BIBLE STUDY MANUALS: THE UNFORGIVEABLE SIN, A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE

MATTHEW 12:32

THE UNPARDONABLE [UNPARDONED] SIN:

IS IT SOMETHING FOR CHRISTIANS TO BEWARE OF?

I) INTRODUCTION
A) [Mt 12:24-32]:

(v. 24) "But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, 'It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.'

(v. 25) Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand

(v. 26) If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?

(v. 27) And If I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do our people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

(v. 28) But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

(v. 29) Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.

(v. 30) He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

(v. 31) And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

(v. 32) 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 his age or in the age to come."

II) COMMENTARY

A) INTRODUCTION

[Bob Wilkin states, (Grace in Focus, 'Christians and the Unpardonable Sin", March/April 1997 issue, p. 2)]:

"The expression "the unpardonable sin" doesn't occur in Scripture. This is a label which people have put on what Jesus called, "the blasphemy against the Spirit" (Matt 12:31). Jesus said that "he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness" (Mark 3:29). At the outset we need to challenge the designation "the unpardonable sin." Jesus didn't say that "he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven." That would make the sin "unpardonable." Rather, He said that "he…never has forgiveness." That would better be described as "the unpardoned sin." The death of Christ covers all sins without exception (John 1:29). The distinction may seem unimportant. It isn't. If a person blasphemed against the Holy Spirit and then later came to faith in Christ, he would be forgiven and regenerated. Thus what Jesus is saying is that a person who commits this sin will never come to faith in Him. More about the significance of this later. It is difficult to be precise about this sin because Scripture gives only sketchy details about it (Matt 12:22-32; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 11:14-23; 12:10). All we have is a general description of what this sin is. This sin is set against the backdrop of Jesus casting out demons. Some who observed Jesus do this said, "'He has Beelzebub,' and 'By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons'" (Mark 3:22). Mark 3:28-30 gives the best explanation of this sin: "Assuredly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Let's see what we know about the unpardoned sin.

B) WHAT IS THE UNPARDONED SIN?

After the words "he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation," Mark comments "because they said, 'He has an unclean spirit'" (Mark 3:29-30). This shows that the sin in question is related to saying that Jesus has an unclean spirit. The people in question had seen the miraculous works of Jesus with their own eyes. Any reasonable person would have concluded that God had to be working through Jesus. Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders of Israel, affirmed that very point in John 3:2, "No one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him." The evidence was unmistakable. This suggests that to commit the blasphemy against the Spirit a person must do four things:

1) be aware of the miraculous works of Jesus,

2) consciously reject the logical conclusion that those works are from God,

3) believe those works are actually from the devil, and

4) tell others that Jesus' works are from the devil.

There is no clear indication by the Lord Jesus in any of the passages that anyone in His day had already committed this sin which would never be forgiven. Jesus didn't say, "You are eternally condemned because you have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit."

Jesus may well have been giving a warning and not a pronouncement of sentence. It is quite possible, therefore, that this sin is not a one-time act. Jesus could be referring to those who reject him their entire lives and die in unbelief.

Wessel comments,

"Surely what Jesus is speaking of here [Mark 3:22-30] is not an isolated act but a settled condition of the soul-the result of a long history of repeated and willful acts of sin through hardness of heart (cf. 3:5)" (NIV Bible Commentary, Mark, p. 151).

While I am inclined to agree that this likely refers to "a settled condition of the soul," there is no Scripture which makes that certain. Wessel goes too far in saying "surely." In addition, Wessel's reference to "willful acts of sin" is too general. Jesus is talking about a specific type of sin, saying that He did His works under the power of the devil and not the power of the Holy Spirit. It must be admitted that it is possible that the unpardoned sin is a one-time act. After all, for a person to see the works of Jesus and have the audacity to say that these miraculous works are the works of the devil suggests a hardness of heart of amazing proportions. Is it not possible that Jesus is saying that a person can become so hardened of heart that he or she will never come to faith and be forgiven? He would not be warning against saying some magical incantation that guarantees damnation. Rather, He would be warning against so hardening one's heart against Jesus that he or she crosses the point of no return.

C) [UNBELIEVERS CASTING OUT DEMONS?]:

Unbelievers casting out demons?

