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| Q: | If someone has rejected Jesus out of anger, fear, doubt, or hate, can that person come back again? If a heart is so blackened because of problems, but seeks help, can that person believe again? Is there a heart that is so hardened that can't believe again? | ||||||
| A: | The Bible does speak of certain situations when a person who was brought to faith in Jesus can willfully, knowingly, maliciously, and persistently despise and reject saving faith--and end up committing what is sometimes called "the unforgivable sin" or the "the sin against the Holy Spirit" (whose task it is to bring us to faith and preserve us in that faith). Bible references to this horrible possibility would include Hebrews 10:26-31 and Matthew 12:31-32 or Mark 3:29. In speaking of such a possibility, however, keep in mind that we are not able to determine if such a thing has happened with people around us--and certainly not urged to assume it has happened. The mention of the sin is a strong warning against trifling with the gospel and despising the Savior, but it is not a call to put obnoxious and high-profile unbelievers into that category. We leave that in God's hands where it belongs. The best thing to do is to assume that everyone around us remains fully able to be saved through the gospel and then to testify to them with law and gospel persistently and lovingly, even if they are trying the Lord's patience in ways that are obvious to all. It is also good to recall that you and I were once as fully opposed to God, hateful in heart, suspicious of the idea of a gracious God, etc., by our inherited guilt and corruption. Every believer, without exception, is a trophy of God's grace and the power of the gospel who worked repentance and faith in the heart. He who could and did do that for us is willing and able to work the same miracle in the hearts and lives of others. | ||||||
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