What is the Unforgivable Sin?

Matthew 12:31-32 (ESV) And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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.

These two verses have made thousands of people anxious. Many are terrified they will accidentally commit the unforgivable sin. There are lots of theories about what it might be: Some think it’s using the Lord’s name in vain. Some apply whatever the most popular (or unpopular) sin of the day is to it. Some think blasphemy against any Biblical truth is Blasphemy against the Spirit. The ideas and possibilities are pretty much as endless as the number of different churches there are in the world. 

When one thinks too hard about the words, “Blasphemy against the Spirit” the idea starts to feel a bit vague and ethereal. So, what’s the point? How are we supposed to figure out what the unforgivable sin is?

Well the answer is frustratingly simple and is the same answer I give with any Biblical question. We find out what the Bible means by reading the Bible.  

Context is Key. Matthew 12:31-32 wasn’t meant to be plucked out of the Bible and read on its own. It is part of a larger story, and the larger story is the key to understanding what these verses mean.

Historical context also matters. Each book of the Bible was written at a specific time in History, with a specific purpose in mind, and to a specific group of people. The rest of us learn about God and how He works in the world by understanding the lessons He was trying to teach these historical people and applying them in logical ways to our own lives. To truly understand the lesson, we have to understand what was going on historically with the original audience of each book of the Bible.

So, let’s take a look:

The Old Testament is full of prophecies proclaiming the coming of a Messiah who will be a King from the line of David and will sit on His throne forever. The nation of Israel is always searching for this Messiah. (David’s story can be found in 1 Samuel 16:1- 1 Kings 2:10)

Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

The book of Matthew was written to convince the nation of Israel that Jesus is the King of the Jews--the Messiah they had been waiting for.

In order for people to know who the Messiah was when He came, God also gave prophecies which describe stuff this King will do including what are called the ”miracles of healing” which would prove His identity.

Isaiah 35:5-6a (ESV) Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Isaiah 26:19a (ESV) Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!

Isaiah 29:18 (ESV) In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.

Isaiah 61:1 (ESV) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor

It was also widely known amongst Jewish tradition that the Messiah would be the first to heal a Jew of leprosy:

The book of Leviticus contains an entire chapter (Leviticus 14) devoted to how a Jew healed of leprosy must respond to the healing. After centuries, the rabbis noticed that the rituals required by Leviticus 14 had never been used in all the history of Israel because no Jew had ever been healed of leprosy. This caused the rabbis to assume (correctly) that this miracle could only be done by the Messiah when He arrived. So the healing of a leper was a mark of the Messiah.

- Pastor Armstrong at versebyverseministry.org: How was Jesus healing the leper a Messianic miracle?

In other words, the entire Jewish nation knew that if a man shows up who fulfills all the prophecies--including these miracles of healing--he is the Messiah they have been waiting for. Jesus did exactly that.

Furthermore, when John the Baptist questions if Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus even states, Himself, that He has fulfilled these miracles, using them as proof that He is the Messiah.

Luke 7:22 (NIV) So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

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The fulfillment of each of these miracles of healing are outlined in the book of Matthew leading up to chapter 12 where the “Blasphemy of the Spirit” happens.

Healing the blind:

Matthew 9:27-30 (ESV) As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened.

Healing the lame:

Matthew 9:1-8 (ESV) Getting into a boat he [Jesus] crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Cleansing a leper 

Matthew 8:2-4 (ESV) A leper came to him [Jesus] and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

Healing the deaf (the same Greek word can mean “deaf” or “mute,” and both were often found together.):

Matthew 9:32-33 (ESV) As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him [Jesus]. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”

Raising the dead:

Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26 (ESV) While he [Jesus] was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples…. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.

Preaching good news to the poor:

Matthew 9:35-36 (ESV) Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

These are just a few examples of the many miracles Jesus performed. By fulfilling each of these miracles, Jesus was proving He was the Messiah they had been waiting for. And people were taking notice. Many had open hearts and minds and began to follow Jesus, but others--specifically the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders of the day--feared losing their power more than they cared about discovering the truth.

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That brings us to the infamous section of Scripture which contains the unforgivable sin: 

Matthew 12:22-37 (ESV) 22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 

25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

29 Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 

30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

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Let’s look at this section piece by piece:

The first thing that happens in this situation is Jesus casts a demon out of a blind and mute man. This action causes people to ask, “Can this be the Son of David?” 

It’s important to understand what they are asking here:

As we discussed earlier, the nation of Israel has a promise via prophecy that the Messiah will be from the line of King David and He will sit on David’s throne forever (Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV). So, they weren’t asking who Jesus’ literal direct father was (Joseph), they were saying, “Can this be the Messiah we have been waiting for? Is this our prophesied King?”

This was a defining moment in history and for the nation of Israel. They had been shown the signs and wonders they needed to see in order to know Jesus was the Messiah. And now all they had to do was follow Him.

Many people of the nation of Israel were ready and excited to welcome Jesus with open arms, to celebrate the arrival of their King. They had kept their eyes and hearts open, watching and waiting for God to fulfill his promises and prophecies. 

But the Pharisees--Jewish religious leaders of that time--had a different agenda. Instead of acknowledging the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, they decided to try claiming Jesus got His powers from the Devil (Matthew 12:24). 

