Question
I have heard that there is a sin called the unpardonable sin, or the unforgivable sin, which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. I am very scared that I have committed this sin, and that I will go to hell. Can you please explain the unpardonable sin?
Answer
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.”
You have not committed the unpardonable sin, and I know that for a fact. The very fact that you are concerned about it, shows me that the Holy Spirit Himself is working in your heart. We all do stupid things, especially when we are young, and God is quite aware of that. But He wants us all to be with Him forever, so He is very willing to forgive any and all sin.
To fully understand the unforgivable sin, we first must understand God’s character, which the devil has so maligned that many do not really know Him. Firstly, God is willing to forgive ALL sin, because Jesus died for ALL of the sins of ALL of the people who have ever lived on earth. And secondly, God is trying His very best to get as many people as possible into His kingdom, and not as some believe, to keep us out of His kingdom. So have a look at the following passages, before we start on the unpardonable sin.
1 Timothy 2 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is … not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
1 John 1 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 130 3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.
Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
So now we know that God wants everyone to be saved, and is willing to forgive ANY sin, except the unforgivable sin. So what is the Unforgivable Sin, because this is totally misunderstood by almost everyone? I am giving another passage below that talks about it.
Mark 3 28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”
The only sin that is unpardonable, is the sin against the Holy Spirit, which is not what people think. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead, the One who convicts us of sin, as shown in the passage below, by Him speaking to us through our conscience. But if we continually resist Him, block Him out because we do not want to give up that sin, in the end we will not hear His voice anymore, and we will never ask to be forgiven for that sin. And the only sin that cannot be forgiven, is the one we don’t ask forgiveness for. So, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is that we ignore His pleas, and eventually we are not forgiven, because we did not ask to be forgiven.
John 16 7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin …”
God will pursue you until the moment you breathe your last breath, to draw you to Himself. He will not leave you nor forsake you, because He loves you with an everlasting love, even when you constantly fall into sin.
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”
Hebrews 13:5 …. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.
Trust in God with all of your heart; He wants to save you, and He wants to be together with you forever. Don’t doubt Him. The Bible tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive, so once you have confessed and ask for forgiveness, you have to believe that you are forgiven, even if you don’t feel forgiven. And then, if you still fall, just get up, confess to God, and take His hand again. Remember, it is only the sin you hang on to, and don’t confess, which becomes unpardonable, because you don’t confess it to God. So while you are worried about your salvation, and in a close personal relationship with God, you are safe from the unforgivable sin, because you are listening to the Holy Spirit, and turning away from your sins.
