivable sin?

Believers Cannot Commit the Unforgivable Sin

First, if you have believed in Jesus Christ for eternal life, then it is no longer possible for you to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Since you have believed in Jesus for eternal life, the Holy Spirit has ceased the work upon you which He performs on unbelievers, and is now living within you to mold and shape you into Christlikeness. Due to this, a Christian can quench and grieve the Holy Spirit, but cannot blaspheme the Spirit in the way Jesus talks about in Matthew 12:31-32.

If you are a believer, do not worry about committing the unpardonable sin. The possibility of committing the unforgivable sin is forever in your past.

Unbelievers who Worry about the Unforgivable Sin Have Not Committed It

If, however, you are not a Christian, and worry that you might have committed the unforgivable sin, be encouraged. Nobody who commits the blasphemy against the Spirit wonders if they have.

They no longer care about such things.

The unbeliever who commits the unforgivable sin has become so morally and spiritually blind that their heart is hardened. They Holy Spirit has stopped trying to convince them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. As a result, they have become fully enslaved to sin, to the point that they no longer care about spiritual things and will never believe in Jesus.

Such a condition is clearly not true of you, because you are reading this book and are concerned about your spiritual state. This proves that the Holy Spirit is still working on you, and therefore, you have not yet committed the unforgivable sin.

A Warning about the Unforgivable Sin

Unforgivable SinBut be warned.

If you have not yet believed in Jesus for eternal life, then the warning that Jesus gave to the religious leaders in Matthew 12:31-32 may apply to you as well.

Jesus told the Pharisees that if they continued to reject the truths which were clearly before their eyes, then there may come a day when the Spirit stops trying to convince them.

So if you have not believed in Jesus for eternal life, do not resist the Spirit any longer. There is still time. Do not delay. Receive eternal life and become a member of God’s family by believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).

Once you have believed in Jesus for eternal life, the possibility of committing the unforgivable sin becomes an impossibility forever.

Do you fear that you have committed the Unforgivable Sin?

Fear not! You are forgiven. You are loved.

Fill out the form below to receive several emails from me which explains how you can know that you are loved and forgiven by God.

(Note: If you are a member of RedeemingGod.com, login and then revisit this page to update your membership.)

 

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: adultery, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, divorce, forgiveness, grace, Matthew 12:31-32, mercy, murder, sin, Theology of Salvation, Theology of Sin, Unforgivable Sin, unpardonable sin

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Is Failure to Believe in Jesus the Unforgivable Sin?

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

Is Failure to Believe in Jesus the Unforgivable Sin?

believe in JesusOne popular view about the unforgivable sin is that it occurs when someone fails to believe in Jesus for eternal life.

The idea behind this view is that while God forgives all sin, He cannot and will not forgive a person for refusing to believe in Jesus until they actually believe in Jesus for eternal life.

In other words, if they continue in their unbelief until death, then they will never be forgiven, and will therefore be eternally separated from God. Of course, once a person believes in Jesus for eternal life, they are forgiven of this sin as well, and will spend eternity with God.

I held this view for many years, but eventually rejected it for several reasons.

Reason I Rejected this View on the Unforgivable Sin

First, in Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus says that those who commit the unforgivable sin will never be forgiven. It is not that they might be forgiven if they eventually believe in Jesus, but that once this sin is committed, it will never be forgiven. To say that it will never be forgiven as long as they don’t believe removes all the force from Jesus’ warning, and makes His argument redundantly self-evident.

Second, if Jesus was simply talking about the sin of unbelief, why didn’t He just talk about unbelief? He frequently warns people about their lack of faith, so if that was the issue here, why not make the same warning again?

Third, the big problem with this view on the unforgivable sin is that it has almost nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. The concern of Jesus in this particular text is that the unpardonable sin is against the Holy Spirit. If a particular view about this sin can be explained without ever mentioning the Holy Spirit, this is a good indication that this view is wrong.

Finally, this explanation of the unforgivable sin reveals a basic misunderstanding about forgiveness. Many wrongly assume that God does not and cannot forgive us of our sins unless we first do something to trigger His forgiveness. For example, many believe that God does not and cannot forgive us unless we first confess or repent of our sin. Those posts I linked to show that this is not true.

Similarly, some believe that God does not or cannot forgive us of our sins unless we first believe in Jesus. But this also is not true. Forgiveness is the free gift of God to all people for all their sin regardless of whether they want it, receive it, ask for it, or believe in Jesus for it. This was seen in a previous post about forgiveness.

This, of course, raises questions about how there can be an “unforgivable sin” if God freely forgives us of all our sin. That excellent question will be answered in a future post.