Of course Jesus responded to this claim with logic and reasoning, explaining why it would be ridiculous to think someone who was harming the Devil’s work would be working for the Devil. 

It is during this explanation where Jesus mentions the unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:25-32).

Jesus tells them it’s a choice--either they believe His power comes from the Spirit of God or from Beelzebul:

Matthew 12:27-28 (ESV) And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

The Pharisees witnessed irrefutable evidence that Jesus’s power came from the Holy Spirit, but they still decided to claim it was from the Devil. They were not ignorant of the truth, they knew the Messianic Prophecies were being fulfilled. They stood in front of God Himself as He offered up every possible bit of evidence they needed. They knew the time for the Kingdom of God—the promised King, the Messiah—had come. But they chose to turn a blind eye to the truth and slander the Spirit by claiming Jesus came from the Devil instead of from God.

And in that moment, because the Pharisees were in a position of power, they influenced millions of Israelites throughout history to turn away from God’s truth and from the Messiah.

Furthermore, when the Gospel of Mark talks about this same event in Mark 3:22-30 a little explanatory caveat is offered at the end:

Mark 3:28-30 (NIV) “...I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”

Instead of proclaiming Jesus to be God, they claimed He was evil. 

This was the unforgivable sin: to witness Jesus Himself--in the flesh--perform miracles, fulfilling Messianic prophecies, and accuse Him of being an agent of the Devil. Jesus was using the Power of God--the Power of the Holy Spirit--to perform the miracles, and the Pharisees Blasphemed the Spirit by proclaiming His power came from Satan. 

Good news for us is, the unforgivable sin can’t be duplicated by anyone today because it was unique to that moment in history--the moment when Jesus walked among mankind, fulfilling the prophecies of the Messiah. 

As gotquestions.org says:

The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.

God has provided for our salvation in His Son (John 3:16). Forgiveness is found exclusively in Jesus (John 14:6). To reject the only Savior is to be left with no means of salvation; to reject the only pardon is, obviously, unpardonable.

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This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

Click here for more things written by Amanda Hovseth.

How Do We Handle Conflict Biblically? - Ask The Pastor

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Tyson Lambertson, John Mulholland, Jon Simpson, and Kiley Callaway.

Tyson Lambertson

We've been discussing this idea of conflict, and we know that conflict is healthy but conflict also can create some problems. So we want to look at a biblical view of what it takes to manage healthy conflict and walk through conflict, because so often I know that I haven't dealt well with conflict. So let's look at what the Bible says about conflict.

John Mulholland

Yeah, so this is a Ephesians 4:25-32. "So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth for we are all parts of the same body and don't let sin and don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you were still angry for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you're a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say, be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God's holy spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of you will behavior. Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

Tyson Lambertson

So conflict is something that we all deal with as individuals, as human beings, and conflict can be healthy, but it can also be very, very divisive. And that's what Satan wants - he wants to create conflict that separates relationships. Why do we struggle with it so bad? Why do we not handle conflict well?

John Mulholland

I think the primary reason is that we don't know what good healthy conflict looks like. I don't know how any of you guys grew up in your homes, but I did not really see conflict modeled well by my parents. I saw arguing, I saw those kinds of things taking place. So I did not have a model for how husbands and wives were supposed to talk to one another, or any kind of healthy model of conflict. I just didn't see that when I was growing up.

Jon Simpson

Yeah, I think that plays into it. One of the things that I have seen and had to work through is that we all have things that we tell ourselves, sort of storylines that we live by. And one of them is that I've kind of uncovered in my life was the idea that conflict is bad. So if you believe that it comes from somewhere, like you said, either the way we were raised, or maybe it was getting into fights in junior high, or a conflict that would lead to a physical altercation, right? So somewhere in there is, I don't want to say a fear, but a belief that it's not going to go somewhere good. And so that can make us avoid it, or it can make us overreact and say, "I've gotta win every one of these". Whatever it is, I think some of it is just the belief that conflict equals destruction in some way. And we have reason to believe that, I've certainly seen that, but that's not what we see in the scriptures. I think it's one of those examples where we have to believe a different storyline. You know, we have to believe God's storyline.

Tyson Lambertson

And I think some of this comes to personalities as well. For me, my harmony button is as string finder of mine. I love harmony. And so when there's conflict, there's times when I will just do everything to avoid it and just hope that it goes away understanding that it's not going to go away, but wanting it to go away. And there's this tension of moving and not having a good model of saying, "How do you deal with conflict in a healthy way?" Because our natural tendency is to slander, to get people on our side, to get the coup, so to speak, and get them together so that we can, we can push our own agenda. And yeah, my conflict is better than my ways better than your way. And so conflict is, is part of our sinful nature. We need to learn how to deal with that better, what do you think Kiley?

Kiley Callaway

That's what I was going to say. As far as different personalities, some retreat, some want to just rile it up, some just want to talk it out. And I think with different personalities, it may sound like they're arguing but really they're just verbalizing their internal emotions and want to talk it out with you when some will receive that. Especially for me, like if I'm in something, I want to talk it out, I want to just vomit my emotions out there. And even in that, sometimes they think that maybe it's against them or it's meant to be hurtful towards them, when I'm just trying to share my heart and hash out what's going on inside of me so that the other person can understand where I'm coming from. Definitely the core is sin mixed in with our different personalities, and then peppered in there with how we were raised. So I think it's all of that - just kind of a crazy mixture of why we can't handle it.

