Many people do not understand what the “sin is that shall never be forgiven.” Jesus Christ warned that in the future there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Some people who thought they would receive eternal life will end up being shut out of God’s Kingdom. They could have ruled the universe with Christ and the saints forever in the God family, but instead they lose out on their salvation. They will have committed what is known as the “unpardonable/unforgivable sin.”
Did Solomon commit the unpardonable sin? What about Judas Iscariot? Many of God’s own people are now coming close to committing it, and for some it is already too late. Could you be committing it now? You need to know the answer to this because your eternal life is at stake. Jesus Christ said there is one type of sin that can be forgiven, but another type that cannot be forgiven. “And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31) The latter is the “unpardonable sin.”
The Apostle John wrote, “If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.” (1 John 5:16). So there are two types of sin: one that can be forgiven and one that can’t. The sin that can’t be repented of is the “unpardonable sin”, and will result in eternal death through the lake of fire.
God says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s definition of sin is transgression of His law, as stated in 1 John 3:4. Only through true repentance toward God, which is the turning away from sin, and by the application of Christ’s sacrifice, which pays the death penalty in our stead, can we have that sin forgiven and be reconciled to God the Father. But with God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, if we walk by faith and obedience, the eternal death penalty is removed. Without true repentance, God will not forgive us. Through repentance we receive God’s Holy Spirit and eternal life. God expects us to grow spiritually, and subsequently the Holy Spirit, which is Christ in us, will increase. This comes about through faith and obedience. When we are resurrected to eternal life, we will be totally composed of spirit and unable to sin. (1 John 3:9)
Most professing Christians will say that all you have to do is believe Christ is the Son of God and you’ll be saved. They quote Acts 16:31: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” It does not say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are already saved.” It says, you will be saved. During His ministry, many believed on Christ, but they did not believe what He said. Yes, it is necessary to believe in Christ, but other scriptures clearly show that we must have faith and obedience. Believing that Christ is the Son of God, alone, does not save us: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19) Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
God’s will is for man to be born again into the Kingdom, or family, of God by way of a resurrection. But a condition on our part is to keep the commandments. “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:17) All precepts of God’s spiritual law hang on the framework of the “Ten Commandments.” God’s will is that we have an attitude, or desire, to keep His law. There is war between two opposite attitudes:
The way of human nature. The way of self-centeredness, vanity, greed, envy. The way of getting for oneself to satisfy the ego and the five senses. It is the way of competition and strife—the way of Satan and sin.
The way of divine nature. This is implanted by the Holy Spirit and is the God-centered way of humility, exaltation of God, submissiveness to God; outgoing concern for our fellowmen; exercising the way of giving, helping, sharing and serving above self.
A believing Christian does not merely claim that title, but is led by God’s Spirit. Romans 8:14 states “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” The question for us is, are we being led by God’s Spirit, or are we being led by the spirit of truth and error—our human nature? The answer to that question determines whether or not we are true Christians. If the Holy Spirit does not dwell in a person, he or she is not a true Christian. And God gives His Spirit only to those who obey Him. (Acts 5:32)
Let’s look at biblical examples of two men who had God’s Holy Spirit, whose sin is openly recorded, but did not commit the unpardonable sin. King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, then had her husband, Uriah, murdered. David was sinning willingly, even though he had God’s Holy Spirit. Nathan the prophet dramatically pointed out God’s condemnation of him, which you can read in 2 Samuel 11-12. David’s response was immediate repentance, as he was very much aware that
he was on the way to committing the unpardonable sin. In Psalm 51:11-12, David wrote: “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
The Apostle Paul likewise acknowledged his human nature: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19) Paul is saying that he experienced the pull of human nature warring against the converted mind, and, because of human weakness, he sinned. Our human nature, with its pulls and temptations, is not removed after having received God’s Spirit. We still sin after baptism, through weakness, because we have human nature. However, we should immediately recognize that sin and turn from it, rather than make excuses for our disobedience. All sin still exacts the eternal death penalty unless and until we repent and God grants forgiveness.
Repentance is a change of mind and attitude toward God and away from self. It means to come to see oneself the way God sees us and to start living God’s way of life, instead of the way of sin to which we are naturally drawn by our carnal human nature. The way of divine nature is to have the mind of Christ in us. We are to be continually in a repentant state, rather than one of self-justification and self-righteousness. With sin, there is a difference between an act and an attitude. Now we are getting down to the crux of the matter of whether or not we are committing the unpardonable sin. There are two types of sin:
Willing sin, through human weakness, which is pardonable. It is either sinning in ignorance, or sinning while being aware of breaking the law but fighting against it and losing the battle through human weakness.
