The Sin That Will Never Be Forgiven

Verse of the day: Matthew 12:31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

Jesus makes this statement as a result of His conflict with the religious people of that day, the Pharisees. Jesus having healed the withered hand of one present in the synagogue, on the Sabbath, resulted in the Pharisees accusing Him of performing the miracle in the power of Satan. Jesus, in response to their blasphemous accusation, responded that all sins committed by man, even those committed against Jesus Himself, would be forgiven; but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would never be forgiven. Jesus stated in Mark 3:29 that he who blasphemes against the Holy Ghost would be in danger of eternal damnation. Jesus was not saying that anyone who blasphemes cannot be forgiven. The Apostle Paul is a good example of this, as he tells of the days when he was a blasphemer, a sin he committed out of ignorance (1 Tim 1:12-14). The Pharisees were blaspheming against the Spirit in that they intentionally, and maliciously, spoke evil of the Spirit. The miracles that Jesus performed, which were evidence of His goodness, and proof that He was the Son of God, Israel’s Messiah, and the Savior of the world, were attributed to Satan. This was an outright rejection of Jesus and the Spirit. There have been those, who after professing that they believed in Jesus, and may have even stuck around for a while thereafter, have departed from the faith, speaking blasphemies about Christianity, Christians, Jesus, God and all that is associated with being a child of God. The Scripture tells us that those who depart in this fashion were never really part of the faith and had in reality made a superficial profession allowing themselves to be drawn away by the cares of this world. Judas was an example of this type of “follower”, who professed for selfish reasons but later falls away by betraying Jesus. In 1 Timothy 4:1-5 the Apostle Paul tells us that in latter times this would be a common occurrence. The Apostle John, in 1 John 2:19, tells us that those that depart from the faith never belonged; for if they had, they would never have departed. This is not speaking for one who backslides and is temporarily drawn away by their own lust or failure to do that which will keep us close to the Lord. This is speaking of the person who completely rejects Christ and the workings of the Spirit. To reject the Spirit is to reject conviction. Without conviction there is no repentance, no turning from sin, and no turning to God. Therefore, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to completely reject salvation in Christ; for it is the Holy Spirit who seals us and indwells us when we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary and call on Him for salvation. The fact of the matter is that we may be surrounded by those who have made superficial confessions of faith, and we may not know it. Our duty as believers is not to judge whether or not we are dealing with a person who is genuinely saved or not. We are to love them and do all we can to disciple them and fellowship with them. Our duty is to be obedient to God’s Word, and do our best to win the lost and disciple them. In this process, as we faithfully preach to the lost, teach new converts, and make ourselves available for the Lord to use us, is where those who are not true believers will show themselves by their works. In this same chapter, beginning in verse 33 Jesus tells of the good tree with its good fruit vs. the bad tree and its fruit. We will know them by their fruit. Sadly, we spend way too much time focusing on everyone else, when we are called to be faithful in our own service to God and be busy following Jesus. Those that are not really His and fall away are His to take care of and ultimately judge (Mt 13:24-30; 25:31-46). In John 21:20-23 Jesus made it clear to the Apostle Peter that He was to mind his own business in respect to the Apostle John and how Jesus would work in his life, and Peter was simply to focus on following Jesus. The bottom line is that those of us who have already truly called upon, and put our faith in, Jesus, are not in danger of committing the unpardonable sin. There are even those whom we know who have blasphemed ignorantly, and still have an opportunity to be saved. We must be prayerful for them and actively looking for opportunities to continue telling them about Jesus and showing them the love of Christ. There are those whom we will encounter, who will vehemently reject Jesus and any testimony given of what the Spirit has done in our lives. Our duty does not change. We are to share the Gospel and leave the results to God who knows the hearts and minds of every living being (Jer 17:10).

As long as we are breathing and have life, we have an opportunity to be saved. To reject Jesus and what He did to bring us eternal life will lead to eternal damnation. He extends an invitation to you today to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).