Tyson Lambertson

Yeah. And I think 2 Timothy 2:24ish, dealing with false teachers, it says "Be gracious, be gentle, be kind." And that is so hard to do because usually in conflict somebody is being attacked, or the past comes up, or the age-old argument comes roaring back. And the main thing that you were in conflict about now is compiled with past hurts. So navigating conflict is not easy, and then as Christians we're called to deal with it in a biblical manner. And I think we see that in Matthew 18.

John Mulholland

And before we switch to that, you talked about things that have happened in the past. A lot of that is just unresolved issues. And I think we talked about that one of the very first series that we did for Ask The Pastor - whatever happened in the past among the churches in Scottsbluff, there's a pretty good chance that no one actually knows whatever that thing was that happened thirty, forty, fifty plus years ago between our churches or between the ways we believe, or doctrinal distinctives. By this point in history, all our people know is "I'm not supposed to like those Northfield people", or "I don't know what The Rock Church did fifteen or twenty years ago to deserve the break in their relationship. But I just know that when I hear The Rock, or I hear Mitchell Berean, or I hear Northfield, or you guys hear Westway, I just know that they're my enemy. And I couldn't tell you why I think that way. I know that I've held onto that even in my relationship with my wife, you know, when we bring up things that happened 15 years ago, because that was never actually resolved.

Tyson Lambertson

I think it does present some emotional baggage and some emotional underlying issues in us. I also think there's a cultural dynamic that we have to deal with in our own area, in that Scottsbluff was founded by Hiram Scott who was abandoned by his friends. And so this idea of abandonment comes in, where they're just like "We're not going to deal with the conflict. We're just going to leave it alone and walk away." I think there's some spiritual and cultural undertones that we deal with day in and day out that play into it. So it's not only relational, not only emotional, there's probably some culture there too.

Jon Simpson

I think one of the things that Berean Fellowship has looked at is family of origin issues related to how we handle things, because there are connections that we're not always aware of that play into things. What we're talking about here is kind of a generational thing or something that's sort of in the DNA or fabric of our culture, which I believe is real. And then I think our families have those kinds of things that get passed on. And sometimes that can be great stuff to our advantage, but there are issues in there that can also be a disadvantage to successfully navigating what we're supposed to do. We can have a tendency to handle things differently than, than what God says to do. I think it's good to understand ourselves and our region and our community, so as we attack this we have an adult view of it, an educated view of it. But to me, honestly, it comes down to, "What does God say we're supposed to do?" We were pulled out of a lifestyle that was pagan and godless and self-directed. And Paul is talking to the Ephesians about that, he starts off in Ephesians 4. "As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you've received." He's going, "Guys, I'm pleading with you. You've been saved. You been redeemed, you're different people, you belong to Jesus. So live a life worthy of that." And I think there's areas of our life, and conflict's just one of them, where we have to kind of look in the mirror say, "Am I living a life worthy of the calling I received? Or am I living the way I want to?"

Tyson Lambertson

Yeah. And I think you're in that process of looking at the call. We know that God tells us to love him and to love our neighbors as ourselves. And sometimes we don't do that well, so there's unhealthy conflict, there's healthy conflict, and then there's church conflict that we all have to deal with and navigate. So Kylie, what's your thoughts on the conflict genealogy or the conflict direction? This is something that you've studied and understand.

Kiley Callaway

I don't know if I've studied it in the depth that you're saying, but I like what everybody's saying. I think what we're finding in the church, what we're finding in America, what we're finding with Christians is that it goes back to what you're originally said - we're supposed to be changed. I think in the church of America we have a lot of children by blood, but we have a lot of prodigal children, so we still have the habits of the hogs. And when we read this, it's talking about all of the habits of the hogs that we should be getting rid of that leads to conflict. Things like bitterness, things like anger, things like rage and slander and malice. I think if we look at the genealogy, it's all the spiritual issues that we never get up under the blood, so we still hang onto the habits of the hogs. We may be blood children, by blood adopted in, but he's pleading with us that we shouldn't be in conflict. We shouldn't be acting like this because we should be different people. And I think that's really where all conflict is birthed from - yes, it's family, it's cultural, but at the end of the day it's all spiritual.

Jon Simpson

So really specific, because you said that pretty quick, I just want to process that. You said the prodigal son went off to a distant land, he lived in rebellion and he ended up with the hogs. So you're saying he picked up habits there that were a result of his decision to rebel and to live in sin. And he was still a son, but you're saying that the kind of life he lived has consequences, or it has baggage to it that can be then brought into my Christian life. So what do you do? What's the answer to that?

Kiley Callaway

So if we look at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and we see a lineage of the family - one son, one grandson, etc. But one thing about Abraham is he was a man of the altar, and I think that's where we as Christians have gotten away is death at the alter, something in us has to die. And I think even when we're with people and even if it's different personalities, I think what we have to do is listen, because like you said, I keep hearing the word, I've heard it three times now, attack, attack, attack. Anytime there's conflict we feel like it's attack, and our natural flesh tendency is to be defensive. And if we'll just learn how to let ourselves die in that moment and really listen to the person, I think we can have healthy resolution.

