Matthew 12:31, 32
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.
Growing up as a Christian I have heard the phrase the “unpardonable
sin” and have seen how it crippled some things in fear and uncertainty. I heard
of a man who committed fornication after received Jesus into his live. He shared
with a brother in the faith and straight away he was told that he had committed
“the unpardonable sin”. This man committed suicide and stated in a note left behind that he felt since he had committed that sin that there no point being alive since he could not please God anymore.
The interesting thing is that this phrase never appears
in the Bible. You wont find it anywhere. The phrase “unpardonable sin” is a
church phrase, not a Bible phrase. If this be the case, why do we use it, and also,
what does it mean?
First of all we need to understand the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said in John 16:13 that He comes to guide believers into truth and show
us things to come (John 16:13) and to glorify Jesus (verse 14). That last one
is crucial because it establishes the first two; if Jesus is not glorified then
it cannot be the Holy Ghost. All our doctrine and our teachings can be tested
with this. Does Jesus get the glory or we?
The other very important role of the Spirit is to convict
the world of sin, righteousness and judgment according to John 16:8.
“And when he is come, he will reprove the world
of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”
The conviction of sin is aimed at non-believers for their
rejection of Christ (verse 9);
“Of sin, because they believe
not on me;”
The conviction of righteousness is aimed at believers
because they can no longer see Jesus and they are quick to forget who they are
in Christ (verse 10);
“10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and
ye see me no more;”
and the conviction of judgment is aimed at the devil, for He
has been judged (verse 11).
“11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is
judged.”
Salvation becomes possible because of the role of the Holy Spirit
in a man’s life. It is His function as it relates to the unsaved. If a man rejects
that conviction, he will feel a release from it for a time, only to find that
it comes back again at another time and place and sometimes stronger than ever.
This is the Holy Spirit knocking on the door of your heart, offering you love
and grace if you will only believe. This
is what Paul when Jesus told him that it was hard for him to kick against the
pricks. If he continues to reject the knocking, He will eventually leave him
alone, and at that point salvation cannot be found.
Believers don’t need to fear blaspheming the Holy Spirit,
for no born-again believer is going to consistently reject the voice of the
Spirit in their life. The mark that they are born-again is their ability to be
led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14); so they can’t possibly live a life of
constantly rejecting His callings.
The reason that people call it the “unpardonable sin” is
because Jesus said that that person “hath never forgiveness, but is in danger
of eternal damnation” (Mark 3:29). When you reject the call of the Holy Spirit
for salvation, there is no forgiveness because reject the free gift of
forgiveness and you are in danger of eternal damnation. This warning cannot be
for believers who are sealed with the Spirit “unto the day of redemption”
(Ephesians 4:30).
As a believer what you have to focus on what it says in
Matthew 12:31 that all manner of sin will be forgiven. The blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit is to reject the crucified and resurrected Jesus of which the
Holy Ghost always speaks. It is to reject the payment for your sins and the
work of regeneration which is by the Spirit. As a believer, you have nothing to
fear in this regard. You are completely pardoned and completely free.
