“The Unforgivable Sin!”

“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31 ESV).

So many good people have worried that they might have committed the “Unforgivable Sin” that Jesus mentions, that it is worth a brief study of His words. It’s a frightening thing to think that you have sinned so grievously that God would not forgive it, but that is precisely what the Jewish Pharisees had done.

So, to understand what Jesus was talking about, let’s look at the Biblical context of this verse. To gain a fuller understanding of what was happening, it is essential to revisit the beginning of Chapter 12 and examine the conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus. First, we see that the Pharisees accused Jesus and his followers of breaking the Mosaic Law and “working” on the Sabbath, because they took some handfuls of grain to eat as they were traveling. Jesus ' reply is amazing, and He states in verse 8, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”, claiming that Jesus Himself is God and created the Sabbath day. These Pharisees proposed a question to trick Jesus, so they could accuse Him of once again “working” on the Sabbath day. “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him.”

“Then Jesus went into a Jewish Synagogue on that same Sabbath day, and healed a man with a withered hand, again showing that He was indeed Lord of the Sabbath. In verse 14 we read, “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”, Then we find Jesus healing a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute. Instead of rejoicing over this miracle, these Pharisees committed the unforgivable sin; they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

Committing the sin that Jesus was speaking of in verse 31, “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”, was attributing to Satan (Beelzebul) actions that the Holy Spirit caused was very serious. In Greek, the word “blasphemy” means to slander, to vilify, to speak evil of. This is not something that can be done by accident; this is an intentional action attributed to Satan as the source of a miracle that was, in fact, done by the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. As we saw in the verses leading up to this verse, the Pharisees were trying to set up a trap to show that Jesus was breaking the Mosaic Law. Having failed, “the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

Not being able to find any fault in Jesus, they then turn their hatred of God and all Godly things to accuse Jesus of being empowered to perform miracles by the power of Beelzebul, a title for Satan. Now they have crossed the line of sinning against Jesus to sinning against the Holy Spirit, and Jesus would have none of it. In verse 31Jesus states, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”

 Condemning these teachers of the Mosaic Law, these Jewish leaders are said to have committed the only unforgivable sin, attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to Satan himself. Jesus continues to state in verse 32, “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”, condemning them to eternal separation from God the Father for all of eternity.

So, you see, the “Unforgivable Sin” is a very specific intentional sin, committed by very knowledgeable teachers of the Mosaic Law, who, after seeing with their own eyes, the miracles that Jesus performed by the enabling of the Holy Spirit, said that it was through the power of Satan, that Jesus could do them. I do not believe that it is possible today for someone to commit the unforgivable sin. Today, we do not have the second person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus, present in our midst to perform miracles. Secondly, Jesus died on the cross to pay for the forgiveness of all sins.

The blood of Jesus has paid for every sin that you have ever committed. His death on the cross broke the power of Satan and freed all who would put their faith in His finished work on the cross. The unforgivable sin cannot be committed today. No matter your sin, the power of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection can secure your complete and total forgiveness. All you must do is to repent (change your mind from working for your salvation to accepting God’s gift) and receive the free gift that God offers, believe in Jesus.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"