Tyson Lambertson

Right, it comes to our heart. And if we're lashing out and responding in negative ways or slandering, there's something wrong here. And I know that I've dealt with that, and I continue to deal with that. It's a daily surrender. It's a walk with the Lord.

What's New at Cross Reference Library? A New Series by Misty M. Beller

Hope’s Highest Mountain - When Ingrid Chastain agreed to accompany her father to deliver vaccines to a mining town in the Montana Territory, she never could have anticipated a terrible accident would leave her alone and badly injured in the wilderness. Rescue comes in the form of a mysterious mountain man who tends her injuries, but she’s hesitant to put her trust in this man who seems to have wounds of his own. After tragedy struck his family, Micah Bradley left his work as a doctor and escaped to the wilds of Montana. But his self-imposed solitude is broken when finds Ingrid in desperate need of medical attention, and he’s forced to call on his doctoring skills once again. Micah can’t help but admire Ingrid’s tenacity despite the severity of her injuries, until he learns the crate she brought contains smallpox vaccines to help quell a nearby outbreak. With Ingrid dead set on delivering the medicine--with or without his help--he has no choice but to accompany her. As they set off through the treacherous, snow-covered Rocky Mountains against all odds, the journey ahead will change their lives more than they could have known. 

Love’s Mountain Quest - After losing her husband in the Rocky Mountain wilderness, young widow Joanna Watson is struggling to make a new home for her five-year-old son, Samuel, in the little mountain town of Settler’s Fort. When she returns home from work to find Samuel and the woman watching him missing--and the sheriff dead--she enlists a man she prays has enough experience in this rugged country to help. Isaac Bowen wants nothing more than a quiet, invisible life in these mountains, far away from the bad decisions of his past. But he has a strong suspicion of who’s behind the kidnapping and murder, and if he’s right, he knows all too well the evil they’re chasing. As they press on against the elements, Joanna fights to hold on to hope, while Isaac knows a reckoning is coming. They find encouragement in the tentative trust that grows between them, but whether it can withstand the danger and coming confrontation is far from certain in this wild, unpredictable land. 

Faith’s Mountain Home - Nate Long has always watched over his identical twin brother, Aaron, even when it put him on the wrong side of the law. When Aaron is wounded in a shootout, the brothers are taken to Settler’s Fort to recover. As Nate works to make reparations for their past, he marvels at the care Aaron receives from a woman with all the reason in the world to resent him. Laura Hannon knows what it is to start over, and she knows Nate’s newfound faith is real. What she can’t look past is how far he allowed himself to be led astray by his brother’s weaknesses. But when memories of her own brothers’ tragic end come back to haunt her, she vows to do whatever she can to keep Aaron alive. As a fledgling trust grows between Nate and Laura, they stumble upon a mysterious cave in the mountains that may not be as uninhabited as it seems. While working together to unravel the secrets surrounding the cave, will the new lives they seek for themselves include love, or does too much stand between them?

What’s New at Cross Reference Library?

Helpful Knowledge on Worship and Leadership

Worship Without Limits - In truth, worship is not Christianized entertainment, a religious ritual, or zealous demonstration. The biblical picture of worship is an intimate encounter with the infinite God that spreads into every part of your daily life. Growing up on the frontlines of the Russian mission field, Phil Renner’s heart burns with a passion for sharing this amazing truth. Under Phil’s leadership, Renner Worship has played a significant role in bringing a worship movement to churches and youth across Russia and neighboring countries. Whether you’re on the mission field, or in the boardroom, Phil’s powerful testimonies, biblical teaching, practical application, and prayers of activation will help you access a lifestyle of encounter in God’s Presence. 

Discipled Leader - Are you a successful business leader but struggle to live out your Christian faith in the workplace? The first step isn’t adjusting your leadership style. Instead, who you are needs to change before what you do changes - and that means letting God work that change internally. Likewise, before you can model discipleship to your team, you must first be discipled by the Spirit. Join Preston Poore, a veteran with decades of experience at Fortune 500 companies, as he demonstrates how exceptional leadership ties in with the day-to-day practice of being a disciple of Jesus Christ...and how you too can encounter and engage with that connection.

New Music Monday - Matthew West and Cochren & Co.

new to our rotation

What If - Matthew West

“What if today's the only day I got?
I don't wanna waste it if it's my last shot
No regrets, in the end
I wanna know I got no what ifs
I'm running till the road runs out
I'm lighting it up right here right now
No regrets, in the end
I wanna know I got no what ifs”

Grave - Cochren & Co.

“If there hadn't been a grave
If there hadn't been a cross
My heart would still be buried
And my soul would still be lost
If there hadn't been a Savior
Who died to make a way
I'd still be a dead man
If there hadn't been a grave”

I Don't Feel Welcomed in Church, Why Should I Go?

Listen to an audio recording of this blog post, here.

When asked this question my dad used to always tell a story about when he first became a Christian. I’ll share it with you, but first we need a little background information:

My dad was in his early twenties when he first accepted Jesus as his Savior. He was an alcoholic. He was addicted to gambling. He had two young kids. My mom was pregnant with a third, and she was on the verge of divorcing him. Needless to say, his life was a bit of a mess. But God had reached into that mess and brought my dad to his knees at the foot of the cross of Christ. 

