Transcript

A pastor once told the story of an usher in his church in North Alabama during the early 1980s. The usher’s name was John.

He was a sweet man who was always present each Sunday in his regular spot to greet people and hand out bulletins. But John was a very troubled man.

On several occasions, he wept as he told his pastor that during World War II he had done something he thought was so evil that he was certain he had committed the unpardonable sin.

John never explained what he had done, but he was convinced he never would go to heaven. John was a believer though. And he attended church and served the Lord faithfully. His family was active in the church, and his children were talented singers.

But he was tormented with this belief that he had committed the unpardonable sin, and as a result, he missed out on so much joy and peace in this life because of his mistaken belief regarding the Lord’s teaching about the unforgivable sin.

This man is not alone. Many, many people have this same fear and live in dread that they might have committed this sin and that there’s no hope for them to be saved.

And maybe you have wondered that somewhere along the line you blasphemed the Holy Spirit, and it lingers in your thinking that you may never be forgiven for it.

There are a lot of ideas as to what the unpardonable sin is. Some think it is murder, suicide, adultery, or other forms of sexual immorality.

Others believe it has to do with thinking or saying horrible, blasphemous things against God, that it’s something like hating God or shaking your fist at God and cursing Him.

What is the unpardonable sin? To that question we ask, What does the Scriptures say? That should always be our first question, because God’s Word is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

And when we rightly divide the Word of truth, the answer to the question of the unpardonable sin becomes very clear.

Matthew 12:31-32: “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

“And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”

The Lord speaks here of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that will not be forgiven. This is what is often called “the unpardonable sin.”

To understand what the Lord is saying, these words need to be understood in their context. And we find that a miracle and opposition to Christ precedes these words by the Lord.

Matthew 12:22-24 tells how a demon-possessed man was brought to the Lord, and this man was also blind and dumb, or he could not speak.

Being the Son of God and Israel’s Messiah, the Lord had authority over the supernatural realm and authority over the physical realm, so He very simply cast out the demon and healed the man, so that he could see and speak.

This amazed the people who saw the miracle, who wondered if this might be “the son of David,” or the descendant of David and Israel’s long-promised Messiah and King.

But verse 24 says, “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.”

This should have been a moment of rejoicing for the healed man, who was now free from the demon and could speak and see. But the unbelieving Pharisees were infuriated by what they saw and by what they heard from the people wondering if Christ might be the Son of David and Israel’s King.

They could not deny His miracle, so they tried to explain it away.

They would not allow themselves to believe the possibility that Christ was the King, the Son of David, so they attributed the miracle to another ruler, that Christ did it by the power of Beelzebub the prince of the devils, which is Satan.

The Lord then addressed their unbelief and this accusation, telling them, “if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?”

Their accusation of Christ casting out demons by the power of Satan made no sense, because Satan would be working against himself in relinquishing control of someone within his clutches, and repairing the damage that Satan caused to the man.

The Lord took His argument another step further when he asked in verse 29, “Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.”

In this verse, the strong man is Satan. His house is the sphere in which he holds sway, which is the world because Satan is the god of this world. His goods are his demons.

Christ is the One who came from heaven and entered the world, the strong man’s house, and bound the strong man, and plundered his goods and cast out a demon.

Right before their eyes, Christ had just freed this man from the grip and bondage of Satan. Christ did not perform this miracle in the power of Satan. He was not in submission to him.

Therefore, the logical conclusion is that Christ is greater and more powerful than Satan, because He is God, and He demonstrated it by casting out one of his demons.

Then the Lord issued a stern warning” “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”

We need to note who the Lord is speaking to. First, in the overall sense, in the Gospels, He is speaking to Israel. A few chapters later in Matthew 15:24, the Lord said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

In Romans 15:8, Paul wrote, Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [or the Jews] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.” Christ was sent to and ministered to Israel.

In the Gospels, during His earthly ministry, you find Him ministering the truth of God and confirming the promises made to Israel according to the law and prophecy.

That’s important to keep in mind whenever you read and study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, because we are Gentiles under grace, not Israel under the law. And there are promises made to Israel in the Gospels that are not for us today under grace, such as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and the unpardonable sin.

Second, as Christ ministered to Israel, specifically here, you find Him addressing Israel’s religious leaders. And further, He is speaking to unbelievers.

Accusing Christ that He was in league with Satan and had cast out a demon in the power of Satan was sin and blasphemy by these religious leaders. Blasphemy is something that is done against God. Christ declaring that what they had just said and accused Him of as being blasphemy, was Christ affirming His Deity, that He is God.

Christ taught that “ALL manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.” In other words, these leaders could still believe that He was the Son of David and Israel’s Messiah and through faith in His name their sin and blasphemy could be forgiven.

“But,” Christ says “the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” The Holy Spirit had not yet been sent. The Holy Spirit was later sent by Christ on the day of Pentecost after Christ’s ascension to heaven.