By Verse by Verse Ministry International

www.versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/unbelievers-casting-out-demons

"In reading Mark 9:39, it seems as though the Lord teaches that those who cast out demons in his name are to be treated as believers, and yet in Luke 11:18, Mark 3:26, and Matthew 12:26, Jesus says that there will be those who cast out demons in His name but He does not know them. Can you help me understand this difference?

Regarding each of the passages you cited, here are some general observations. First, Luke 9:49-50 & Mark 9:39 are both speaking of those who are working by means of the Spirit of God though not publicly identified as disciples following Jesus. These men were successfully casting out demons “in Jesus name,” which means they were operating in the power and authority of the Lord, which had been granted to them by the Spirit.

The disciples objected to these men working in this way, because these other men were not a part of the group following Jesus, but Jesus rejects their assumptions. The Lord says God is capable of working through others who were unknown to the disciples, therefore they must not judge others merely by human associations. If a person works in like manner for a shared outcome to the glory of Christ, then we can assume they are working by the same Spirit as us.

Regarding Luke 11:18, Mark 3:26, and Matthew 12:26, Jesus said that Satan will never work against his own purposes. Jesus spoke these words because the Pharisees had accused Jesus of performing a miracle of casting out a demon using the power of Satan. Jesus explained that it would be illogical to expect Satan to lend his power to anyone for the purpose of increasing the Lord's glory.

On the other hand, Jesus was NOT declaring that Satan never grants a person the power to send out a demon. On the contrary, Satan is the ruler of the demons, and therefore he can send demons into our out of an unbeliever’s body at will. Satan may grant the power to one of his agents to cast out demons from another of his agents in order to gain attention and loyalty from an audience for his evil agenda. False teachers and false prophets have long demonstrated supernatural power granted by Satan, including the power to control the demonic realm. The enemy uses this deception to win an audience for his claims.

But as Jesus said, the enemy will never use his power to further the glory or goals of the Lord, which was the point Jesus was making to the Pharisees. Therefore, we cannot say that those who cast out demons must be believers, because sometimes unbelievers cast out demons to further the purposes of Satan. We can only say that those who bring glory to Jesus in their work to further the kingdom are not our enemies.

This truth explains why in Matthew 7:22 Jesus declares that some will prophesy and cast out demons in Jesus’ name yet He will say He doesn’t know them at the judgment. These are unbelievers who were under the influence of false teaching and were working in the power of Satan to accomplish great miracles, but they didn’t have the Spirit and didn’t know the true Gospel. Present-day examples of such people include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and unbelievers trapped in many pentecostal movements around the world.

Furthermore, there is no example in scripture of the Lord granting an unbeliever spiritual power to perform miracles, but there are many occasions of Satan granting such power to unbelievers (including the antichrist to come). Therefore, we cannot make a determination concerning someone’s spiritual status (i.e., believer vs. unbeliever) merely on the basis of whether they can perform supernatural signs. This is why the Bible warns against seeking for such signs.

Finally, the Bible is clear that the unbeliever's prayers are not "heard" by God in the sense that the Spirit isn't working within such a person to bring their prayers into alignment with the will of God nor does Jesus intercede on their behalf.

C) CAN THIS SIN BE COMMITTED TODAY?

The fact that this sin is not mentioned in the NT epistles might suggest that it couldn't have been committed after Jesus left the earth. Maybe a person had to actually see His miracles and then attribute them to Satan to commit this sin. Of course, this can't be proved. This is merely a possible conclusion. I am inclined to the view that the unpardoned sin is cosmic unbelief, calculated wholehearted rejection of Jesus and His message, culminating in a vitriolic declaration that Jesus is from the devil. I don't know whether this sin only occurs over the course of a life or if it could be committed at a point in time.

D) CAN CHRISTIANS COMMIT THIS SIN?