My father was a new believer, on fire for the Lord--gobbling up everything he could learn about God and the Bible. He was determined to save his marriage, stop drinking, stop gambling, and rebuild our lives. Unfortunately, becoming a Christian is one thing, while being accepted by other Christians is entirely different. 

My dad drove coal trains for the railroad so his schedule was unpredictable. More often than not he would come rushing in late to church or Bible-study--right after working a thirty-six hour run--in old worn-out sweats which were covered in oil and grease. Some people would view this as dedication; others as disrespectful. He was also very outspoken, if he had a question--he asked it. If he disagreed--he’d argue his point until someone could prove him wrong. To say in short--whether good or bad--he was a disruptive force and constantly, inadvertently, made people feel uncomfortable in the “boxes” they were living in.

Now I need you to understand that there were some amazing Christians who loved my dad just as he was, and did their best to bring our family into the fold--especially the pastor of our church (who was the man who led my father to the Lord in the first place) and the youth pastor (who is now the current pastor at Grace Chapel in Scottsbluff). I will always be incredibly grateful to them. 

However, there were others at our church who looked at my dad like he was a dangerous bomb, ready to explode his sinful life all over their nice clean picture-perfect existences. And as anyone can tell you, all it takes is one sideways glance and a few poorly timed whispers, to make a person feel out of place and unwanted. Needless to say, he started struggling with feeling like he belonged and that brings us to our story.

I’m telling this story, not from my memory (because I was very young) but from memories of my dad telling it. We were on a short family vacation somewhere in South Dakota. Since we were there over a Sunday, my dad found a local church for us to attend. When we walked in the door a nice young lady realized we were new, so she came over to welcome us to their church. My dad’s not the type to just shake hands and move on, so he struck up a conversation. He ended up telling her that he often felt like a fish out of water in his home church, so he was considering not going there anymore. 

That’s when she told him her story. A few years earlier she had been addicted to drugs, living on the streets, and working as a prostitute. When she accepted Jesus as her Savior, she worked hard to turn her life around. But, like my dad, she had found herself in a tough position with some church members. She felt unwelcome; like a dark stain on their perfect congregation. She had also been about to stop attending church, and to write off all other Christians as judgmental hypocrites.

Then, the following Sunday, as she sat in the church service, she saw a face she recognized. It was another woman who had worked the streets with her. Right after the service she rushed over to say “hello”. This other woman ended up accepting Jesus as her Savior as well.

The lady finished her story by saying this to my dad:

“If I stopped going to church, and if you stopped going to church, who will be here for the next person like us that comes through those doors?”

Needless to say, my dad did not stop going to church, and countless people, including me, are all the better for it.

As Christians, each and every one of us is “the church”. We can’t control the actions of others, we can only decide what to do with ourselves. It is as much my responsibility to make sure people feel welcomed as it is anyone else's. 

Keep going to church. Reach out to other people who may be feeling like outsiders as well; welcome them as you wish you had been welcomed. Spread God’s love.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (ESV).

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (ESV).

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This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

Click here for more things written by Amanda Hovseth.

What's New at Cross Reference Library - New novels from Colleen Coble and Julie Klassen

In Two Reasons to Run by Colleen Coble, Police Chief Jane Hardy is still reeling from the scandal that rocked her small town department just as she took over for her retired father - the man who wrecked her life with one little lie. Now she’s finally been reunited with her fifteen year old son Will, who’s presumed dead, and his father, documentarian Reid Dixon. When a murder aboard the oil platform Zeus exposes an environmental terrorist’s plot to flood Mobile Bay with crude oil, Jane and Reid must put their feelings for each other behind them and work together to prevent the rig from being sabotaged. Then the terrorist puts her son Will’s life on the line. Protecting him could be the common ground they need… but then ghosts from the past threaten to ruin Jane and Reid for good.

In Three Missing Days by Colleen Coble, Chief of Police Jan Hardy plunges into the investigation of a house fire that claimed the life of a local woman as well as one of the firefighters. It’s clear that the woman was murdered. But why? The unraveling of Jane’s personal life only makes the answers in the case more difficult to find. Then Jane’s fifteen year old son is accused of a horrific crime, and she has to decide whether or not she can trust her ex, Reid, in the attempt to prove Will’s innocence - and whether she can trust Reid with her heart. Three days of Jane’s past are missing from her memory, and that’s not all that has been stolen from her. As she works to find the woman’s murderer and clear her son’s name, discovering what happened in those three days could change everything.

We can barely imagine our lives without technology. Tech gives us tools to connect with our friends, listen to our music, document our lives, share our opinions, and keep up with what’s going on in the world. Yet it also tempts us to procrastinate, avoid honest conversations, compare ourselves with others, and filter our reality. Sometimes it feels like our devices have a lot more control over us than we have over them. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, we deserve so much more than what technology offers us. And when we’re wise about how we use our devices, we can get more - more joy, more connection, more out of life. Tech shouldn’t get in the way of a life worth living. Let’s get tech-wise in My Tech-Wise Life by Amy Crouch & Andy Crouch.