For now, we must reject this view of the unforgivable sin. The unforgivable sin is not a failure to believe in Jesus for everlasting life. God forgives all people freely without condition.

Of course, if you have not yet believed in Jesus for eternal life, why put it off any longer? Believe in Him today.

Do you fear that you have committed the Unforgivable Sin?

Fear not! You are forgiven. You are loved.

Fill out the form below to receive several emails from me which explains how you can know that you are loved and forgiven by God.

(Note: If you are a member of RedeemingGod.com, login and then revisit this page to update your membership.)

 

God is Redeeming Books, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: adultery, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, divorce, forgiveness, grace, Matthew 12:31-32, mercy, murder, sin, Theology of Salvation, Theology of Sin, Unforgivable Sin, unpardonable sin

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Did Israel commit the unforgivable sin by rejecting Jesus as the Messiah?

By Jeremy Myers
7 Comments

Did Israel commit the unforgivable sin by rejecting Jesus as the Messiah?

unforgivable sinSince the controversy in Matthew 12 involves Jesus defending His claim to be the Messiah to the religious and national leaders of Israel, some Bible scholars and teachers believe that the unforgivable sin is Israel’s national rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

The strength of this view is that it does not simply look at what is said and done in the text of Matthew 12:31-32, but looks at the surrounding context of Matthew 12 and the Gospel of Matthew as a whole, and sees that Jesus is trying to show the people of Israel that He is their promised and prophesied Messiah, but no matter what He says or what miracles He performs, they keep rejecting the truth and denying the clear evidence in the signs that He performs.

It is also argued that Matthew 12 is somewhat the turning point in the Gospel of Matthew. From this point on, Jesus begins to minister more toward Gentiles than to Jews (cf. Matt 13–15). Those who hold this view believe that while Jesus came primarily to the Messiah for the Jewish people, after they rejected Him, He refocused His mission toward being the Savior of the world. Matthew 12 is seen as a key text for this transition.

Those who hold this view point out that after the Pharisees claim that Jesus is performing miracles by the power of Satan (Matt 12:24), Jesus calls them an “evil generation” which deserves condemnation for rejecting the Messiah (Matt 12:39-42). After this, Jesus makes several predictions about how God will turn to a people who will not reject Him, and how Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed (cf. Matt 13:41-43; 16:1-4; 21:18-19, 42-46; 22:1-14; 24:1-2).

Nobody Can Commit the Unforgivable Sin Today?

Note that if this theory is correct, then nobody is able to commit this sin except for the Jewish people living at the time of Jesus Christ. In other words, since we are not Jewish and we are not living at the time of Jesus, we cannot commit this sin.

According to this view, the unforgivable sin was a particular sin which only Jewish people could commit who were alive during the ministry of Jesus and who saw the signs He was performing and should have recognized Him as their Messiah, but rejected Him instead.

This view is comforting since it makes the unforgivable sin impossible to commit today.

Weaknesses with this View on the Unforgivable Sin

However, the idea that this sin cannot be committed today is also the major weakness of the view. While Scripture does at times include descriptions of unique sins that cannot be committed by future generations—such as God’s instruction to Adam to not eat fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—it does not seem that this particular sin falls into that category.

It seems that Matthew included this instruction from Jesus not simply to explain what happened to the Jewish people, but also because he believed that the possibility of committing this sin was a real danger for future generations as well.

At the time of writing, Matthew was warning his readers about this sin, and people today must receive this warning as well.

Furthermore, the very words of Jesus indicate a warning for all future generations. He applies the warning to “anyone” and not just to the Jewish people who were alive in His day.

Jesus also says that anyone who speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but this view about Israel’s rejection of Jesus seems to say the opposite, that Jewish people who rejected Jesus by speaking against Him would not be forgiven.

So for these reasons, we can say that the unforgivable sin is not Israel’s national rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

There is definitely a warning for all people who read this passage in Matthew about the unforgivable sin, and we must not simply say that because we do not live in the days of Jesus that people today cannot commit the unforgivable sin. People probably can commit this sin, but we must not too quickly assume that people have. Instead, we must discern the nature of the unforgivable sin, and then help counsel and love people who fear they have committed a sin which is unforgivable. Most likely they haven’t.

Do you fear that you have committed the Unforgivable Sin?

Fear not! You are forgiven. You are loved.

Fill out the form below to receive several emails from me which explains how you can know that you are loved and forgiven by God.

(Note: If you are a member of RedeemingGod.com, login and then revisit this page to update your membership.)

 

God is Redeeming Books, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: adultery, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, divorce, forgiveness, grace, Israel, Matthew 12:31-32, mercy, murder, sin, Theology of Salvation, Theology of Sin, Unforgivable Sin, unpardonable sin

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