What is “The Unforgivable Sin?” - Andy Webb

As a Christian pastor, my first duty is to tell people the bad news that they are all sinners, and that the wages of sin is death. But thankfully,my second duty is to tell people the good news of the gospel, that although they are sinners, they can be forgiven of their sins, regardless of how many and how terrible they are, and have eternal life through faith alone in Jesus Christ. I often say that there is no sin so terrible that the blood of Christ cannot wash its stain away. But we are about to read that there is one sin that is so terrible that it cannot be forgiven, and I have encountered many Christians who were worried that they were guilty of it. 

For instance, I used to meet on a weekly basis with two men (both of whom have since passed away) who were in the State Veterans home and on my second visit with one of them, this man at death’s door shared with me that he thought that he had committed this sin when he was a young man in the army, and that as a result, he had grave doubts that he could be saved. What I did with him at the time is what I’d like to do today, which is to read Matthew 12:22-32 and talk about this sin and the men who had actually committed it. We need to do this because if there is one sin that is so terrible that it cannot be forgiven, in this life or the next, we need to know what it is.

Matthew 12:22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"

24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27 "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

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.

32 "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will beforgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

The context of these verses is the increasing confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. In a previous encounter the Pharisees had accused Jesus of breaking the Law of God by healing a man on the Sabbath, but Jesus had shown them from the scriptures how deeds of mercy far from being forbidden were actually called for on the Sabbath, and that what he had done by healing was good not evil. 

No matter how hard they tried, the Pharisees couldn’t beat Jesus but they were determined not to join him, so they’d begun conspiring, plotting together against him, and they’d come up with a unified twopart response to his ongoing ministry. 

The first part was designed to deal with his miracles: Now today, when you talk about how the miracles of Jesus, are proof that He is the son of God, those who are opposed to Christ can simply deny that they ever happened, but the Pharisees couldn’t do that. For instance in this case Jesus had healed a man who was blind and mute. Jesus had healed men who were blind because of natural reasons before, but in this casethere was a supernatural reason, the man was demon possessed. Unlike the blind men who had followed Jesus and cried out, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" this man couldn’t speak. But he was brought to Jesus and Jesus had compassion on him, had cast out the demon, and he was healed. 

The Pharisees couldn’t deny it happened, or that nothing had been wrong with the man before Jesus healed him. In fact, the crowd who had seen it happen are amazed, literally “besides themselves” with astonishment, and they begin to ask the very thing the Pharisees were afraid the people might come to believe, “This couldn’t be the Messiah, could it?” That’s not quite faith in Jesus, but it’s much too close for the Pharisees, so they immediately deploy their first response which they’d already used before in Matthew 9:34. “Of course he’s not the Son of David, the Messiah, he’s exactly the opposite, He’s a servant of the Devil!” Specifically they say, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."

Beelzebub is a nickname – it means literally the Lord of the Flies. What do flies go to? Dead things and Dung. The Pharisees were saying that Jesus had the spirit of corruption and death, all things stinking and unclean. We know him as the Devil or Satan. They are saying Jesus is not the Messiah; he’s an evil sorcerer who uses the power of Satan to heal and to cast out demons. Believe it or not that answer was to become the standard Rabbinic response to the ministry of Jesus for centuries, and even written into the Talmud which stated:

“On (Sabbath eve and) the eve of Passover, Jesus the Nazarene was hanged and a herald went forth before him forty days heralding, "Jesus the Nazarene is going forth to be stoned because he practiced sorcery and instigated and seduced Israel to idolatry. Whoever knows anything in defense may come and state it." But since they did not find anything in his defense they hanged him on (Sabbath eve and) the eve of Passover.”

Jesus being God knew what the Pharisees were thinking and whispering to the people, and he points out the absurdity of their suggestion. Why would Satan be attacking his own demons? Is there a civil war going on in the kingdom of darkness? Jesus pointed out what everyone knew from experience, that kingdoms at war with themselves don’t last long. Most empires, in fact, were destroyed from within. The devil is malicious but he is not at war with himself. Satan hated God, he hated men created in the image of God, and he didn’t heal them or help them. The devil’sonly desire was to harm them. 

