44 THE FAITHFUL READER Does Brand also cut himself off from God beyond any hope of pardon? Can he? While Hawthorne’s story evokes the biblical themes, the ambiguity and doubt surrounding them does not coincide with the teaching of Scripture. Brand does not appear to be a reader of the Bible. If he were, he would find there clear teaching about sin and forgiveness. From our first parent, every human being has been subject to sin and cut off from God. But in His grace and mercy, God has not left us to perish. He reached out to humanity to restore the broken relationship, and He paid the price for our sin Himself: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Christ died “to redeem us from all lawlessness” (Titus 2:14) so that “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). We are promised that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). There is no direct indication that Brand has blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, nor does he define his quest in those terms; but one suspects that finding one unpardonable sin is not the point. It is not one sin that gives him doubt, but his sinful state. Brand does not really believe in the possibility of forgiveness. He has done things that he believes are unforgiveable. If we forget or ignore what the Bible says, we, too, may fall into similar doubt. The subtitle Hawthorne gives to the story, “A Chapter from an Abortive Romance,” suggests that it was meant to be part of a longer tale. But whatever our story, however far back it stretches, whatever we have done, God will forgive us if we repent, reject our sin, and turn to Him: “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3:19). Brand does not repent. His sins are unpardoned because he does not ask for pardon.
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