When Christ warned Israel’s religious leaders here about sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit being unforgivable, it was because the Holy Spirit was soon to descend and come to Israel and give them their last opportunity to repent as a nation.

It was after the Spirit was sent to Israel that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit could not and would not be forgiven unto men.

The Lord further reiterates in verse 32 that “whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him.”

Christ’s teaching here was that speaking a word against the Son of God could be forgiven. While speaking a word against God the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven.

This warning by Christ, is a warning of love and concern. Christ loves the world, and though these religious leaders had made this wicked accusation and spoken a word against Him, He told them that they could be forgiven.

But He also warned them out of love that there was coming a day when their blasphemy and speaking a word against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven.

The Lord Jesus’s teaching that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable is not because the Holy Spirit is greater than God the Father or greater than God the Son, but because God the Holy Spirit is later than the Father and the Son.

His ministry was later after the Father’s ministry to Israel and after the Son’s earthly ministry to Israel.

All through the Old Testament, Israel rejected and resisted God the Father. They did this through their unbelief and pervasive idolatry.

They did not trust and obey the law of God and we see this by how they reaped the curses of disobedience to His law. And they stoned and killed the prophets that the Father sent to them to turn them back to Him.

But God the Father in love and mercy, sent His Son to Israel. In the Gospels, we learn how the Son labored, performed miracles, and taught Israel that she might receive Him as her Messiah and trust the gospel of the kingdom and be saved from her sins.

However, as we see in this account, the religious leaders were rejecting God the Son and who He was, accusing Him of performing miracles in the power of Satan. Christ tells them though that their blasphemy and rejection of Him could be forgiven.

As we know, the leaders’ rejection of Christ led to the Cross and having Him crucified.

The people present who called for Christ’s crucifixion, also took responsibility for it, crying out to Pilate, “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matt. 27:25).

But at the Cross, after He was crucified, the Lord prayed in amazing mercy, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Their sin and blasphemy against Christ was forgiven by the Father in answer to the Son’s prayer. The reason why is that the crucifying of God’s Son was a sin of ignorance.

The Lord prayed for the Father to forgive them because “they know not what they do.” Later, Peter, in Acts 3, told Israel, “And now, brethren, I wot [or I know] that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17).

Under the law, there were sacrifices and offerings for sins of ignorance and a provision could be made for their forgiveness. However, for willful sins of presumption there was no provision for forgiveness.

Numbers 15:30-31 reads: “But the soul that doeth ought [or sins] presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among His people.

“Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken His commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.”

“Presumptuously” means with a high hand. To sin presumptuously is a bold, deliberate act of transgression against the fullest evidence, and in spite of Divine authority.

This kind of conduct in Israel reproached the Lord, because it treated His commands as needless and unreasonable and that His judgment wasn’t to be feared or respected.

That person under the law was condemned to be cut off from Israel, and to bear their own iniquity and they would not be forgiven.

This describes Israel’s sin after the Holy Spirit came. They sinned with a high hand. It was an act of transgression against the fullest evidence.

The Spirit bore witness to Christ’s resurrection and identity as Israel’s Messiah and He did so with undeniable proof and power.

Further, by the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit through His messengers the Spirit brought Israel the Word of the Lord and glorified God’s Son.

God did not let Israel continue in her ignorance. He had Peter, by the Spirit, tell them that what they had done was wrong, how they “denied the Holy One and the Just…and killed the Prince of life” (Acts 3:14-15).

As a result, Israel was longer ignorant of what they had done in crucifying their Messiah. In response to the Spirit’s ministry, however, many in the nation despised the Word of the Lord.

By rejecting the Spirit’s ministry and message, those in Israel knowingly and willfully sinned against and blasphemed the Spirit. And for this there was no forgiveness.

In the Old Testament, Israel rejected God the Father. In the Gospel records, they rejected God the Son. In early Acts, they rejected God the Holy Spirit. In blaspheming the Spirit by their unbelief, they rejected the Godhead in totality.

After sending God the Holy Spirit, God didn’t have any more members of the Trinity to send them! The Holy Spirit was their last chance to repent, believe, and be saved. And that’s why blaspheming the third person of the Trinity was unforgivable.

We see in Matthew 12 that Israel’s leaders rejected God’s Son during His earthly ministry to the nation of Israel. In early Acts, we find these leaders of Israel rejecting the testimony of the Holy Spirit through Christ’s apostles who were filled with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, working mightily in Israel with signs and wonders. Those signs and wonders done in the name of Jesus Christ, confronted Israel and its leaders with overwhelming proof of Christ’s resurrection and Messiahship. Israel’s continued rejection of Christ was inexcusable through the Spirit’s ministry.

The religious leaders ignored the Spirit’s pleadings through the apostles and instead instigated a persecution against the Spirit-filled apostles, in which they threatened them, imprisoned them, and beat them.

And it all came to a climax in Acts 7, when Stephen confronted their sin and unbelief.