Willful sin, where the sinner refuses to repent, knowing he or she is dealing with God, which is unpardonable.
The first way to sin willing is by deliberate choice. This could come through resentment and bitterness toward God, or toward some person you perceive has wronged you. If you feel resentful toward anyone, ask God to remove your sinful emotions immediately. Your bitterness may not harm someone else, but it could destroy you forever! Deliberate disobedience to God’s laws and doctrines—walking away from the truth—while rejecting repentance leads to the unpardonable sin. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
The other way willful sin is through neglect. The Holy Spirit will diminish in one whose relationship with Christ and the Father diminishes—one who neglects prayer, Bible study and fellowship with God’s people. If one gets too close to the unconverted world it is easy to backslide. Sports, entertainment and recreation can be healthy, but they should be kept in perspective and not dominate our focus at the expense of our relationship with God. “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” (verse 14). A person can also be led to sin willfully through self-deception and self-righteousness, where there develops a refusal to repent. The result will be eternal death in the lake of fire. A person who refuses to repent, when he knows the truth, commits the unpardonable sin. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.” (Hebrews 10:26)
“And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31-32) The Greek word for blasphemy means intentional indignity of God or a sacred thing. During Christ’s ministry, the scribes and Pharisees knew their accusations were false and against the Son of God. They had the evidence that He was the Son of God, but they refused to accept Him and even plotted to murder Him. Sure, Christ was crucified by men in ignorance, and He said, “Father, Forgive them; for they know not what they do.” But although the religious leaders in Christ’s day did not have God’s Holy Spirit, they knew what they were doing was against the law and to the Son of God. This brings us to the question of the unconverted. Could they blaspheme the Holy Spirit and commit the unpardonable sin? Yes, that’s possible.
God says that the beast of Revelation and the false prophet are going into the lake of fire, because when Christ returns they are going to fight against Him, knowing that He is the Son of God and that He has come to rule. They will simply refuse to submit to Him. “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10). Did Solomon commit the unpardonable sin? Scripture does not reveal the answer. The same is true about Judas Iscariot.
If and when one won’t want to repent then he has committed the “unpardonable sin!” If he feels completely disgusted with himself, however, and of himself desires to repent and get back into God’s grace—He can! If you are concerned that you have committed the unpardonable sin and want God’s forgiveness, then you probably haven’t committed it. Esau, who sought his inheritance and future with tears, yet lost it because it was too late! The essence is to be in and stay in a humble, repentant attitude. You can’t afford to take chances on it! When you sin, don’t delay in getting back to our Father through Jesus Christ immediately and change! Flee from committing the unpardonable sin!
The unpardonable/unforgivable sin or “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter.” (Mark 3:28), but then He gives one exception: “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” (verse 29)
According to Jesus, the unpardonable or unforgivable sin is unique. It is the one iniquity that will never be forgiven. ”Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” in Matthew 12:32) The unforgivable sin is blasphemy (“defiant irreverence”) of the Holy Spirit in the context of the Spirit’s work in the world through Christ. In other words, the particular case of blasphemy seen in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 is unique. The guilty party, a group of Pharisees, had witnessed irrefutable evidence that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they claimed that He was possessed by the prince of demons, Beelzebul (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:30).
The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus Christ (in person, on earth) of being demon-possessed. They had no excuse for such an action. They were not speaking out of ignorance or misunderstanding. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to save Israel. They knew the prophecies were being fulfilled. They saw Jesus’ wonderful works, and they heard His clear presentation of truth. Yet they deliberately chose to deny the truth and slander the Holy Spirit. Standing before the “Light of the World”, bathed in His glory, they defiantly closed their eyes and became willfully blind. Jesus pronounced that sin to be unforgivable.
The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued “unbelief.” There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.
God has provided for our salvation in His Son (John 3:16). Forgiveness is found exclusively in Jesus (John 14:6). To reject the only Savior is to be left with no means of salvation; to reject the only pardon is, obviously, unpardonable.
Many people fear they have committed some sin that God cannot or will not forgive, and they feel there is no hope for them, no matter what they do. Satan would like nothing more than to keep people laboring under that misconception. God gives encouragement to the sinner who is convicted of his sin: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8). “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20) And the testimony of Paul is proof positive that God can and will save anyone who comes to Him in faith (1 Timothy 1:12–17).
If you are suffering under a load of guilt today, rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin. God is waiting with open arms. Jesus’ promise is that “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25). Our Lord will never fail. “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)
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