Has your conscience ever been troubled by fears that you’d sinned so greatly that you can’t be forgiven? If so, you’re not alone. Studies show that up to 15% of religious people struggle with intense fears about their spiritual standing, including worries that they might have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit or committed the unforgivable sin. Fears like that should neither be blindly accepted nor easily dismissed. Understanding what the Scriptures teach about this gives us clarity to deal with our feelings.
The unforgivable sin isn’t just “a sin”
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is addressed three times in the Gospels, once each in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Matthew provides the longest and most detailed account. In Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus says, “I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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.”
The difficulty comes from the fact that Jesus says that “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven,” but then turns around and warns that “the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” Is He contradicting Himself? It helps to realize that Jesus is at first addressing individual sins and then dealing with a hardened position. That’s the point of contrasting “every sin and blasphemy” with “the blasphemy.” There is no single sin or act of blasphemy that would disqualify a person from seeking God’s forgiveness. But there is a position of blasphemy that places someone outside of God’s grace. To understand why we need to figure out what “the blasphemy” is, but for now, we note that it cannot just be a one-time act.
The unforgivable sin isn’t just a dismissal of Jesus
In Matthew 12:32, Jesus contrasts the person who “speaks a word against the Son of Man,” who can be forgiven, with the person “who speaks against the Holy Spirit,” who will not be forgiven. The first person may be like Peter, who rebuked Jesus (Matthew 16:22) and famously denied Him three times (Matthew 26:74). God realizes that people will get things wrong and sometimes falter in their faith. There’s nothing unforgivable about either of those things. That still doesn’t explain what can’t be forgiven, though.
The warning is against the hardened rejection of the Spirit
Most people who are worried they might have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit feel the terror of the warning without taking time to read the context. Jesus’ words were directed against the Pharisees in response to their slander in Matthew 12:24. Jesus healed a man who had been oppressed by a demon. Immediately the man’s blindness was cured, and he was enabled to speak for the first time (Matthew 12:22). People were moved and couldn’t help but wonder if Jesus was the promised Saviour (Matthew 12:23). The Pharisees, however, said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons” (Matthew 12:24).
They had been given repeated demonstrations of the Spirit’s power at work through Jesus. They had heard His claims and seen the evidence. They hadn’t just doubted it or battled unbelief. They hadn’t just dismissed it or ignored it. They saw all that the Spirit had done to persuade people that Jesus was the Messiah, and they taught that it was all demonic. Such people have hardened themselves so completely against God’s invitation to forgiveness that they will die in their sins.
It’s not that there’s a sin too terrible for God to forgive
Wayne Grudem makes a helpful clarification.
“In this case it is not that the sin itself is so horrible that it could not be covered by Christ's redemptive work, but rather that the sinner's hardened heart puts him or her beyond the reach of God's ordinary means of bringing forgiveness through repentance and trusting Christ for salvation. The sin is unpardonable because it cuts off the sinner from repentance and saving faith through belief in the truth.”
If you feel disturbed by your sin and long for Christ’s forgiveness, that in itself is evidence that you haven’t committed the unforgivable sin. You don’t need to take my word for that. God deliberately saved the worst sinner to convince you that there is forgiveness for all who truly repent and put their faith in Jesus. Hear the words of the Apostle Paul:
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
The unforgivable sin isn’t something you stumble into accidentally. It’s the settled, defiant rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ. If your sin grieves you and you desire His mercy, that itself is evidence that the Spirit is still at work in you. So turn to Him today and find rest in His forgiveness. If Jesus could display His “perfect patience” toward the worst of sinners, He’ll surely forgive you!
In awe of Him,
Paul
