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Index
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Index
Figure 1. The Seven Deadly Sins.
For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean'.
Mark 7:21-23 NIV
Within the Covenant, there are three categories of sin - each with their own set of consequences:
Defiant sin results in exclusion from the Covenant:
Those who sin unintentionally can find forgiveness within the Covenant framework.
Those who commit unforgivable sin will find no forgiveness either in this life or the next. Their names will be entered in the Blacklist.
Defiant sin results in exclusion from the Covenant and from God's people:
30 But the person, be he citizen or stranger, who acts defiantly reviles the LORD; that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has spurned the word of the LORD and violated His commandment, that person shall be cut off—he bears his guilt. (Numbers 15:30-31 (Tanakh))
The defiant sinner's name will be automatically removed from the Book of Life, if present.
Forgiveness is possible with the framework of the Covenant.
Jesus said that all manner of sins can be forgiven. But there are some sins for which forgiveness is impossible; these are associated with a Blacklist.
The Blacklist is a component of the Books of Record:
The documentation.
The Blacklist includes:
Jesus states categorically and unequivocally that those who dishonour the Lord Spirit will never be forgiven:
And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
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 (Matthew 12:31-32 NIV)
In the Book of Revelation we find another reason for a person to be denied salvation. The names of those who worship the Beast or receive the mark of the Beast will be added to the Blacklist:
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."(Revelation 14:9-11 NIV)
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 NIV)
And then there are those whose evil is so great that the Lord is driven - on oath - to declare that they shall never enter His rest:
Forty years I was provoked by that generation;
I thought, “They are a senseless people;
they would not know My ways.”
11 Concerning them I swore in anger,
“They shall never come to My resting-place!" (Psalms 95:10-11 (Tanakh))
When a name is added to the Blacklist, then any mention of that name in the Book of Life is automatically deleted.
Since deletions from the Blacklist are disallowed, once a person's name is entered, then forgiveness is no longer possible for that person. Death is inevitable.
Note that the Lord is not obliged to notify those whose names have been deleted from the Book of Life; neither is He obliged to notify those whose names have been entered in the Blacklist.
'Presumption of salvation' is a dangerous belief! In this life, there will always be a question mark against our status. The resulting uncertainty is not designed to undermine us; it is a safeguard which will help us maintain close contact and dialogue with the Lord, and which is intended to keep us from any nasty surprises on the Day of Judgement:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)
It is important to avoid confusing the uncertainty of our own salvation with the certainty of the legal aspects of redemption (ie, the operation of the Primary and Rescue Contracts).
Are our names in the Book of Life? There will always be a doubt, since the Lord God is not required to notify us of our status or any change to it.
Can Jesus' shed blood make expiation for sin? Without a shadow of doubt! For the Primary and Rescue Contracts are enshrined in contract law and are therefore binding on all parties.
Version: 2024-08-03