Sin against the Holy Ghost

[Guest Lovely12]

I understand that murder and denying the Holy Ghost are serious sins, but I don't understnad what it means to deny the Holy Ghost. I have always had the gift of the Holy Ghost since I was a small child and have always followed it. Does this mean that if I get promptings from the Holy Ghost and I refuse to listen to them, then I have committed a sin? Also, is the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit different from one another?

[not_ashamed]

My understanding is that to deny the holy ghost is to deny it exist. That even after knowing the holy ghost you deny its power. To my knowledge the holy ghost and holy spirit are the same.

[Misshalfway]

I understand that murder and denying the Holy Ghost are serious sins, but I don't understnad what it means to deny the Holy Ghost. I have always had the gift of the Holy Ghost since I was a small child and have always followed it. Does this mean that if I get promptings from the Holy Ghost and I refuse to listen to them, then I have committed a sin? Also, is the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit different from one another?

No. The sin against the Holy Ghost is something much bigger than that. In order to even be a candidate for this kind of sin, you must have had absolute knowledge of the truth given to you and then you must not only deny it but turn completely against it and then wage some kind of attack/war against the truth. They are turncoats. They are traitors. The very worst kind and they act in full knowledge of what they are doing.

If you don't pay heed to the HG or fail to obey it, then yes that does mean some repentance may be needed. I mean, we do need to learn to follow the promptings or we must pay the consequences. But I think that the Lord understands and tries to help us learn our lessons. THis does NOT make us Sons of Perdition, as they are called.

The Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are interchangeable titles for the same being. The Holy Ghost is a member of the godhead and it is his job to send spiritual feelings to the hearts of the children of men.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Misshalfway

[Hemidakota]

I understand that murder and denying the Holy Ghost are serious sins, but I don't understnad what it means to deny the Holy Ghost. I have always had the gift of the Holy Ghost since I was a small child and have always followed it. Does this mean that if I get promptings from the Holy Ghost and I refuse to listen to them, then I have committed a sin? Also, is the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit different from one another?

As Gwen stated but adding greater clarity here; it is those who had made their callings sure. How this is done? After a person goes through endless trials of fire and the Holy Ghost sees the individual has made it known they will go to great lengths in proving themselves, then the change comes to the individual. Election made sure only comes about when the Holy Ghost presents you before the Godhead as to be called into the Church of the Firstborn. It is then the person is given the same witness as Joseph Smith received in the Kirtland Temple, beholding the throne of GOD and listening the divine voices. Afterwards, they will be instructed on gospel doctrine with greater clarity and given the mysteries of the what is not known in the church today.

After all of this, one cannot now deny GOD or HIS Son since you physically seen both of them at the hands of the Holy Ghost. As you cannot deny and fight against the Godhead or strive to wage war against the holy servants of GOD. Either way, if you do, you are only damning yourself alot further than what Lucifer can achieve.

It is a rare thing to witness mortal beings in going to this depth of sin but it has been seen.

Do we all not deny the guidance of the Holy Ghost council at given times? Yes! I for one had done it.

Joseph Smith

[O]ur Savior says, that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men wherewith they shall blaspheme; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come, evidently showing that there are sins which may be forgiven in the world to come, although the sin of blasphemy [against the Holy Ghost] cannot be forgiven. (Editorial in Times and Seasons, April 15, 1842) HC4:596

[Jamie123]

"Spirit" comes from the Latin spiritus, which is a translation of the Greek pneuma (πνεῦμα). Both literally mean "breath/wind/air", and by extension concepts like "drive", "soul", "essence".

"Ghost " comes from the Old English gast and is closely related to the German geist. It means roughly the same as spiritus (as in zeitgeist = spirit of the times) but I don't believe it has any connection with literal breathing.

Since "ghost" is not rooted in any Biblical language, it would probably only ever have been used as a translation of "spiritus/pneuma", so Holy Spirit is exactly the same as Holy Ghost.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Jamie123

[Hemidakota]

I highly doubt the word 'SPIRIT' is of a Latin origin since the Book of Mormon records 15 instances of usage, without the aid of Roman Empire. Not to forget, there 86 instance of usage for the term HOLY GHOST in the same book.

