I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

This is the parable of the pharisee and the publican…, it is all about humility and your disposition toward God, with regard to sin in your life. I read a commentary that addresses this reading, and I want to expand on the ideas made in that reflection. The point of this parable is not only about pride and humility, but is more specifically about “final impenitence.” This is commonly described as “the unfogiveable sin.” Final impenitence is the mistaken belief that there is a sin that God cannot forgive, or it can also be the outright rejection of God’s forgiveness in your life.

The pharisee looked at the tax collector as so evil and so sinful that he could not ever be forgiven, but in fact the tax man would be the one that was justified, because of his extreme humility. He would in fact be reconciled with God while the pharisee would not. Why? Because the pharisee was actually the only one that was in the state of final impenitence. There is another uncommon way to explain “final impenitence,” and that is the mistaken belief that you are without sin, and not in need of forgiveness. This state of mind sets you up as your own God, and you ultimately end up worshiping yourself.

And that is infact what is happening in our reading today, It says that the pharisee took up a position and “spoke this prayer to himself.” But this translation does not accurately describe what is happening here…, the original greek more accurately reads that he “prayed to himself”. And that is the point. The Pharisee, was so focused on purity, and following the law, that he forgot how to be a human, and he forgot how to treat other people as humans too, and most importantly, he forgot how to recognize his own sin. This blindness is impenitence, and if he died in this unrepentant state, he would find himself in “final impenitence” and his soul would be in mortal danger.

Final impenitence is also described, “blaspheming the holy spirit.” The holy spirit is every where, working in all things, trying to make good, out of bad, and to convert souls to reconciliation. That is why this is the only unforgivable sin, because the gift is given equally, to all, and to reject or deny it is to do only thing that God cannot forgive, because He cannot forgive you if you do not ask for forgiveness. But He will not force His grace upon you, it is up to you to ask for it. If you dont, then by your own choice you are separating yourself from Him and thus choosing remain your own sin, over asking for God’s forgiveness. This is final impenitence.

So back to the reading…, the publican is seen by society as lost to his sin and without hope. But because of his humilty, he is able to accept the gift of the holy spirit, and as a result will be saved by his humility. While the pharisee on the other hand, who should have known better, refused to see his own sin, and as a result remains in that sin, and if he dies in that sin will likely be lost to the fires of hell because of his lack of humility.

Where are you on this spectrum? Are you like the pharisee, that simply says I believe in God, and I dont have to look at my own sin because my faith alone saves me? Do you have pride that gets in the way of your salvation? Or do you go to confession with a spirit of humility and supplication, and ask for the holy spirity to work in your soul and to bring you out of your sin? If not, why not? Make a change today, accept the work that the holy spirit is trying to do in your life, and get right with God. You only have this time in this world to get this right, so choose wisely, your eternity depends on it.

Oh lord, help me today to get right with you, and to reconcile my sins with you, so that I can be with you in your glory for eternity.