The Unforgivable Sin: what is it and who is in danger of committing it?

In the gospels, Jesus makes a statement that many believers talk about but few truly understand. In Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus says, “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the 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” The statement also appears in Mark 3:28-29 and Luke 12:10. The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit aka The Unforgivable Sin can be worrisome to those who fear they have committed this act. What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Why is this sin so egregious to be unforgivable? Should believers worry about it? 

To understand why Jesus made this statement in Matthew 12:32, we need to back up to Matthew 12:22 as the religious leaders accused Jesus of being under Satan’s power. Jesus heals a demon possessed man who was blind and mute (verse 22) as the people were wondered if Jesus was the Son of David (verse 23), the Pharisees said that “only Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons” (verse 24). Beelzebub (or Beelzebul) is a Philistine deity known as the Lord of the flies or the Lord of filth, a term often used to refer to Satan (Winger, 2019). By attributing Jesus’s work to Satan, they were actively campaigning against Jesus to slander him and ruin his reputation (Winger, 2019). Jesus confronts the Pharisees and states that Satan cannot be divided against himself as a kingdom, a city, a household cannot be divided against itself (verses 25-26). Jesus is trying to warn the Pharisees that they were on shaky ground, on the brink of eternal ruin. 

The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means to attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. It is a deliberate and ongoing rejection of the Holy Spirit’s work and even of God Himself. It is a conscious, persistent, deliberate and malicious rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testament to the deity and saving power of Jesus Christ. A person who has committed this sin has shut himself off from God so thoroughly that he is unaware of the sin at all. The Pharisees were deliberating refusing to acknowledge God’s power in Christ. The Holy Spirit testifies to God’s power in two ways: first, external through miracles and second, internal through the conviction of sin (Mike Winger, 2019). I understand skepticism and a desire to be absolutely sure before making a bold statement either way, even John the Baptist had a season of doubt (Matthew 11:2-6 and Luke 7:18-35). However, a deliberate refusal shows a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart and therefore the inability to seek repentance. It is a profound hardness of one’s heart. An attack against Jesus, the Holy Spirit can overcome. However, to see what God is clearly doing and attack His Spirit is an insult, a dishonor and makes an enemy with His Spirit. Who can help bring someone back from that? 

A person who fears having committed this sin shows by his concerns that he hasn’t committed it at all. A true believer in Jesus Christ cannot commit this sin. Why? Because it is a refusal to accept the witness of the Holy Spirit to who Jesus is and what He came to do and fully submit their lives to Him. Repentance requires a simple, invaluable and a softhearted condition. Christians are warned to not be like Esau who “found no place of repentance” (Hebrews 12:17). His heart was so callous and hard that he was not able to genuinely repent. To harden one’s heart doesn’t really allow for that type of submission. Whoever does rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit and has fully turned their back to God and all faith do need to worry. They have removed themselves from the force that could lead them to repentance and restoration to God. As Jesus says in Mark 3:29, it is an eternal sin. Hebrews 3:7-8 warns that someone hears the voice of God, “do not harden your heart.” 

In conclusion, the unforgivable sin is not unforgivable because forgiveness isn’t granted, it is not sought in the first place. Someone who blasphemies against the Holy Spirit, denying the work of God, usually isn’t going to see the errors of his ways and seek forgiveness. It is a hardening of the heart to the point of no return. A true follower of Christ, who has believed the witness of the Holy Spirit, cannot blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as he or she does not deny or would not His work. It is okay to have doubt. It is normal, common and a part of growing in your faith. However, do not let your doubt harden your heart and let your eyes become clouded to the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

References

Winger, Mike (2019). What EXACTLY is the Unforgivable sin? The Mark Series Part 12. https://youtu.be/KmCHX8-2Smo?si=30FO9J77QvqMk02M. Retrieved November 17, 2024.