[CraziCrow]

The word spirit may have just been the translated equvialent to whatever was originally in the book of mormon. That might have be our word for the same meaning of what was written. The word 'SPIRIT' may not have actually been written on the paltes in that form...from what i understand...

[Jamie123]

I highly doubt the word 'SPIRIT' is of a Latin origin since the Book of Mormon records 15 instances of usage, without the aid of Roman Empire. Not to forget, there 86 instance of usage for the term HOLY GHOST in the same book.

Yes, but isn't the Book of Mormon a translated work? Presumably these would be translations into English of whatever the equivalent Reformed Egyptian word was.

[Jamie123]

The word spirit may have just been the translated equvialent to whatever was originally in the book of mormon. That might have be our word for the same meaning of what was written. The word 'SPIRIT' may not have actually been written on the paltes in that form...from what i understand...

This reminds me of something totally off-topic but (I think) interesting: "Lucifer" is a Latin proper-name that appears in a portion of the Old Testament written long before the Roman era. Sounds strange, but I came across this explanation a while back: The original Hebrew translates literally as "Light Bringer, Son of the Morning", which was an allusion to Venus as the Morning Star. Much later when St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, Venus was commonly referred to as "Lucifer" (lux fero = "light carrier"). Jerome thought this had similar connotations to the original Hebrew name and decided to use it. Most subsequent translators have followed suit. Edited May 18, 2009 by Jamie123

[hordak]

I heard a story once, though admittedly it may be a wives tale, that this question was brought up an apostle by a missionary getting read to leave the MTC. The response was, there is only one person in this room who has to worry about that and I don't plan to fail.

(I don't know if it is true but It sounds good.)

[Dr T]

I'm along the same lines as Halvers on this. It, in my view, is a rejection of salvation after it has been presented and the person refuses even knowing what it is about.

[Justice]

I don't believe the general population of the church has to worry about this sin. Here is my analogy.

If a person walked into his bishop's office and said, "Bishop, I have committed the unpardonable sin," does the bishop say, "OK then you may as well not come to church, go eat, drink, and be merry because there is no hope for you?"

No. The bishop would help him with his repentance process.

I think there is much truth in hordak's story.

[Hemidakota]

I don't believe the general population of the church has to worry about this sin. Here is my analogy.

If a person walked into his bishop's office and said, "Bishop, I have committed the unpardonable sin," does the bishop say, "OK then you may as well not come to church, go eat, drink, and be merry because there is no hope for you?"

No. The bishop would help him with his repentance process.

I think there is much truth in hordak's story.

This is an incorrect assumption. Do not think that one has to be a prophet or apostle to reach this state. There are a few who will not be general authority level leaders of the church since it is not needful for them to obtain it in this life since they are part of what is termed, the Morning Stars; the leaders of the pre-mortal life. They shall achieve the same level of divine knowledge as those who tread that path alone – from the days of Adam to Joseph Smith. They will be visited by our Heavenly Parents, be accepted by the Godhead as a friend, and will be ministered too annually by assigned members of the Church of the First-Born.

Yet, the Bishop, Stake President, and you, will not know them and they will not seek audience of such since they have that direct communiqué with those across the veil. Now if they do sin, this is where the atonement or a Bishop cannot help that person since they do it openly and thus rebel against the Godhead and justice. If they refuse to repent, they will suffer at the hands of the Lucifer and his minions until they return to that state of once given. Continuation of such sins, they will suffer of a greater depth of what Lucifer can suffer until repentance and the last ones to be resurrected. Yes! They will come in the evening of the Second resurrection; this is after the third host of heaven is casted out.

[Hemidakota]

The word spirit may have just been the translated equvialent to whatever was originally in the book of mormon. That might have be our word for the same meaning of what was written. The word 'SPIRIT' may not have actually been written on the plates in that form...from what i understand...