The lifeblood of the village of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. When the innkeeper dies suddenly, his gentle wife Jane Bell becomes the reluctant landlady. Jane has no idea how to manage a business, but with the town’s livelihood at stake and a large loan due, she must quickly find a way to save the inn. Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her resentful mother in law, Thora, for help. Formerly mistress of The Bell, Thora is struggling to overcome her losses and find purpose for the future. As she works with Jane, two men from her past vie for her attention, but Thora has promised herself never to marry again. Will one of them convince her to embrace a second chance at love? As pressure mounts from the bank, Jane employs new methods and puzzles over the intentions of several men who seem to have a vested interest in the place, including a mysterious newcomer with secret plans of his own. With the help of friends old and new, can Jane restore life to the inn, and to her empty heart as well? Find out in The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen.

A gentlewoman in reduced circumstances, Miss Rachel Ashford lives as a guest in Ivy Cottage. With her meager funds rapidly depleting, she is determined to earn her own livelihood… somehow. Her friend Jane Bell and the other village women encourage her to open a circulating library with the many books she’s inherited from her father. As villagers donate additional books and Rachel begins sorting through the volumes, she discovers mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues but both find more than they bargained for. Rachel’s hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and finds fulfillment in managing her girls school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what - or whom - has captured each man’s attention? The truth may surprise them all in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen.

Cross Reference Library is located at 209 East 15th Street in Scottsbluff, NE,
and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm.

New Music Monday - Austin French + new pop and rock on Saturday nights

new to our rotation

Rest For Your Soul - Austin French

"Come to me
All who are weary and heavy burdened
All who are hurting
Come to me
I'll be your shelter
My yoke is easy, my load is light
And you can find rest for your soul
Rest for your soul"

the 180remix countdown - saturdays at 9:00pm

Good Day - Apollo LTD ft. Social Club Misfits

“Hey, hey, hey
It's gonna be a good day
Hey, hey
It's gonna be a good day”

Sons and Daughters - Blake Whiteley ft. Brianna Caprice

“Sons and daughters
Come to the Father
Fill with the Spirit
Dunked in the water
Sons and daughters
You don’t have to wander
Come to the river
Come to the Author”

the stronghold - saturdays at 10:30pm

Devil’s In The Details - Love Like Gravity

“There's a million filthy promises all aimed at the heart
And the devil's in the details
A million good intentions won't erase all the scars
If the devil's in the details
Are the lines getting thinner?
Can't tell the saints from the sinners
And the devil's in the details“

Listen Friend - Above Only

“Can I show you my monsters
Can I show you my pain
And the addictions that strangle the life from my veins
Can I tell you my secrets and confess every sin
I don't need another hero I just really need a friend”

What's New at Cross Reference Library - Books 4-8 in the A.D. Chronicles series

The A.D. Chronicles series (books 4-8) by Bodie and Brock Thoene.

Fourth Dawn - No one is secure in Judea. Betrayal and suspicion are the coin of the realm as King Herod plunges deeper into madness, determined to hold on to his kingdom… no matter the price. Young Mary of Nazareth receives an unusual visitor as she tends a cow in her parents’ barn. What he tells her will change everything about her life and impact all those in Judea and beyond - for eternity! Yet will Yosef, her betrothed, believe her? Or will she lose the one she loves? Onias the Tutor puzzles over the ancient prophecies in secret. If anyone discovers what he knows, not only he, but his beloved wife and child, will be in imminent peril. Now signs are appearing in the heavens. But what do they mean?

Fifth Seal - Gossip swirls around the newlyweds Mary and Yosef. It is far too soon for her womb to carry the growing baby, neighbors say. Yet too much is at stake for Yosef to reveal the truth. He vows to protect Mary and the baby with his life, but how can he protect her heart from the barbs of betrayal? As beloved prophetess Hannah boldly foretells the coming of Israel’s true King, King Herod plots her doom… and that of anyone else he believes challenges his throne. When a dying slave stumbles into Bethlehem on a stormy night, shepherd Zadok and his wife, Rachel, wonder: Is her arrival guided by God or a trap set by paranoid Herod? As Mary and Yosef set out on a perilous journey to Jerusalem, astronomer Melchior sees unusual activity in the stars. He’s convinced something important will happen soon in Israel… and it will impact the world for all eternity.

Sixth Covenant - Bethlehem is compromised of simple folk who spend their days tending sheep, newborn lambs, and their own families. Among them are Mary, Yosef, and baby Yeshua, whose birth was announced by a miraculous conjunction of the stars and a throng of angels in the sheep fields. Convinced by their study of the stars and prophecies that the long-awaited Messiah has been born, foreigners travel toward Jerusalem. Surely the capital city will hold the answer to the mystery they have sought for months. Tortured by nightmares that someone is coming to take over his kingdom, King Herod grows more paranoid. He gives an order to his soldiers - one more devastating and evil than anyone could imagine. That very night soldiers and their mounts thunder toward Bethlehem, the village of the sacrificial lambs.

Seventh Day - Eve, the widow of Absalom the Scribe, has one thing to live for - her only son, Abel. She grieves over his every rasping breath. She’s heard of a great Healer who walks the earth. Could the rumors be true? Could there be a miracle for Abel? While rifling through the archives under the Temple Mount, religious leader Ra’nabel ben Dives discovers startling information about a child who escaped the slaughter of Herod the Great’s soldiers. “If King Herod Antipas and High Priest Caiaphas don’t know,” ben Dives schemes, “perhaps I can turn this news to my own advantage.” Meanwhile in Bethany, a close friend of Yeshua’s grows seriously ill. Miryam and Marta, his sisters, quickly send word to Yeshua, but Yeshua delays. “Why does He not come?” the sisters wonder. “Does He not care?”

