What does the Bible say?
"And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." Matthew 12:31
"And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." Luke 12:10
"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." Hebrews 6:4-6
Many people, after reading the above verses from the Bible, worry if maybe THEY have committed the one sin that God cannot forgive. Some of us have said and done some pretty bad things in our lives, but the Bible tells us that if we come to JESUS, He will ALWAYS forgive us.
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." John 6:37
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
" '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.' " Isaiah 1:18
The "unpardonable sin" looks to be different though. Why? What's going on? Is it possible that in the past you have done and said things so evil that God cannot forgive you? You might even be asking, "How can I KNOW that God has forgiven me after all the hate I have had in my heart and after all the evil I have done? Is it possible that I have committed the unpardonable sin?"
As we have read in Matthew 12:31; Luke 12:10; Hebrews 6:4-6 above, it is clear that it's the "blasphemy against the Spirit" that will not be forgiven. So does this mean that if I have CURSED God and hated all that I believed He stands for I will never be forgiven? Have I committed the "unpardonable sin"?
To really understand this we need to look at what it is that the Holy Spirit does in our lives. What did Jesus say the Spirit would do?
"When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth" John 16:13
Because you are reading this right now indicates that the Holy Spirit is still drawing you to Jesus and His love. If you had actually "blasphemy against the Spirit" you would not likely have any interest in this subject and would not likely be here wanting to know if you have already passed "the point of no return".
Ask yourself this, "Am I just worried about being punished, or am I actually worried that I have disappointed Jesus and will never get to bring honor to Him?" If you are "worried" about disappointing Jesus, if you are worried that you will never be kind and gentle, loving and loyal then it is most likely that you have NOT committed the unpardonable sin. It's the Holy Spirit who puts in our hearts the desire to be saved. It is He who points us to Jesus who is our salvation and is Truth personified, but if you choose to continue to resist His pleading then it will be too late.
In Summary:
God can and will forgive ALL who come to Him in humility and repentance asking for forgiveness, regardless of what our past was like, but if we do not sincerely ask then how then can He forgive? The one sin that God cannot forgive is the one that you refuse to ask Him to forgive.
Let's put it another way. It is impossible to "out-sin" God's forgiveness. There is NO sin that He cannot or will not forgive except the sin that we are not willing to repent of. His Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and He even leads us to repentance, but God will never force us to repent.
Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ; but he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him.
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Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God's word, through His servants, or by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when one ray of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul.
Praise God!
If we ask then we can be assured that He will forgive, no matter what's in our past.
For further study:
- Who are My Brethren
- Click here to understand why God permitted sin in the first place.
