5 Things You Need to Know About the Unforgivable Sin

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The unforgivable sin, also referred to as the unpardonable sin or “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is mentioned in two gospels. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter" (Mark 3:28), but then He gives one exception: "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin." So what exactly is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? To understand this difficult saying, we need to see that it came in the context of Jesus’ opponents charging Him with doing His work by the power of the Devil rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, they were not slandering the Spirit – not quite. Their statements were directed against Jesus. He said to them: "You can blaspheme Me and be forgiven, but when you question the work of the Spirit, you are coming perilously close to the unforgivable sin. You are right at the line. You are looking down into the abyss of hell. One more step and there will be no more hope for you." He was warning them to be very careful not to insult or mock the Spirit. So what exactly is the unforgivable sin and can you commit it? Here are five things you need to know.

It Can’t be Duplicated Today

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The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.

If We Receive Jesus, We Have Not Blasphemed in the Holy Spirit

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The point for us is that if we have received Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we have not blasphemed the Holy Spirit; we have accepted His witness. To commit this sin is one must consciously, persistently, deliberately and maliciously reject the testimony of the Sprit to the deity and saving power of the Lord Jesus. If a person keeps doing that until death, there is no hope of forgiveness and eternal life in heaven. The unpardonable sin is not some particularly grievous sin committed by a Christian before or after accepting Christ, nor is thinking or saying something terrible about the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is deliberately resisting the Holy Spirit’s witness and invitation to turn to Jesus until death ends all opportunity.

Satan Wants You to Labor Under Misconception

Many people fear they have committed some sin that God cannot or will not forgive, and they feel there is no hope for them, no matter what they do. Satan would love nothing more than to keep people laboring under that misconception. God gives encouragement to the sinner who is convicted of his sin: “Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:8). “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). And the testimony of Paul is positive proof that God can and will save anyone who comes to Him in faith (1 Timothy 1:12-17). If you are suffering under a load of guilt today, rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin.