WHAT IS THE
UNPARDONABLE SIN? CAN A BELIEVER COMMIT THIS SIN?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
Matthew 12:31-32 says "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 be forgiven
him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him,
either in this age or in the age to come" (NKJV).
I reckon that this is a difficult text of Scripture. It is exclusive to the Gospel of Matthew
and has been the subject of heavy theological discourse. I do not purport to have
a precise answer to the question. I will nonetheless put my thoughts across and
welcome critical responses from readers.
In order to critically examine these two questions, I wish to introduce three
further questions to guide our discussion.
1) Was Jesus addressing the Pharisees or His disciples (church) in this
context?
2) If He was reacting to the Pharisees' statement in Matthew 12:24, [which
appears to be the logical deduction from the passage context], what exactly was
the issue with the Pharisee statement?
3) Can a believer commit this kind of blasphemy? If so, under what
circumstances would this arise?
PASSAGE ANALYSIS
In Matthew 12:22-32, Jesus was reacting to the blasphemy committed by the
Pharisees who had stubbornly rejected Christ's Messianic authority and His
divinity as God incarnate despite two key affirmations standing in Christ's
favor:
First, the Old Testament Scripture clearly spoke of Christ's incarnate coming
and of His Messianic works (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 9:6-7; 61:1-9). The Pharisees
were religious scholars of high repute who sat on the seat of Moses. They ought
to have sufficiently understood the Scriptures that touched on Christ's coming.
Secondly, Jesus performed several miracles in the presence of the Pharisees,
including the immediate case of the demon possessed, blind, and mute man which
is captured in the passage of context (Matthew 12:22-24). The man was fully
restored, leaving no doubt that God was at work under that process.
Despite the glaring facts that authenticated Jesus Messianic authority and
power, the Pharisees not only rejected Him but mocked His works, attributing
them to Beelzebub (Satan), the ruler of the demons (Matthew 12:24). Jesus
discerned their evil hearts and their sworn opposition to the things of God. He
took the opportunity to proclaim that the rebellion and wickedness of the
Pharisees was beyond redemption. They had committed the unpardonable sin. Jesus' address was primarily intended for the Pharisees in this context and His disciples were witnesses to this compelling pronouncement from our Savior and Master.
The Pharisees had rejected the conviction of the Holy Spirit and blatantly
misrepresented the works of God by attributing them to Satan. There can be no
greater act of blasphemy against God!
Jesus went on to demolish the theory advanced by the Pharisees. He taught that
it was impossible for Satan's kingdom to be divided and fight against
itself. This is similarly true of the kingdom of God. Those who are in
Christ will inescapably pull from the same end of the rope. They cannot cross
the middle line and join the adversaries of God!
Simply put, Jesus was confirming the obvious: that His divine works were from
God and that the claims by the Pharisees were not only false but utterly
blasphemous and inexcusable on earth and in the life to come. The Pharisees had
committed high blasphemy! In their stubbornness, they had crossed the
Rubicon, the point of no return.
Jesus used their case to warn that anyone who walks after the manner of the
Pharisees will be guilty of crossing the red line. He taught that those
who commit the kind of blasphemy will face eternal damnation. There will be no
opportunity for such brazen rebellion to be forgiven. To sin against the Holy
Spirit is to persistently and blatantly deny God's sovereignty and His divine
works of the cross. It is an insult against the very person of God after
opportunity has been presented for conviction and repentance!
Michael Houdmann opines that there is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. He adds thus: "To reject the only Savior is to be left with no means of salvation; to reject the only pardon is, obviously, unpardonable.[1] Houdmann acknowledges Christ's preeminence. His atonement is the exclusive means by which sinners could be reconciled to a holy and righteous God.
David Naselli observes that "the unpardonable sin is not an accidental, impulsive, or unguarded slip of the tongue. It is deliberately repudiating the truth about Jesus."[2]. Naselli rightly rules out any inadvertence in the act of blasphemy. The offender cannot hide behind the excuse of human error or misjudgment. The unpardonable sin is a deliberate and well thought out transgression committed with intent and open dereliction.
Billy Graham Evangelistic Ministry asserts that the unpardonable sin is "deliberately resisting the Holy Spirit's witness and invitation to turn to Jesus until death ends all opportunity". [3]. This assertion is consistent with Naselli's observation.
Rothwell Mel-Thomas avers that the unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He opines that blasphemy includes ridicule and attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil."[4]. The Pharisees were guilty of religious ridicule and belligerence. They openly mocked Christ and reacted to His works with naked disdain. Their religious scholarship and theological mien was irreconcilable. They simply did not care to search the Scriptures to discover the revelation of the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ who was God incarnate.
These four theological sources are agreed on one ontological script - that the unpardonable sin is willfully and consciously committed by the violator. It is not the result of sheer inadvertence or misapprehension.
CAN A BELIEVER
COMMIT THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?
This is the million-dollar question that we now seek to examine. Can a
true follower of Jesus Christ commit the kind of blasphemy contemplated by
Jesus in Matthew 12:31-32? This question has been met with varying responses
including the classical view that the unpardonable sin could only have been
committed by a person who met Jesus in person during His earthly ministry.
Others have argued that the sin could only have been committed during the
period coinciding with the Acts of the Apostles when the Holy Spirit was
supernaturally working in the church. They cite the example of Ananias and
Sapphira's instant condemnation as evidence of this violation (Acts
5:1-11).
My view is that it is impossible for a true believer to commit the kind of blasphemy contemplated by Jesus in the above passage.
Here is why....
A true child of God cannot and will never knowingly misrepresent God or deny
His works of righteousness that God accomplished through Christ's atonement. They can discern the
working and presence of Christ and distinctly identify His divine voice through
the word of God and by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus taught in John 10:14-16 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My
sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the
Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and
there will be one flock and one shepherd." (NKJV).
It is therefore impossible for a true believer to deny the Master or
persistently resist the convictions of the Holy Spirit to the point of no
return. This is not to suggest that a believer can attain sinless
perfection under the sun. A believer can never attain spiritual and moral
perfection on earth (1 John 1:8-10). However, he is open to the grace of God by
reason of the new covenant written in Christ's sinless blood (2 Cor. 5:21;
Hebrews 4:14-16).
The Bible teaches in John 1:12-13 "But as many as received Him, to them He
gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God." This identity is significant in our covenant relationship with God and underscores our transformation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), our eternal union with Christ at His soon coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and the indelible listing of our names in the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 20:14-15).
In Ephesians 4:30, the Bible exhorts believers saying: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God who leads and guides him in truth (John 14:25-26).
CONCLUSION
My view is that those who are in Christ cannot willfully rebel against the God in the manner that the Pharisees had done. They will not blaspheme God or reject the authority of the word of God. They may inadvertently slide into disobedience and and earn God's rebuke and chastisement (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:6) but they shall never insult the works of God or fail to discern the revelation of Scripture or the leading of the Holy Spirit. They will find their way to the narrow path whenever they err and will walk therein (James 5:19-20).
Allow me to conclude with one profound text of Scripture:
1 Corinthians 12:3 says "Therefore I make known to you that no one
speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that
Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit."
Keep it Christ.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
[1] Michael Houdmann,
"What is the Unforgivable Sin?" in GotQuestions.org,
https://www.gotquestions.org/unpardonable-sin.html accessed 8 April 2025 at
1400 GMT.
[2] Andrew David
Naselli, "The Unpardonable Sin" in The Gospel Coalition,
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-unpardonable-sin/ accessed 8 April
2025 at 1411 GMT.
[3] Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, "What is the Unpardonable Sin? I am Afraid I May
Have Committed It", in BillyGraham.org.,
https://billygraham.org/answers/what-is-the-unpardonable-sin-i-am-afraid-i-may-have-committed-it
accessed 8 April 2025 at 1421 GMT.
[4] Rothwell
Mel-Thomas & Hellen Rothwell, A Catechism of the Christian Religion: The
Doctrines of Christianity with Special Emphasis on Wesleyan Concepts, (Schmul
Publishing, 1998) p.78.
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