Forgive, Forgiving and Free - Larry Johnson - 6-8-2022
Teachers
Lesson Summary
In this class, Larry Johnson addressed how believers can overcome the shame of past failures and live fully in God's forgiveness. He emphasized that forgiveness originates with God, and believers must actively receive it rather than struggling under condemnation. The teacher offered practical strategies for healing shame, including marking moments of confession and repentance, sharing one's story when others face similar temptations, and cultivating compassion toward others. Johnson then addressed a related but critical topic: the unforgivable sin. He explained that when Jesus spoke of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, He was describing not an isolated act of ignorance but a condition of the heart—a persistent, willful rejection of God's truth despite overwhelming evidence. Using Matthew 12 as the primary text, Johnson showed how the Pharisees responded to Jesus's demon-casting miracles with illogical, inconsistent, and insincere objections. Rather than rejoicing in healing or acknowledging Jesus's authority, they attributed His work to Satan—an absurd claim that contradicted their own support of other Jewish exorcists. Johnson provided additional examples from Acts 3-4 (the healing of the lame beggar), John 12 (the raising of Lazarus), and Matthew 28 (the Resurrection), all illustrating how religious leaders possessed evidence of God's power yet deliberately chose unbelief. The teacher concluded that God's forgiveness is unlimited for those who repent, but those who persistently refuse to acknowledge Jesus and resist the Holy Spirit's conviction place themselves beyond pardon—not because God withholds forgiveness, but because they refuse to meet its condition: genuine repentance and faith.
Key Scriptures
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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.
some of them, not all of them, but some of them were saying, he is possessed by Beelzebub. And this man casts out demons only by the ruler of the demons. Others tested Jesus by demanding a sign out of heaven from him. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus called them to himself and began speaking to them in parables. He said to them, how can Satan cast out Satan?...