How You Could Commit the Unpardonable Sin!by Herbert W. Armstrong March 1960 Good News Article
"But -- and here's where you need to TREMBLE IN FEAR! -- if and when you criticize or accuse or condemn THE WORK, THEN YOU ARE SPEAKING AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT -- and if and when you do that, YOU SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN! You shall not be forgiven now, or in the world to come -- the WORLD TOMORROW -- during the millennium or during the Great White Throne JUDGMENT! This sort of thing always starts out with personal criticism and fault-finding against the one God has chosen and is using in the office of apostle in HIS WORK. But oh, brethren, how we have been grieved to see a few here and there along the way, thru the years, start out by finding fault against the human person of God's servant, and then in that disgruntled and embittered spirit proceed progressively into condemning THE WORK OF GOD, and denying that it IS the work of God. This work has grown too great and powerful to be the work of a human man, apart from either God or the devil. If this is not the very WORK OF GOD, then it must be that of SATAN. And to accuse it -- to condemn it -- I ask you, brethren, IS IT NOT MORE THAN POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS SPEAKING AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT, and therefore is the UNPARDONABLE SIN?"The "work" has to be doing a godly work before it can even dare to claim to be above reproach. Sadly our track record of the church acting in a godly manner has been horribly damaged by the likes of so many current church leaders. That blame ultimately lies at the feet of Herbert Armstrong for allowing arrogance, narcissism, and visions of grandeur to infect the church. The church that claims to be "true" has let its self be overrun by vile men who have been anything but godly and never more so than in the last 20 years.
Sure there were a lot or legalistic tyrants in the church before the great implosion, but the crop of tyrants currently running COG is appallingly evil.
What right does HWA have above saying that if you criticize the church that YOU SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN! That is a blatant lie! No man on earth has the power to even claim such a thing.
Even more importantly, speaking out against the current batch of lairs and abusers is NOT speaking against the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is the liars and abusers of the brethren currently running splinter groups and "ministries" that are the ones "grieving" the Holy Spirit. That is why I can, with confidence, call out the self-appointed false prophets and liars of the current COG leaders like Malm, Theil, Pack, Weinland, Flurry, Weston and others.