Stephen was “a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” Acts 6:5 says. He stood before Israel’s ruling religious body. He confronted them about their willful rejection of Christ, their refusal to open their hearts, and their guilt of resisting the Holy Spirit, saying,

“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, YE DO ALWAYS RESIST THE HOLY GHOST: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers” (Acts 7:51-52).

In rage, these men then ran upon Stephen, seizing him and dragging him outside the city gates and stoned him to death with their own hands.

These religious leaders committed the unpardonable sin that Christ warned Israel’s leaders about. Israel’s leaders had been presented with overwhelming evidence that Jesus Christ was alive and was both Lord and Christ.

The religious leaders blasphemed the Spirit by their rejection of His miraculous, powerful ministry in pointing Israel to Christ, by their refusal to accept the witness of the Holy Spirit as to who Jesus Christ was, and by their murder of Stephen.

Stoning Stephen with their own hands, in that time and place, at that moment of history, Israel’s religious leaders crossed a line they could never uncross.

They sealed their fate. Their sin was unpardonable because it represented a decisive, national rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel.

As Stephen was being stoned, in a similar prayer as his Savior, “he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” However, this prayer for forgiveness of the nation was not granted by the Father, because it was not a sin of ignorance. It was a willful sin. They knew what they were doing.

Israel, at this point, as a whole had rejected God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God dealt with the people of Israel as a nation.

When the majority of people in Israel obeyed, God blessed them, even the rebellious among them. When the majority of the people were disobedient, God punished them, even the faithful among them.

And at this point is when Israel fell in her unbelief. On the prophetic clock, it was time to purge Israel and the world of unbelief through the events of the 7-year Tribulation. At this point is when “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” should have begun.

But instead, God ushered in a previously unknown dispensation of the grace of God in which grace reigns and grace is greater than all our sin.

Romans 5:20-21 reads, “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:20-21 is the solution for the anxiety that the unpardonable sin has brought to many. “Sin abounded” when Christ had been crucified, and after His resurrection, though the Spirit’s ministry powerfully revealed that Christ was risen and was Israel’s Messiah, Christ’s enemies and Israel’s leaders willfully stood by what they had done and they stoned Stephen.

But instead of the stoning of Stephen resulting in the seven-year Tribulation, God temporarily suspended His program with Israel, and “grace did much more abound” and God turned to the nations and ushered in a dispensation of the grace of God.

We live under a different program now. The unpardonable sin cannot be committed under grace. That warning by Christ was for Israel and her religious leaders. It was made in accord with Israel’s prophetic program and the coming of the Spirit to Israel. It had to do with Israel’s rejection of Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to Israel.

When God set Israel aside in unbelief, that unpardonable sin was likewise set aside and does not apply to us. God has rendered it impossible to commit this sin today. So when we rightly divide God’s Word, the unforgivable sin will not strike fear in our hearts.

By rightly dividing the Word, we understand that today we are under grace. And under grace, grace reigns supreme. Grace triumphs over all our sin.

When Paul wrote that “grace did much more abound” it means that grace “hyper abounded” or “super abounded.” In other words, we’re not talking about normal, regular, everyday grace here. This is super grace. This is grace that the world has never seen before, because we are in the dispensation of grace in which grace reigns.

This grace super abounds over any TYPE of sin that a person commits today. No matter what sin it is, it makes no difference, grace abounds over it and it can be forgiven.

And grace super abounds over any AMOUNT of sin a person commits. You cannot sin too much to be saved by the grace of God.

No person is beyond the reach of God’s grace. All can be saved by grace. And God’s super-abounding grace freely gives those who believe, “eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The warning of the unpardonable sin does not in any way need to cause us to worry or doubt, because God’s Word to us today tells us that,

“In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Colossians 2:13 teaches, “And you, being dead in your sins…hath He quickened [made alive] together with Him, having forgiven you ALL trespasses.”

We are forgiven all our sins, past, present, and future, the moment we trust that Christ died for our sins and rose again.

There is no unforgivable sin today. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven by the super-abounding grace of God in this dispensation of grace. Christ’s precious blood washes away all our sins the moment we believe and trust Christ as our Savior.

And remember, our apostle, the Apostle of the Gentiles, Paul, was a blasphemer. He wrote in 1 Timothy 1:13: “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy…”

And 1 Timothy 1:16 teaches that our salvation follows Paul’s pattern under grace. Paul was a former blasphemer who was saved by the mercy, longsuffering, and grace of God, which teaches us that blasphemy can be and is forgiven by God in this present age.

No one needs to fear committing the unpardonable sin which the Lord warned about in His earthly ministry. God’s program change, and under grace there is no sin that cannot be forgiven by God’s abounding grace.

And there is also no sin that can be committed by a believer that could ever cause God to take away their salvation. Nothing could ever separate us from His love.

As the old hymn of the faith says, and we should sing it out with all our heart,

“Wonderful grace of Jesus, Greater than all my sin; How shall my tongue describe it, Where shall its praise begin? Taking away my burden, Setting my spirit free; For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.”