The Unpardonable Sin

I.               Introduction

A.  Forgiveness

B.  Background

1.    This statement from Jesus is found in the three gospels: Matthew (Matthew 12:32), Mark (Mark 3:29), and Luke (Luke 12:10).

2.    This narrative is found in the section where Jesus has been tested by the Pharisees repeatedly.

a.    He has chosen the twelve apostles not long before this event. (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19)

b.    The Pharisees have challenged Him regarding the Sabbath twice.

c.    However, the crowd starts asking, “Can this be the Son of David?” and wonders if Jesus was the Messiah.

d.    The Pharisees quickly step in and accuse Him of being in league with , and that is why He has the power to exorcise demons.

3.    Jesus responds with a logical argument that if He was doing these things by the power of Satan then Satan would be defeating himself.

a.    Jesus scolds the Pharisees, telling them that if they are not with Him, they are against Him.

b.    He then asks them to consider that if He is doing these things by the Spirit of God, the Kingdom they have been looking for (and King) is right before them.

c.    He then warns that blasphemy (speaking ill or evil of) will be forgiven except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

d.    Note: Luke includes Jesus’ statement in a conversation with the apostles, teaching them not to fear the religious leaders’ power but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees (Luke 12:8-12).

4.    We know that Jesus often spoke harshly to the religious leaders of the day because they refused to believe in Him, but to tell them that there is a sin which cannot be forgiven seems extreme.

5.    Tonight, let’s search the Scriptures together to discover what this sin might be and how to avoid finding ourselves in the position of the Pharisees.

II.            What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

A.  Let’s define the word blasphemy.

1.    Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines it as “ speech against another’s good name, reproachful speech against divine .”[1]

a.    Thayer’s also observes that the word is derived from two words blapto– to injure (G984) and pheme- fame or report (G5345).[2]

b.    It is typically agreed that the sin is one of the mouth (tongue sin).[3]

2.    The word is translated as slander in other passages (Matthew 15:19, Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8) and is usually in a list of sins that people engage in that can lead them to hell.

3.    In the gospels, the word is usually connected to accusations by religious leaders regarding statements Jesus makes about Himself.

a.    Luke 5:21

b.    John 10:33

4.    So, we would conclude that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be someone speaking evil or ill of God the . How might that be the case?

B.  is Key

1.    In Matthew 12:28, Jesus states that He cast out demons by the Spirit of God (Matt 12:28).

2.    A HUGE clue is found in Matthew 12:18-21, a quote from Isaiah 42:1-3.

a.    God had prophesied that the Messiah would have His Spirit upon Him, so the Messiah seekers were looking for that trait.

b.    Matthew reveals that Jesus is the manifestation of this prophecy and then follows it with an account where Jesus is accused of having the spirit of Satan instead of the Spirit of God.

3.    Matthew reveals to us that the Pharisees’ sin was attributing the work of the Spirit of God through Christ (which had been prophesied as proof of the Messiah) to Satan.

a.    Eddie Cloer makes the observation that Mark’s gospel account qualified that statement in Mark 3:30 when he records, “…for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit” (ref. Mark 3:21).

b.    Commentators like Martel Pace[4], Sellers Crain[5], J.W. McGarvey[6], and many others all attribute this specific sin to being the “unpardonable sin” of which Jesus spoke.

C.  Other Possible Meanings

1.   

a.    Some believe that this passage is a reference to the Pharisees persistent unbelief in Jesus.

b.    While this certainly leads to one’s eternal damnation, it doesn’t seem to fit the context.

c.    Also, we know from Scripture that some Pharisees did believe and that some did eventually become Christians (e.g. Paul Acts 9; Acts 15:1-5).

d.    Jesus is speaking of some specific action against God, not just a general denial of His existence.

2.   

a.    This is where I have landed in the past.

b.    While living in rebellion against God by not seeking forgiveness for sin will lead to eternal punishment, again, within the context, Jesus is speaking of something more specific.

D.  What about today?

1.    Because we do not live in a time in which we can directly accuse Jesus of working through the power of Satan it would be to engage in this sin today.

2.    Some would make the case that atheists perhaps fall into this category, but the issue with that is that they would have to believe in God and Satan for this to be true and they do not believe in either.

3.    Also, Jesus was speaking directly to a group that was seeking to intentionally destroy Him (Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6).

E.   Concluding Thoughts

1.    While there are people today who rebel against God and do not seek forgiveness as Scripture teaches they must, many of them actually believe in God and the sacrifice of Jesus.

2.    Remember John’s testimony about Jesus in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

3.    Kyle Butt has a good article at Apologetics Press that goes even more in-depth on the subject, and his conclusion is that one cannot engage in this sin today as in the 1^st century because we are not living in the times when Jesus worked His miracles.[7]

III.         Conclusion

A.  Division

1.    Abraham Lincoln quoted Jesus when he spoke of the dangers of the approaching civil war in a speech before the Illinois Republican State Convention in June of 1858.[8]

2.    Jesus proclaims in Matthew 12:30 that if we are not with Him, we are against Him.

3.    We should seek to live in such a way that we seek to draw closer to God each day, not further away from Him. He is our connection to God.

B.  Invitation

1.    God has made forgiveness possible for all through Christ.

2.    Christ’s death opened up access to forgiveness that changed everything for us.

3.    Hebrews 2:3-4