Not true. If it was so, Joseph Smith was not allowed to translate it and then change it without permission of that Spirit. It was a direct translation. We assume it was a Latin origin as we assume that other words used since the days of Adam was invented by us in the last 4000 years. We are missing a great deal of historical records that will shed some light with technology that we are now learning, language of images that holds hundreds of words, and fields of science that we are reinventing today.

This is no different with the media or history books telling us that the first Astronaut in space was a Russian, when in fact; this was done during the days of Enoch without the need of rockets. See my point? We assumed it is correct since history books and media pounds this in our brain daily.

[Hemidakota]

I heard a story once, though admittedly it may be a wives tale, that this question was brought up an apostle by a missionary getting read to leave the MTC. The response was, there is only one person in this room who has to worry about that and I don't plan to fail.

(I don't know if it is true but It sounds good.)

Mother of wives tales...as Newton was the first one to discover the gravity and planetary operations when Abraham and Moses both seen it before him.

[Jamie123]

Not true. If it was so, Joseph Smith was not allowed to translate it and then change it without permission of that Spirit. It was a direct translation. We assume it was a Latin origin as we assume that other words used since the days of Adam was invented by us in the last 4000 years. We are missing a great deal of historical records that will shed some light with technology that we are now learning, language of images that holds hundreds of words, and fields of science that we are reinventing today.

This is no different with the media or history books telling us that the first Astronaut in space was a Russian, when in fact; this was done during the days of Enoch without the need of rockets. See my point? We assumed it is correct since history books and media pounds this in our brain daily.

I think the concept you're referring to is "Received Wisdom".

You're quite right about popular perceptions being often based on received wisdom rather than on fact: A prime example is the idea that Columbus had difficulty finding supporters for his voyage because people in his day thought the world was flat. Any serious historian will tell you that NO educated person of that era believed any such thing. (The idea that the Earth is round goes back to Aristotle and earlier.) The controversy was about the size of the spherical earth, and whether it was possible to sail a ship as far as East Asia without everyone on board dying of hunger.

If I understand rightly though, you're saying is that it's only because of received wisdom that we think that the English "spirit" comes from Latin "spiritus", and the fact that JS translated some Reformed Egyptian word as "spirit" proves otherwise. That is incorrect for two reasons:

1. Consider the equivalent word in some Romance languages, all of which are principally derived from Latin:

French: esprit

Spanish: espíritu

Italian: spirito

Portugese: espírito

Romanian: spirit

Maltese: ispirtu

(In Englsih of course we have a choice of words: The Anglo-Saxon rooted "Ghost" or the Latin-based "Spirit".) If you think its pure coincidence that these words - all of which come from Latin-based languages - happen to resemble the Latin "spiritus" then I'm afraid you're talking moonshine. (No pun intended.)

2. The Book of Mormon is a translated document. It uses English words (some of which are Anglo-Saxon, others Greek or Latin-based) to represent the original Reformed Egyptian words. Joseph Smith's words did not need to be linguistically derived from those original words; they simply needed to carry the same meaning. Otherwise you'd be looking for an Egyptian origin for every other word he used - including "it", "the", "but", "and" etc.

Sorry...I've droned on enough.

Edited May 19, 2009 by Jamie123

[Justice]

Well, Hemi. I won't judge them. I believe if they are sincere in their repentance then they will be accepted back. In fact, I believe the great mystery is that only unrepentant sins can't be forgiven. If you say sincere repentance cannot grant forgiveness, then you are placing limits on the atonement.

I realize a limit has been placed. But, I believe the limit is lack of repentance, since repentance is the condition that activates the power of the atonement.

[Faded]

Here is a collection of what we know about how far you have to go to deny the Holy Ghost and commit the unforgivable sin.

Doctrine and Covenants 76:32-35,43

32 They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;

33 For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;

34 Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—

35 Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.

43 Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him.

Doctrine and Covenants 132:27

27 The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my glory, but shall be edamned, saith the Lord.

2Nephi 31:14

14 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.

