What is the Unpardonable Sin?
For any Christians, the thought of unpardonable sin can be very daunting, if not frightening. Is there really a sin that God cannot forgive? Let us further explore this vital topic.
Christ’s Statement about the Unpardonable Sin
Mat 12:31 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.
Mat 12:32 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.
In this verse, we can see that Jesus is telling us that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will equate to unpardonable sin.
The Greek word for blasphemy is “blasphemia” which means vilification against God, maligning God, making malicious and abusive statements about God. According to Webster it is “an indignity offered to God by words or writing; reproachful, contemptuous or irreverent words uttered impiously against God.”
Blasphemy simply means denying the power and authority of God. When Jesus made the statement about the unpardonable sin, His accusers are denying His authority and power though the evidence is clear the Jesus truly is the Christ. A deeper look into the scripture shows us that the Holy Spirit is actually the POWER of God the Father and Jesus Christ and not the third person of the Godhead. So when you deny the power of God and Jesus Christ, their authority in your life, you are guilty of the unpardonable sin.
In the Old Covenant, God is very serious when it comes to blasphemy. This violation of God’s law will incur death penalty. This can be read in Leviticus 24:16.
“And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death.”
Additional Definition of Unpardonable Sin
As the Prophet Isaiah said, we must take the whole Bible to complete the picture (Isa. 28:10, 13). So let us read the book of Hebrews to gain additional insight about this topic.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
In these verses, we can see that a person will commit the unpardonable sin if they sin WILLFULLY – meaning that after they already received the gift of the Holy Spirit and the truth, they are committing the unpardonable sin. Once a person is baptized into the body of Christ, that person received the Holy Spirit. Every time a person sin WILLFULLY, in effect, he or she is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
In simple terms, unpardonable sin is sinning willfully even after knowing better.
But how about people who are not yet baptized, but still persist in their sin? When it comes to this, we can really never tell. We can see the appearance, but we do not know the intent of the heart. It is only God who will decide the fate of these people.
Hope for Unpardonable Sin
Real repentance can dispel unpardonable sin.
Personally, unpardonable sin is a sin unrepented of. How can God forgive us of a sin when we do not confess it and ask for its forgiveness? As long as you are of a repentant heart who does not “fall away” or drift away, God is more than willing to forgive us.
At this point, I want to tell you there are two types of repentance; worldly repentance and godly repentance. Worldly repentance is feeling sorry and yet not changing his or her way. Godly repentance is feeling sorry, asking God for forgiveness, and turning from the evil ways.
2Co 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
You must be sorrowful and regretful of the sin you committed. Your sorrow should lead you to asking God for forgiveness and change your way. It is a different story if after you repent you do not have the intention to change your way – by that, you are guilty of unpardonable sin.
At any given time, God will forgive us of all our sins – no exemption as long as we repent and decide not to do it again. We can read:
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God is the God of mercy. He is full of mercy that He is always ready to forgive us. He loves us and wants us to be reconciled to Him. He gives us countless chance to atone of our ways and turn to Him. This is the hope that we all have in God and Jesus Christ.
One good example of this is Paul. God gave Paul a chance to change though he is a former blasphemer.
1Ti 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Real, genuine, and godly repentance will blot out any unpardonable sin. I hope this article made it clearer for you to understand unpardonable sin and how to avoid it. My sincerely hope is that all of us will ultimately be reconciled to God and be finally at one with Him.
Additional Reading:
Scripture of the Day: Are you Thankful?
Putting an End to Disposable Babies
Free Booklet:
Please remember to like on Facebook!