Eighth Shepherd - Zachai, chief tax collector of Jericho, is the most hated man in all Judea. Outside his estate, he’s surrounded by four giant Nubian bodyguards. But at night he’s a prisoner of his aching heart. What would it be like to be loved? To have a family? Shimona, former leper from the Valley of Mak’ob, returns to her hometown of Jericho to proclaim that Yeshua has healed her. When no one believes her story, she is sent to live alone as the caretaker of a grove of sukomore fig trees. Month after month she holds on tightly to hope in the midst of her loneliness. A former prince among the Nubian tribes, Salmon was betrayed and sold into slavery. Now one of the few treasures he has - his little daughter Marisha - is dying. Salmon has heard stories of Yeshua’s miracles. But would the Great Shepherd have mercy on a sheep that’s outside Israel’s flock?

Cross Reference Library is located at 209 East 15th Street in Scottsbluff, NE,
and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm.

How Do We Know That Christianity Is The One True Religion? - Ask The Pastor

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Ben Poole and Gary Schick.

Ben Poole

So our question this morning is: "With all the religions in the world, how do you know that Christianity is the only true religion?" Excellent question. Gary, why don't you start us off.

Gary Schick

You know, this is an important one. I guess, in a sense, all of them are if somebody's asking it, but we have nailed our claim to Jesus in Christ alone, so you don't want to be wrong about that, right? You don't want to be sitting there on the Jesus plane when everybody's heading into heaven on something else and you're not right. So this is a great question. And of course, there's people with a lot of views out there, there's people who are going to say, you know, there's all kinds of ways to get there. And yet what really is stark about the Christian claim is actually Jesus said, "No, I am the way ,the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." So Christians really do need to make sure that what they believe is not only true, but the one and only way into heaven because it claims to be. So unlike other religions that maybe are a little lax and say, "Well, you can follow us for a while if you want, or try this or try that." And many do in the world, many have kind of patched together a patchwork of religions. We Christians, are we making a unique claim and how do we know it's true?

So I have three thoughts on this, and the first one I've actually just mentioned - Christianity's unique claims. Jesus himself makes some claims that others don't make. It's been a long time since my college years when I read a few other religious texts, I think I read the sayings of Confucius, the sayings of Buddha, and others. And there is some overlap there, there's some 'love your neighbor' type stuff. It makes sense that God has a moral law and that even people outside the faith can see the rightness of certain things, but only our God says "I am God and there is no other." The Canaanite gods were one of a zillion gods. Similarly Jesus says, "I am the Son of God. If you have seen the Father, you have seen me." Buddha doesn't say that about himself. He is kind of deified by his followers, but I don't even know that he claimed to be a deity. Confucius definitely didn't, he was kind of a philosopher. Mohammed claimed to be a prophet, Joseph Smith didn't claim to be God either. So just because Jesus says "I am God", our God saying "I am God and there is no other" isn't necessarily indicative of that, but you would expect if there is a true God and He has represented Himself in the flesh, in his Son, that you would get these kinds of statements. And so then you have to look at the statements and say, are they verifiable?

I think CS Lewis put it really well when he said, "You can't just accept Jesus as a good moral teacher," like you can with some of these other guys. He made some claims that either he is who he claims to be, and if so we'd better put our trust in him, or he's an incredible liar. And those who knew him said, "No, this guy is genuine," or "He's sincere, (which he clearly was) but he's insane." Jesus doesn't fit that, he is as rational and as coherent as the sun is bright in the morning, you know?So Christianity claims to be the only way, and then you have the verifiability question. We talked last week about the Greek myths, for example. And they are some fabulous stories, but they're not things you see happening in the real world. It's kind of like reading Harry Potter - it all makes sense within the fiction, but it doesn't translate into our life. We don't see these things happening in our world. Whereas the Christian faith, the faith of the Old and New Testament, it happened in our world. And so where history examines it, we find people outside of Christianity saying Jesus lived and he was crucified. His followers say he rose - of course the non-Christian writer isn't going to say for sure that he rose, but they're going to identify that, yes, those who follow him say that this happened.

You also have the archeological evidence. I mean, for a long time people would say this didn't happen. And then somebody started digging and guess what? There it was. And over and over again, archeology has verified the times and the places, and you even have cultural things. There's things that go on in Genesis that people ask "Well, why did they do that?" And then you find out that culturally that was going on in the world around them in that time period. So we can not only know that Abraham lived, but we can see that he was definitely a man of faith who believed in the One True God in his time with everything else that was going on. So you have archeology, you have anthropology, you have history, sociology, all these sciences can look at it. Some may say, "Well, what about the miracles? We don't see that in our everyday world." And that also is proof of Christianity, because when a miracle happens in the Bible people see it as a miracle. They don't say, "Oh, you know, there's a half man half horse wandering across the field. That's normal." They don't say, "Oh, Jesus touched him and his eyes are well, that's normal." That's what happens in fiction in fiction - the person with the magical powers does what they do, and nobody bats an eye because everybody with magical power does that. In Scripture, they respond the way you and I would. If somebody was healed, we'd say "Whoa, what is this? Has God just stepped in and done what only God can do in God's universe?"