Alma 39:6

6 For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable;

LDS.org - Ensign Article - I Have a Question

The three degrees of glory provide eternal homes for the vast majority of God’s children who merited earth life. There is a fourth destination, however, for those “comparatively few” who cannot abide even a telestial glory. The Lord explains that the destiny of the sons of perdition is a kingdom without glory (see D&C 88:24), and “the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows,” only those “ordained unto this condemnation” (see D&C 76:43–49). These are they who “cannot repent.” They “sin against the Holy Ghost” and “put Christ to open shame.” (See Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 1:47–49.)

“All who partake of this, the greatest of sins, sell themselves as did Cain to Lucifer. They learn to hate the truth with an eternal hatred, and they learn to love wickedness. They reach a condition where they cannot repent. The spirit of murder fills their hearts and they would, if they had the power, crucify our Lord again, which they virtually do by fighting his work and seeking to destroy it and his prophets. …

“Before a man can sink to this bitterness of soul, he must first know and understand the truth with a clearness of vision wherein there is no doubt. The Change of heart does not come all at once, but is due to transgression in some form, which continues to lurk in the soul without repentance, until the Holy Ghost withdraws, and then that man is left to spiritual darkness. Sin begets sin; the darkness grows until the love of truth turns to hatred, and the love of God is overcome by the wicked desire to destroy all that is just and true. In this way Christ is put to open shame, and blasphemy exalted.

“How fortunate it is that in the mercy of God there will be comparatively few who will partake of this awful misery and eternal darkness.” (Ibid, p. 49.)

Thus, hell has an end for all consigned to it except the sons of perdition. They alone remain in a hell which has no end.

So a couple of quick checks to find out if you have committed the unpardonable sin:

1.) Have you received an absolutely undeniable witness of the reality of God and Christ?

2.) After having that powerful witness from God, have you turned wholeheartedly against God to the point that you despise Him? Do you despise everything that is good? Do you thirst for the blood of the innocent and are you willing to commit any such murder you can get away with? Do you seek to destroy and distort all eternal truth?

3.) Would you cheerfully crucify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, laughing all the while as you pound in the nails, if you were given the opportunity?

If you can answer all three in the affirmative, then you've committed the unforgivable sin.

[Hemidakota]

Let me add some further forethought concerning those who have received the Second Comforter through the Holy Ghost and what happens if unrepented. This may take a couple posts but worth for them who seek the same audience of the Godhead and save this post for themselves:

Unrepented after receiving the Second Comforter

And as a matter of fact, the added blessing of having one's calling and election made sure is itself an encouragement to avoid sin and a hedge against its further commission. By that long course of obedience and trial which enabled them to gain so great a blessing the sanctified saints have charted a course and developed a pattern of living which avoids sin and encourages righteousness. Thus the Lord said: "I give unto you Hyrum Smith to be a patriarch unto you, to hold the sealing blessings of my church, even the Holy Spirit of promise, whereby ye are sealed up unto the day of redemption, that ye may not fall notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon you." (D. & C. 124:124.)

But suppose such persons become disaffected and the spirit of repentance leaves them—which is a seldom and almost unheard of eventuality—still, what then? The answer is—and the revelations and teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith so recite!—they must then pay the penalty of their own sins, for the blood of Christ will not cleanse them. Or if they commit murder or adultery, they lose their promised inheritance because these sins are exempt from the sealing promises. Or if they commit the unpardonable sin, they become sons of perdition.

As we have already seen, making one's calling and election sure comes after and grows out of celestial marriage. Eternal life does not and cannot exist for a man or a woman alone, because in its very nature it consists of the continuation of the family unit in eternity. Thus the revelation on marriage speaks both of celestial marriage (in which the conditional promises of eternal life are given) and of making one's calling and election sure (in which the unconditional promise of eternal life are given) in one and the same sentence—which sentence also says that those who commit sins (except "murder whereby to shed innocent blood") after being sealed up unto eternal life shall still gain exaltation. This is the language: "Then"—that is, after their calling and election has been made sure—"shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods," because they have eternal life. (D. & C. 132:19-20.)