Jesus also pointed out that He was not the only one who claimed to be able to exorcize demons, friends and followers of the Pharisees also claimed to do this. Jesus is saying, are you really saying that it might be by the power of the devil that your followers cast out demons? What do you think they would say to you if you suggested that to THEM?

He says, you know what’s really going on here, I’m casting demons out by the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and that means that the Messiah has come and the Kingdom has come. Immanuel (God with us)Has come to rescue His people from the power of sin and darkness.

In verse 29, Jesus says, You want proof?  You know how this works. The home owner doesn’t call the burglar and tell him, “Come burgle my house, I’ll help you!” Smaug doesn’t invite Bilbo in and suggest various items of high value to take away. The burglar can’t expect any sort of help or welcome. No, says Jesus, the burglar first ties up the homeowner and then, he can take what he wishes. That, says Jesus, is what I have done. He does this because Satan, being a creature, can do nothing that God does not permit him to do. Satan is bound and powerless to oppose the Son of God.

When the disciples returned from their missionary journey we read in Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Then Jesus turns it around in verse 30 and says, there are only two sides in this contest. It’s me and those who are with me, and the devil and those who are with him. If you’re not with me, and clearly, you aren’t, O Pharisees, then IT’S YOU who are servants of the devil working not to gather in God’s harvest but to scatter it. 

Now, you remember the people had said, “Could this be the Son of David?” They were indicating they weren’t sure. They were saying they wanted to remain neutral and make up their minds later. But Jesus has said, there is no “on the fence” no theological Switzerland, no neutrality here. "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” All men are either for Jesus or against Him. Implied in this is the question, “Which side are you on?”and the challenge, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve!”

How will the Pharisees stop the people from deciding for Christ? Obviously, they can’t stop the working of the Holy Spirit in men’s hearts, but they can make it very difficult for anyone to openly follow Jesus. That is the second part of their two-part response. They had already decided that if anyone confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, that they would excommunicate them:  

John 9:22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

They couldn’t stop people from being born again, from believing in Jesus, but they could make life incredibly miserable for anyone who did.

So, Jesus gives them a final warning, a warning that there is anunforgiveable sin that they had become guilty of, namely blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. 

What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is seeing the miraculous, undeniably good works of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus was doing and knowing what they meant, and knowing that they were proof that Jesus is the Son of God, and then saying, “That’s the work of the Devil!” It is seeing something is the good work of God, the Holy Spirit and knowing it, but then saying it is evil! That is precisely what the Devil and his demons do, they hate the work of God in saving and redeeming men and in overthrowing their work, and so they stir men up to call what they know to be good evil. 

Many men blaspheme Jesus prior to their conversion, I did, I said awful things about Him, His people, and His church, so did Paul, and John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace. We were all once blind, our understandings were darkened, and we denied who Jesus was. But when the light of the Holy Spirit enters into a man’s heart, and brings in new life, the scales fall away and he sees Jesus for who He truly is – The Only Savior for Sinners and He flees to Him for salvation so that He too can say of the forgiving, life changing, eye opening grace of God - Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. The sinful things he said and thought about Christ are instantaneously forgiven.

But the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a different kettle of fish, Jesus says that particular sin won’t be forgiven in this age or in the age to come. The age to come is the time after the Second Coming of Jesus and Final Judgment. This sin is something that will consign someone to Hell forever. The Pharisees were guilty of that sin, and there was no fear of God in their eyes so they remained unconcerned. What was important to them was their status, their position, and their control. They were even willing to kill the one they knew to be the Messiah to keep hold of them.