We also have within the Scripture verifiability - the Scripture claims to be the Word of God, and it's such a unique book. You have these other books that are written by single authors. I mean, the claims aside of maybe where they were getting their inspiration from, Muhammad writes the Quran from start to finish. Joseph Smith writes the Book of Mormon from start to finish. With the Bible, you have a book that is written over a period of 1,600 years, 40 different writers, speaking three different languages, living on three different continents, over a period of one and a half millennia. And from start to finish, they tell a single cohesive story with a single viewpoint about God. And by the way, it is contrary to every other story out there. Because as we mentioned last week, if you read the Greek narratives where they're dealing with their gods, the Greeks themselves are the heroes and the gods are kind of the bad guys, we tricked them out of fire this time, and we got out of this that time - we win, because man is at the center of it. In the Bible, you've got to ask yourself what was wrong with the Jews that they wrote what they wrote, because they are not the heroes. Only God is the hero from start to finish. He is the hero - you can take the very best they had to offer, King David, and everybody knows about his blunders. Take strong Sampson, everybody knows about his blunders. Only God from page one to the end of revelation is the hero. Then you have something else that I don't think any other scripture has because it was written over such a long time.

You have prophecies in the Old Testament that are fulfilled. Some of them in the Old Testament, others in the New, a whole lot of them about Jesus. And so it's not just that some prophet, you know, vaguely prophesied what might be and something like that sort of happened. They said the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. And when King Herod said, "Where's he supposed to be born? There's these guys looking for him." Well Scripture says Bethlehem. So pinpoint that on the scripture itself verifies. And then one last proof, I'm going to speak for my own life. Jesus has changed my life and He's still in the process of changing it. So I know through experience that He answers prayer, that He's with me because we've both had many moments that have verified the Jesus who said, "I am the way the truth and the life, I will never leave you. I'll send my spirits to dwell in you." I've still got a long way to go. Don't look at me and say, "Is that what Jesus is like?" Cause you won't be disappointed, but I can tell you he has been there over and over and over again and proved himself in beautiful ways.

Ben Poole

This is so good, and there's so much information we could dive into. It's hard to narrow it down really. One of the things that I thought of was all the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, and the chances that these would be fulfilled in the way they perfectly were. I mean, it's so worldly impossible. It could not have happened outside of God orchestrating it to happen. There are books written on this, there's information you can read. And a lot of times people say, "Well, how do we know the Bible's true? How do we know that Christianity is the only way?" And sometimes the uneducated answer is "Well, I believe it. I've put my faith in it." And there's absolutely something true about that. I've put my faith in Christ. Hopefully you have as well, but you can take these things that Gary has shared here and you can look this up. This is verifiable information that is not hidden to the world. I mean, the archeology especially has made huge waves in secular belief. And every single time they find something, they're trying to prove the Bible wrong on this. They're like, "Oh man, I guess the Bible was true about that. And that may not change lives because they can say, "Well, it's just a historical book." But again, going back to the fact of this one story, telling God's story, 3000 plus years, different languages, different people, different family lines, all telling the same story. I know people have argued that they don't believe all these people really wrote it. But again, these are verifiable facts.

When you look back and go back to the earliest documentation of how things were written and where it was written, there's so much information. And if you also look back at all of these other faiths, it's not there. It is not there. And I think that goes back to the power of the Word of God. It's not so much the physical Bible you hold in your hand, but it's the message that never changes. It was written in Hebrew and Greek and Aramaic and it's changed so we can have it in English, and it's still being translated into other languages today - praise the Lord for that, by the way - but the message has never changed. It was always pointing to Jesus. It has always pointed to God, His work in the world. That is the message. You could read the Bible and you could find Jesus. That's something so powerful that I don't think any other faith has. And also, I appreciate what you said that you never read the Bible and look at these people thinking they are heroes. They're often writing the story of themselves sharing some of their deepest faults, even in the gospels and what took place, and their shame, and their ignorance, and letting women have a higher role in some places than culture would appreciate or approve of. And they were writing about their fear and running away and leaving Jesus behind. They wrote that about themselves, right? It just points to Jesus all the more. Again, thank you so much for this question. We pray that this conversation has been a blessing and I know we would love to talk more about this.

Gary Schick

And just one other thing - dig deeper. Read CS Lewis' Mere Christianity, read Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands A Verdict that zeroes in on Jesus' death and resurrection, read Josh McDowell's More Evidence That Demands A Verdict that talks about the reliability of Scripture and how we can depend on it. There is not a book in the world that has been examined and scrutinized like the Bible. People say, "Well, how do you know that it hasn't changed?" We have more manuscripts of Scripture than any other book in ancient literature. We only have a handful of copies of Homer, his Iliad and Odyssey, we only have a handful of copies of Plato's writings, of Socrates. And nobody questions that this is what these guys said, and who knows how well those copies match, but you can take those thousands of New and Old Testament copies of Scripture and compare them, and over and over again it is saying the same thing. It hasn't changed, whether we're looking at something that's a couple hundred years before Christ like the Dead Sea Scrolls, or a copy of it from a thousand years after Christ, like the Leningrad, a copy of the Old Testament, Even in proximity to how close we are to the original manuscripts, we're very close. There is a consistency in God's Word, and a ring of truth that you'll find nowhere else.