Then the revelation speaks of that obedience out of which eternal life grows, and still speaking both of celestial marriage and of making one's calling and election sure says: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment"—that is, if they are both married and have their calling and election made sure—"and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God." (D. & C. 132:26.)

This matter of being destroyed in the flesh and delivered over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption is the doctrine of blood atonement, whereunder those here involved are not cleansed by the blood of Christ, but must pay the penalty for their own sins. This principle can only operate in a day, as that of Moses, when there is no separation of Church and state and when the Church has power to take life. Of conditions in our day, and as to how this law applies to us, President Joseph Fielding Smith says: "We cannot destroy men in the flesh, because we do not control the lives of men and do not have power to pass sentences upon them which involve capital punishment. In the days when there was a theocracy on the earth, then this decree was enforced. What the Lord will do in lieu of this, because we cannot destroy in the flesh, I am unable to say, but it will have to be made up in some other way." (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 97.)

As to the shedding of innocent blood, within the meaning of this revelation, the Lord says: "The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord." (D. & C. 132:27.) That is, the innocent blood is that of Christ; and those who commit blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which is the unpardonable sin (Matt. 12:31-32), thereby "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." (Heb. 6:6.) They are, in other words, people who would have crucified Christ, having the while a perfect knowledge that he was the Son of God.

[Hemidakota]

PART-2

Following the pattern set by the Lord of speaking both of celestial marriage and of being sealed up unto eternal life in the same context, Joseph Smith said: "Putting my hand on the knee of William Clayton, I said: Your life is hid with Christ in God, and so are many others. Nothing but the unpardonable sin can prevent you from inheriting eternal life for you are sealed up by the power of the priesthood unto eternal life, having taken the step necessary for that purpose. Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood, they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not have any children after the resurrection. But those who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life, and continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to increase and have children in the celestial glory. The unpardonable sin is to shed innocent blood, or be accessory thereto. All other sins will be visited with judgment in the flesh, and the spirit being delivered to the buffetings of Satan until the day of the Lord Jesus." (History of Church, vol. 5, pp. 391-392.)

Perhaps this matter of being "visited with judgment in the flesh"—whatever it may be in an individual case—is the Lord's way of handling things when it is not possible for a person to be "destroyed in the flesh." (D. & C. 132:26.) In this connection, also—and having in mind that the sealing power was given by Elijah to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration (Teachings, p. 158), and again to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple (D. & C. 110:13-16)—we should note these words of the Prophet: "This spirit of Elijah was manifest in the days of the Apostles, in delivering certain ones to the buffetings of Satan, that they might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. They were sealed by the spirit of Elijah unto the damnation of hell until the day of Lord, or revelation of Jesus Christ." (Teachings, p. 338.)

As to the fact that the sealing power cannot seal a man up so as to keep him from being a son of perdition, if that is the course he chooses to follow, the Prophet says: "The doctrine that the Presbyterians and Methodists have quarreled so much about—once in grace, always in grace, or falling away from grace, I will say a word about. They are both wrong. Truth takes a road between them both, for while the Presbyterian says: 'Once in grace, you cannot fall;' the Methodist says: 'You can have grace today, fall from it tomorrow, next day have grace again; and so follow on, changing continually.' But the doctrine of the scriptures and the spirit of Elijah would show them both false, and take a road between them both; for, according to the scripture, if men have received the good word of God, and tasted of the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, it is impossible to renew them again, seeing they have crucified the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame; so there is a possibility of falling away; you could not be renewed again, and the power of Elijah cannot seal against this sin, for this is a reserve made in the seals and power of the priesthood." (Teachings, pp. 338-339.) Thus, even though a man's calling and election has been made sure, if he then commits blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, he becomes a son of perdition, because when he was sealed up unto eternal life it was with a reservation. The sealing was not to apply in the case of the unpardonable sin.

As to the fact that the sealing power cannot seal a man up unto eternal life if he thereafter commits murder and thereby sheds innocent blood (not in this case the blood of Christ, but the blood of any person slain unlawfully and with malice) the Prophet says: "A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of Uriah; but he could only get it through hell; he got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell.

"Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the priesthood; and the priesthood that he received, and the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage." (Teachings, p. 339.) Thus, even though a man's calling and election has been made sure, if he then commits murder, all of the promises are of no effect, and he goes to a telestial kingdom (Rev. 21:8; D. & C. 76:103), because when he was sealed up unto eternal life, it was with a reservation. The sealing was not to apply in the case of murder.

And as to the fact that the sealing power cannot seal a man up unto eternal life if he thereafter commits adultery, the Prophet says: "If a man commit adultery, he cannot receive the celestial kingdom of God. Even if he is saved in any kingdom, it cannot be the celestial kingdom." (History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 81.) Thus, even though a man's calling and election has been sure, if he then commits adultery, all of the promises are of no effect, and he goes to a telestial kingdom, because when he was sealed up unto eternal life, it was with a reservation. The sealing was not to apply in the case of subsequent adultery. In other cases, through repentance, there is forgiveness for this sin which is second only to murder in the category of personal sins. (1 Cor. 6:9-11; 3 Ne. 30; D. & C. 42:24-26.)

[Justice]

They key being unrepentant (which, Hemi, is the first word you quoted in post #18). I believe all the rest of the words are just a fancy way of saying only the unrepentant won't be forgiven for their sins, and IF they committed the same sin as Lucifer, which is knowing and rebelling, then they will be with Lucifer in outer darkness.

I have given this topic much study and ponder over the years, and this is my conclusion:

The atonement of Christ was infinite in its scope and eternal in nature. Any and all sin that is sincerely repented of can be forgiven. If you do not believe this then the atonement is not infinite or eternal.

That's the thought that drives my belief.

[Hemidakota]

As with the Sons of Perdition, before a man can sink to this bitterness of soul, he must first know and understand the truth with a clearness of vision wherein there is no doubt. The chance of heart does not come all at once, but is due to transgression in some form, which continues to lurk in the soul without repentance, until the Holy Ghost withdraws, and then that man is left to spiritual darkness. Sin begets sin; the darkness grows until the love of truth turns to hatred, and the love of God is overcome by the wicked desire to destroy all that is just and true. In this way Christ is put to open shame, and blasphemy exalted. the atonement has no affect for this individual.

[Justice]

Yes, but it is not because the atonement can't redeem him, it is because he rejects the power offered through the atonement.

[Faded]

I think the important thing for the Original Poster to realize is that you have to start from being extremely close to God, such that he trusts you with a greater witness of Jesus Christ, and the absolute certainty of many eternal truths. As stated, the individual will have received a witness so great that they cannot possibly deny it. All such witnesses are only possible because of the power of the Holy Ghost. For instance, when Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, it was the power of the Holy Ghost that made it possible for him to survive the experience. That would be one example of an undeniable witness, but it would not be limited to that specific type of experience.

The person with an undeniable great witness must then turn from being highly favored of the Lord to being an absolute monster. It is not an easy thing for any person to receive a witness sufficient to even be capable of committing the Unforgivable Sin. It is unfathomable to me that anyone could turn into something so utterly evil after having so much light, knowledge and trust from God. No you do not need to be a General Authority to have such a witness.

[Justice]

No you do not need to be a General Authority to have such a witness.

I think the general idea is that it is much more possible and likely that it would happen to a GA. As you said, the average Joe never ascends the heights of testimony required for such dominant rebellion. I know it's possible for the average Joe, but very remotely unlikely.

The key to even one such as this committing the unpardonable sin is that he refuses to repent.

We have examples of those who have had such enlightenment, fell away, and then repented from such rebellion in the ancient and modern churches. We also have examples of those who did not repent.

I really appreciate the warning issued to not deny the Holy Ghost, and we shouldn't take it lightly. All I'm saying is that if you sincerely repent, God will forgive you because He promised He would.

So, again, to all, the cry is to come unto Christ with full purpose of heart, repent, and be saved. No matter what a person has done, repentance is the answer. Sometimes people rebel to the point they are past repentance, not because the atonement has limits, but because they reject the offering.