Biblical Q & A – What is the unpardonable sin?
Matthew 12:31: “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”
The Unpardonable Sin
Matthew 12:31-32 makes claim to an “unpardonable sin.” A parallel verse in Mark 3:28-30 refers to the same issue. What, however, is this sin that will not be forgiven?
For context, Matthew 12:22-24 relates that “...a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to Him [Christ], and He healed him so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.’”
The "unpardonable sin" occurred because of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit when the Pharisees attributed Christ's miracles to Satan (Beelzebul) rather than the Holy Spirit working through Jesus. Those who witnessed the Holy Spirit working (Luke 4:14) through the incarnate Christ (John 1:14) and consciously chose to call it satanic were directly maligning the Spirit's character.
In Matthew 12:25-26, Christ refutes the possibility of Satanic power by declaring, “...Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” Abraham Lincoln’s famous “House Divided” quote of June 16, 1858, referring to this verse stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.” Both proclamations are absolutely accurate.
In addressing the Pharisees, Christ asserts that the firsthand witness of His miracles, along with proof of His power, which is then attributed to Satan, is an “unpardonable sin.” The conditions of this unforgivable sin—witness and evidence—are not currently present; however, informed, persistent rejection can lead to a similar state of irreversible heart hardening. This is illustrated in Hebrews 6:4-6 which claims, “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened...and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance...”
A deeper dive through scripture
Concluding that the “unpardonable sin” is a historical issue may be technically correct, but it fails to give a fuller understanding of Christ’s admonition. For this, we need to examine Scripture more closely.
1 John 2:19 is an interesting verse that reads, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” The notion that some presumed believers will leave the faith or fall away because, in fact, they were never true believers can seem bewildering. 1 John claims that some apparent believers at some point recognize their self-deception and then renounce their faux faith.
We see this fact played out in Matthew 13:3-9’s Sower and the Seed’s parable, where seeds falling on rocky places that did not have much soil immediately spring up, but when the sun had risen, “because they had no root, they withered away.” Furthermore, seeds that fall among the thorns in Matthew 13:22 when “the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word...becomes unfruitful.”
We also experience a similar condition in Romans 1:21,24, whereby, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened... Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.” Although this verse speaks of a non-believer who continues to harden their heart and is allowed to sink further and further into their sinful pursuits, the result is similar—it’s not that God can’t save anyone; the problem is that man’s love of his sin hardens his heart to such a degree that salvation becomes impossible, and this is all of one's own free will.
The Bible assures us that true salvation is never lost, as stated in Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The above verses clarify the truth of what appears to be believers losing their salvation—by explaining, “...they were never of us...”
The practical implications
Since this is really about levels of “informed rejection,” what are the practical implications?
One of the results will be suffocating one’s conscience to the degree that sin and evil are no longer discerned. This is expressed in Romans 2:14-15: “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature, do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.”
Another result is harsher eternal punishment. In Matthew 11:23-24, Christ remarks, “And you, Capernaum...You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” What Christ is referring to here is simply that increased knowledge with uncompromising rejection will result in more severe levels of punishment. Hebrews 10:26-29 confirms this when it states, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
Yet another result is that nothing more can be done for redemption. As Hebrews 6:4-6 states so eloquently, “...it is impossible...to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt.” This is the same result as the unpardonable sin since the informed rejection is so severe that nothing additionally can be done—Christ, according to Hebrews 10:10, announces, “...we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” If that’s not enough, nothing else is available.
As 2 Corinthians 13:5 recommends, true believers should “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith...” We should also pray for the salvation of the lost as commanded by Matthew 28:18-20. Finally, as 1 John 1:9 states, we can rest in the assurance that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
One final caveat
The Third Commandment in Exodus 20:7 states we are not to take the Lord’s name in vain: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” This is repeated in Deuteronomy 5:11 and even in Leviticus 19:12: “You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.” Yet, it is such a common occurrence to see this command violated. It bears notice, particularly in light of repeated warnings and the ramifications of the blasphemy against God discussed in the “unpardonable sin,” that we might want to be extra diligent in this area.
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