Unpardonable Sin (Saul-case study)

Wherefore I say unto you,

All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost

shall not be forgiven unto men.

Matthew 12:31

"Those who had spoken against Jesus Himself, not discerning His divine character, might receive forgiveness; for through the Holy Spirit they might be brought to see their error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ; but he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him. It is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart; when men willfully reject the Spirit, and declare It to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. When the Spirit is finally rejected, there is no more that God can do for the soul."

Desire of Ages p.322 E.G.W.

What did the religious leaders accuse Christ of after watching the evidence of His miracles? ...He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. Mark 3:22

(Beelzebub was a pagan god of flies/filth....so they were attributing His power to the devil through beelzebub...an ultimate insult).

Christ could say He could forgive them for crucifying Him...Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34

But with the willful rejection of His evidential power He drew a line- Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He (refering to Christ) hath an unclean spirit. Mark 3:28-30

"They were convinced that a divine power attended Christ, but in order to resist the truth, they attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. In doing this they deliberately chose deception; they yielded themselves to Satan, and henceforth they were controlled by his power."
Desire of Ages p.323 E.G.W.

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(SAUL)

1) Refused to listen to the voice of the prophets

Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD,

he hath also rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:23

2) Refused to listen to the Holy Spirit working on him

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul,

and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

1 Samuel 16:14

3) Killed the Priests of the Lord

And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him,

Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD;

because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled,

and did not shew it to me.

But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

(pause here for a moment and notice-Saul has a chance-this fleeting moment-to stop and reverse course, thanks to his men, --but the hardness of his heart won't let him) 

"It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; it is by the rejection of this light that the eyes are blinded and the heart hardened. Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God's word, through His servants, or by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when one ray of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul."

Desire of Ages p.322 E.G.W.

And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests.

And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests,

and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

1 Samuel 22:18,19

At Some Point - there was the point of NO Return for Saul 

And when Saul enquired of the LORD,

the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

1 Samuel 28:6

Summary

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,  they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Hebrews 6:4-6

...having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1 Timothy 4:2
"Many, like Saul, yield to temptation until they become blind to the true character of sin. They flatter themselves that they have had some good object in view, and have done no wrong in departing from the Lord's requirements. Thus they do despite to the Spirit of grace, until its voice is no longer heard, and they are left to the delusions which they have chosen.....But in rejecting God's chosen instrument they rejected Christ; they insulted the Spirit of God. So, in the days of Christ, the Jewish scribes and elders, who professed great zeal for the honor of God, crucified His Son. The same spirit still exists in the hearts of those who set themselves to follow their own will in opposition to the will of God."
Patriarchs & Prophets p.635 E.G.W.