The Unpardonable Sin


Lots of Christians are confused about the unpardonable or unforgivable sin which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 
One of the most terrifying warnings is in Matthew 12:24-32
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come (also in Mark 3:20-29) is the reference to what has come to be known as the unpardonable sin. 

The key to understanding what this word means (or any verse of scripture, for that matter) is to look at the context.
Jesus warned the pharisees about this sin, which could mean that they may have crossed the line by saying–that Jesus was empowered by Satan rather than the Holy Spirit- which led to this warning. First, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit involves a deliberate and willful rejection of the Holy Spirit's evidence on behalf of Jesus. It is a recognition of the truth but a refusal to accept it.

This sin can best be likened to the attitude of the Pharisees and Satan himself. He  knows the truth about Jesus; him and all his cohorts "believe" in Jesus (James 2:19), and yet Satan has willfully chosen to reject the authority of God and to oppose the ministry of Jesus. This is a perversion of the will so deep that one cannot recover from it, and therefore God cannot forgive. This is the line that the Pharisees were being warned not to cross or they have already crossed without knowing the consequences which Jesus revealed to them.

So, how do you know that you have not crossed the line by committing the unpardonable sin as a Christian? When a Christian is worried that he may have committed the unpardonable sin at some point in his past,  the fact that he is troubled by this possibility suggest that he has not reached this level. Once anyone reaches that level he or she deliberately refuses to acknowledge the workings of the Holy Spirit and such person is never troubled by his/her refusal of the authority of God.

That's why anyone who refuses to accept Jesus as Lord, cannot be forgiven for forgiveness comes only through Jesus. Anyone who refuses Jesus has made God a liar thereby ready for eternal condemnation.
1 John 5
:9 Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God's testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God's own testimony regarding his Son.
:10 This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son.
:11 So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

Reference: NIV Standard Lesson Study Bible






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Peaceable Peace said…
I thought same way too till I discovered from Study Bible commentary