Did you know that even though God is loving, merciful, and full of grace, there are still sins that He will not forgive? Yes, that’s right. The Bible reveals that there are four types of sins that He will not forgive, and knowing these sins will help us better understand how God is both the God of mercy and the God of justice.

So, what are these sins? Here are the four surprising and little-known sins God will not forgive:

Sin no. 1: Blaspheming the Holy Spirit

We read in Matthew 12:31-32:

³¹ “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

We can see here that the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. It adds that if we speak against the Holy Spirit, we will not be forgiven both in this age and in the age to come!

Now, that’s a scary thought if you ask me. What’s the big deal about blaspheming the Holy Spirit? What is blasphemy anyway? And, how do you exactly speak against the Holy Spirit? That’s a lot of questions that we need to answer.

First, what is blasphemy? The word blasphemy here came from the Greek word, “blasphemia.” Here’s how Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament defines blasphemia as the following:

• slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another’s good name
• impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty

So, in this verse, blasphemy is speaking evil things about the Holy Spirit. However, what is the Holy Spirit? We read in Luke 1:35:

³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 

Jumping to a few chapters in Luke 24:48-49, we also read:

⁴⁸ And you are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” 

Indeed, in this passage, it becomes clear that the Holy Spirit represents the divine power of the Most High God and also of Yahshua the Messiah. When considering Jesus’ discussion about the unforgivable sin, it is evident that His opponents denied His authority and power, despite overwhelming evidence confirming His identity as the Christ, the Messiah, and the Savior of humanity! Therefore, refusing to acknowledge God’s and Jesus Christ’s power and authority in one’s life constitutes an unpardonable sin.

In the Old Covenant, blasphemy was a grave offense in the eyes of God, punishable by death according to His law, as stated in Leviticus 24:16:

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.

Blaspheming or speaking evil of the Holy Spirit, the power of God and His Son, has a serious consequence, which would lead to unpardonable sin.

Yahshua (Jesus Christ) talked about the unpardonable sin in Matthew 12:31-32. However, if you read the earlier verses, you’ll see why Yahshua discussed this.

We read in Matthew 12:22-24:

²² Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. ²³ And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

²⁴ Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” 

As you can see, the Pharisees’ statement was far from a mere misunderstanding; it was a deliberate, shocking accusation where they ascribed God’s power to Satan. This intentional and outrageous lie, which attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to evil forces, was what Jesus unequivocally identified as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

So, it’s not a small thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and it will surely lead to your spiritual death if done deliberately.

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Sin no. 2: Falling away

We read in Hebrews 6:4-6:

⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 

Here’s another example of an unpardonable sin mentioned in the Bible. Now, what is Hebrews 6:4-6 telling us? It describes a person who had already come to repentance, understood and received the gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Yahshua), understood the truth in the Bible, and received the Holy Spirit.

However, in spite of all his spiritual experiences, he still consciously, purposefully, and deliberately chose to reject God, then, that will resulted in the unforgivable sin.

Sin no. 3: Willful sinning

We read in Hebrews 10:26-27:

²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

When a person sins wilfully, the Bible tells us that there is no longer a sacrifice for sins for that person. If that person doesn’t repent and still chooses to sin in spite of knowing better, then that person will surely go through a fearful expectation of judgment. 

When someone sins “willfully,” it means they’ve deliberately chosen to go against God, rejecting Him knowingly and with intent. Willful sinning involves planning to do the sin. It is pre-meditated. It is not done out of weakness, but rather out of rebellion and wickedness. This person adamantly refuses to follow God’s law, even though they fully comprehend what they ought to do. 

A person who sins willfully will not find his name written in the Book of Life, but rather he will be thrown to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

Paul also addresses this deliberate sin in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, where we read:

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.

A person who sins willfully has his conscience seared with hot iron — meaning, that he or she no longer experiences guilt or shame because their conscience has become numb.

Sin no. 4: Unforgiving to one another

Matthew 6:14-15 tells us:

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Many people think that forgiving one another is just optional. However, the Bible tells us that it is a matter of life and death. If you don’t forgive others, God will also not forgive you. That’s how important it is to forgive one another!

Yes, sometimes, it’s not always easy to forgive especially when we are deeply hurt, offended, or betrayed. Nevertheless, we are not called to do the easy things, but rather the hard things.

God is forgiving. He is merciful and He wants us to follow His examples. If God can forgive us, how much more can we not forgive other people, right?

So, before you ask for God’s forgiveness, ask for a forgiving heart. Yahshua (Jesus) isn’t telling us that God is not willing to forgive us, but rather, He wants us to first understand what it means to forgive one another. If we are not going to forgive others, it only shows our lack of understanding of the true nature of God’s forgiveness toward us.

Forgive others so that God will also forgive you and that you will not commit the unpardonable sin.

Final words

Yahweh is willing to forgive us our sins. However, sometimes, it is we who prevent Him from doing His miraculous work. If you notice all the sins that God will not forgive, the common denominator is this: unrepentant heart.

Thankfully, when we come to God and ask for His mercy and forgiveness, He will readily forgive us because of the sacrifice of Yahshua, our Passover Lamb. We must approach God with not just a repentant heart, but also a willing heart to change our sinful ways and start living a righteous life.

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