Is it possible then for others to commit this sin? I believe it is, but thatit’s extraordinarily difficult as Mark Ross points out:

“Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin, but it is not one most people are capable of committing. Most people do not know enough about what God alone can do to commit this sin, for it is attributing what is plainly the supernatural work of God to the power of Satan, on the part of someone who knows that what he is saying is a wicked lie. A person born again by the Spirit of God cannot commit this sin.” – Mark E. Ross

I will give you an example of that sin: When I was a young man in the University of St. Andrews, on the occasions when I went to classes I would usually pass through an ancient gateway next to St. Salvator’s Chapel, and as I did so I would pass over cobblestones that were shaped into the initials P.H. I learned that those initials stood for Patrick Hamilton, and that they marked the place where he, the first Protestant Scottish martyr, had been burned as a heretic. Sadly, I didn’t care to know any more at the time. But since then, I have learned much about him, you can read his story in Foxe’s book of Martyrs. Hamilton who was born in 1504 was the son of nobleman who had been promised the position of Abbot of Fearn Abbey, Ross-shire at the age of 13, all he had to do was get his degree to be installed in that very lucrative position. So, he studied in Paris and during that time, he heard about the doctrines that the Reformer Martin Luther was preaching, and he came to see that they and not the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church were what was taught in the Bible. When Hamilton returned to St. Andrews, he preached and taught things like “A man is only justified by faith in Christ.” and “A man, so long as he liveth, is not without sin” and “A good man doth good works: good works do not make a good man.” 

None of the Roman Catholic clergy in St. Andrews could refute what Hamilton was teaching, and to quote Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, “his enemies could not stand the light, and finding that they were unable to defend themselves by argument, resolved upon violence and revenge.”They adopted the same course of action against Hamilton, that Pharisees adopted against Christ.   Archbishop Beaton of St. Andrews conspired with the secular authorities to have him burned at the stake as soon as possible. In the short time of his imprisonment, a friar named Campbell was sent to his cell to try to get Hamilton to recant his beliefs. Campbell not only failed, but he also privately confessed to Hamilton that he believed what Hamilton taught to be the truth. 

When the day of execution came the people of St. Andrews gathered believing it would not actually take place, after all Hamilton was only 24 and he was closely related to the king. Besides, Hamilton was so manifestly godly and earnest and gentle in his nature and teaching they couldn’t believe anyone would want to kill him. But the hatred of Archbishop Beaton and the Roman Catholic clergy was implacable. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs tells us about what transpired on that day: 

“When he was tied to the stake, he expressed great joy in his suffering, since by these he was to enter into ever-lasting life. A train of powder being fired, it did not kindle the fuel, but only burnt his face, which occasioned a delay till more powder was brought; and in that time the friars called repeatedly to him to recant, to pray to the Virgin, and to say the Salve Regina. Among the rest, Friar Campbell, who had been with him in prison, was very officious. Hamilton answered Campbell, that he knew he was not a heretic, and reminded him that he had confessed it to him in private, and charged him to answer for that at the throne of Almighty God. By this time the gunpowder was brought, and the fire being kindled, he died, often repeating these words, “Lord Jesus, receive my soul.” His relentless persecutor, Campbell, soon after became deranged, and died without recovering his reason.”

That man, Friar Campbell, saw the truth, He saw the work of the Holy Spirit in and through Patrick Hamilton, and yet he lied and called it evil and the work of the devil and sought to have him killed, just as readily as the Pharisees saw the work of the Holy Spirit in what Jesus was doing, and yet they lied and called it the work of the devil and sought to kill Him. That, dear reader, is the unforgivable sin, it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 

I know that the fellow in the VA I visited had said some terrible things about Christ and His church, but he had not committed that sin, I seriously doubt anyone reading this has or will ever commit it. But while committing that sin is a sure way to go to hell, we need to remember that Jesus here warned there was another way, and that was simply not to be with Him, and thus against Him. If you are not IN CHRIST, you are still IN YOUR SINS, and be assured if you remain in them, they will drag you down to Hell. 

That’s the bad news, but here is the Good News; some men think that while they haven’t committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, their other sins are unforgivable. It’s not true: Jesus said in verse 31, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men. What then is necessary for that to happen? Paul tells us in Romans 10:8-13

Romans 10:8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."