Have I committed the unpardonable sin? This is a question that comes up quite often on the forums I visit, mostly by newer Christians but also by some who have been Christians for a long time. The most common answer I see is, if you are worried about having committed the unpardonable sin it means you have not. This answer is true, but I thought I would delve into this question a little more deeply because there seems to be a lot of apprehension and confusion about this topic.
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
What is the unpardonable sin? Jesus says it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, but what exactly does that mean? All three of the synoptic Gospels speak of the unpardonable sin, we’ll look at Matthew 12:22-32:
22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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.
In this context the Pharisees had just seen Jesus cast out a demon, but instead of acknowledging the work of the Father by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, they actually accused Jesus of using Satan to cast out demons. In their desperate attempt to discredit Jesus they might have just sealed their own fates. If they had not already committed the unpardonable sin at this point Jesus is warning them they are perilously close to doing so.
It was the Pharisees’ constant hardening of their hearts and denial of God’s work in the face of all of the evidence that made their sin unpardonable. These incidents were not mistakes, they were malicious and they were continual, and their hearts were so hardened that they attributed the work of God to Satan. Think about the depravity of their hearts that led them to credit Satan for something they just saw Jesus do through the Holy Spirit!
Remember, these are some of the same people who wanted to re-kill Lazarus1 because he had the audacity to be raised from the dead, rather than accept the work Jesus was doing through the Holy Spirit.
The Pharisees were eyewitnesses, they saw Jesus heal the lame and cast out demons, they saw him perform many miracles in God’s name, and yet they still refused to believe. This has led some to speculate that the unpardonable sin cannot be committed today because Jesus isn’t walking the earth performing miracles.
Can the Unpardonable Sin be Committed Today
I’m not sure the speculation that the unpardonable sin cannot be committed today is correct because I believe it is still possible for somebody’s heart to be so hardened and depraved that they would attribute the work of God to Satan.
For example, Theistic Satanists worship Satan and are probably very close to committing the unpardonable sin, if they have not. They do have time to repent, but their hearts probably won’t ever let them, which would make their sin unpardonable.
Even if a person does not go so far as attributing the works of God to Satan, if a person’s heart is so hardened that they will not accept God, deny God and his work though the Holy Spirit, or they are hostile to God, they are also probably not ever going to repent, also making their sin of denial unpardonable.
More on this concept to follow shortly.
However, if this sin can still be committed today, a true Christian will never really be in danger of committing it, because this is something they would never even seriously consider. Their hearts are not hardened and they have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Their contriteness shows they are remorseful and they want to be forgiven. They have already received a pardon.
Why is it Unpardonable
Jesus said he would never cast out anybody who comes to him2 so how can any sin be unforgivable? I believe the answer comes from the phrase “anybody who comes to him.”
I think this goes deeper than attributing the works of God to Satan, it has to do with what is in the heart. The problem of the Pharisees emanated from their hearts, and while people are no longer eye witnesses to Jesus’ miracles, this same heart condition can still be a problem today. This condition leads people to deny God and they never come to him for a pardon.
Chapter and verse numbers were not part of the original Biblical text, they were added later for clarity. An even more recent addition was the use of sectional headings.
The ESV and the NKJV have inserted a sectional heading after Matthew 12:32. I think this is an unfortunate break in the text concerning the unpardonable sin because Jesus has not finished talking about it at this point, yet this sectional heading seems to separate it from the text on the unpardonable sin. Jesus continues in verses 33-37 to show us that the unpardonable sin is a problem with the heart:
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is so grievous because it is a constant and lifelong denial of God and his works through the Spirit despite all the evidence. The person’s heart is so hardened that they will never get to the point where they want forgiveness and they never repent. Because of this they will never come to Jesus for forgiveness. Without repentance there can be no forgiveness, and because repentance never comes, neither does forgiveness. It is unpardonable because the person refused to be pardonable.
This is not about having intrusive thoughts, or doubts about your faith, or doubts about Jesus every once in a while. This is what most of the Christians on the forums I visit worry about, but that happens to many people over the course of their lifetimes and, as stated above, the fact they are worried about it shows they have not committed the unpardonable sin.
Ironically enough, the people who worry the most about having committed the unpardonable sin are demonstrating through their feelings the very reason why they are in no danger of ever committing this sin. While the people who would commit this sin live their whole lives without caring that they have committed it.
Why do so Many Christians Worry About the Unpardonable Sin
So why do so many Christians today who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior still worry that they have committed the unpardonable sin? The answer is two-fold:
First, because they want to be forgiven and the idea that they could commit a sin that cannot be forgiven is frightening, as it should be. And second; because Satan is whispering in their ears. Satan wants people to think they can’t be forgiven so they will not turn to God to repent. When that happens they will be unpardoned and Satan will win. For lack of a better term it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Satan is the father of lies,3 and planting the seed of doubt is probably his greatest weapon. That strategy has worked since he got Eve to take a bite of the fruit.
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