The synoptic gospels all speak of an Eternal Sin; a sin so grave it cannot be forgiven.
The only sin, in fact.
Matt 12:32 – Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
- As a Universalist, I have a problem with the concept of of an unforgivable sin. What could be so bad that an all-loving-God could be incapable of forgiving it??? It’s pretty bleak, especially coming from the mouth of Christ himself. Furthermore, it’s unclear. What does this mean, ‘to sin against the Holy Spirit?’I believe that the Holy Spirit is the primordial cosmic energy of the universe. It is the dynamic, activating force that moves through everything. Animating, giving life and order. It is mother nature, it is DNA, it is personal inspiration. Binah to the Kabbalist, Shakti to the Hindu.
It is the profound, ineffable intuition that is experienced by everybody on a deeply personal level.
It is your innermost cause.
Your fundamental nature.And it is different for everybody.
It was pen and paper for Shakespeare, it was physics for Einstein. Each did what he was called to do.
Can you imagine what a tragedy it would have been had they decided to go into the family business? Not just for them but for humanity as a whole.
To ‘sin against the Holy Spirit’ then, is a personal betrayal of one’s Self in the gravest way.
Unforgivable because ignorance cannot be claimed. Shakespeare knew he had to write. Betray yourself and there is no mistaking it. Ignorance is forgivable but we cannot be ignorant of the Holy Spirit. It is intrinsic pervasive and undeniable. It is our deep, personal, cosmic experience. To reject it is the ultimate slap in our own face.
It is a conscious rejection of a facet of God that has already been known and experienced.
So when Christ says “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,” he means it.
The Son of Man not just Jesus. It is anyone who has reached Enlightenment (made Keter into Da’at); Buddha, The Bodhisattvas and the Saints. If you disagree with the teaching of a master that is fine inasmuch as it goes against your personal understanding of Truth.
I’m reminded of St. Justin’s writing on the Logos:
Those who have not accepted Christ but follow the moral law of their hearts follow God, because it is God who has written the moral law in each person’s heart. Though man may not explicitly recognize God, he has the spirit of Christ if he follows Jesus’ moral laws, written in his heart.
The religion is not what matters, it’s the personal calling.
D.H. Lawrence, one of my favorite writers, reinforces this:
My great religion is a belief in the blood, the flesh, as being wiser than the intellect. We can go wrong in our minds. But what our blood feels and believes and says, is always true. The intellect is only a bit and a bridle.
Likewise, Swami Vivekanandha:
The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!
Obviously, this is not a hall pass to give into every base desire and claim it as the will of your Higher Self. On the contrary, the ego must be controlled by the willpower at all times. How do you know the difference? One’s true calling does not change from day to day and remains with you even when you are at peace. Especially when you are at peace.
My original gripe still remains. Can a sin truly be eternal?
Yes and no.
The point is that if you Sin against yourself, only you can forgive yourself by righting that wrong.
When Scrooge abandoned true love in exchange for personal greed, he betrayed himself in the worst way. But was he beyond redemption?
No. There is always redemption. That’s what the prodigal son is all about. ‘A Christmas Carol’ is just a retelling of the great parable.
So, in Shakespeare’s own words, “This above all: to thine own self be true”