1) ANSWER: NO BECAUSE THE CHRISTIAN'S SALVATION IS BASED SOLELY ON THE WORK OF CHRIST ALONE

Finally a question we can answer with absolute certainty! The answer is No. No Christian can commit a sin for which there will never be forgiveness. Other Scriptures make this crystal clear.

a) [Compare Jn 5:24]:

"[Jesus said], 'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him Who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life' "]

If a believer ever came into the judgment of eternal condemnation, Jesus would be proved a liar. Of course, He never lies. Thus no Christian could commit a sin which would result in loss of his salvation. That is impossible. I told the man who wrote me that he needed to reprogram his mind (Rom 12:2). He was concerned he had committed an unpardonable sin and lost his salvation. If that were possible, then Jesus is a liar and the Gospel is a sham! Unfortunately, it is possible for a believer to stop looking to Christ alone for eternal life. When that happens, assurance evaporates like steam escaping from a boiling teapot. Irrational beliefs need to be vigorously rejected. It is irrational to think that Jesus would lie. He guarantees eternal life to all who simply believe in Him. No strings are attached. The man who wrote me claims that for a time he was out of his head and wanted to damn himself forever. At one point he specifically attributed the works of Jesus to the devil, shouting this out loud to God Himself.

b) THREE THINGS MUST BE BORN IN MIND HERE

i) First, that example is not anything like the sin spoken of in the Gospels. The people there were emotionally stable and rational. The man who wrote me was, in contrast, emotionally unstable and not rational at the time.

ii) Second, this man says that before and after this time he believed that Jesus freely gives eternal life to all who simply believe in Him for it. That proves he didn't commit this sin. No matter what words he said, he couldn't commit the sin because that would violate Scripture which says that whoever believes in Christ has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment (John 5:24; 6:47).

iii) Third, the fact that the man is now concerned about it proves that he didn't commit it. Anyone who committed this sin would be hardened to the point where he would never be concerned about Jesus and His salvation.

E) CAN UNBELIEVERS COMMIT THIS SIN AND LATER DESIRE TO BE SAVED?

No. Once again, if anyone committed this sin he would forever be hardened in unbelief. There never would be a time later in life when this person would have any interest in Christ or any desire for salvation or forgiveness. Thus if any unbeliever wants to be saved, he can be. He must only believe in Christ for eternal life (Acts 16:31).

1) [Compare Ro 1:28]:

"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done"

Notice that for the unbeliever when they persistently deny truths from God they eventually reach a point of no return and God gives them over to their depraved minds without further chance to be saved.

For only by the striving of God the Holy Spirit and the provision of His gift of faith is there any chance to be saved, (Phil 1:29)****

2) [Compare Ro 8:5-15]:

(v. 5) "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

(v. 6) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

(v. 7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

(v. 8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

"The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. (v. 8) Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." =

1) MAN HAS THE CAPACITY TO OBEY GOD AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HE HAS SAID BUT HIS SINFUL NATURE HAS TURNED HIS WILL TOTALLY AGAINST THE EXERCISE OF THAT CAPACITY

a) [Compare Jn 12:37-40]:

(v. 37) '''Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

(v. 38) This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

(v. 39) For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

(v. 40) "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them."

Man has the capacity to obey God but his sinful nature has turned his will totally against the exercise of that capacity, hence he cannot please God because he will not.

Just as some individuals with the capacity and intelligence to do well in school cannot do well because they will not, i.e., they have an incorrigible attitude problem - they will not do homework, nor study, nor carry books, nor appear studious in any way because it would jeopardize their self-image and association with a peer group or for a number of other arbitrarily rebellious reasons;

so all unsaved individuals all of which have the capacity to trust alone in Christ alone unto eternal life, (otherwise God would not ask them to trust in His Son, (Jn 3:5-18, etc.), cannot please God by trusting in Christ as Savior because they will not, i.e., because they all have totally depraved natures that simply will not accept anything that God commands them to do. They cannot believe in Christ as Savior because they will not even accept the sovereignty of God in their lives over their eternal destiny.

Or consider the wife who in spite of the evidence presented cannot believe her husband has been unfaithful because she just will not accept the truth.

Since finite man has the capacity but cannot believe certain things relative to his temporal life because of prejudices, so it is indeed possible - which you have not ruled out - that man has the capacity to hear God with understanding and believe in the gospel but cannot because of his prejudice against God, i.e., his depraved will. He cannot because he will not.

F) CONCLUSION

1) HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS SIN

a) Anyone who commits it will never be pardoned later.

[Predisposition toward NOT believing in Jesus Christ for eternal life prevents one from choosing to believe and be saved unto eternal life. It is a matter of the personal volition of the individual. He is so dead set against believing in Christ that he simply cannot believe because he will not. If God abandons one to this predisposition after a long period time, then there is absolutely no chance without God's constant persuading of one to choose to believe.]

b) It is a sane, rational, deliberate attributing of the works of Jesus to the devil. It is not merely saying certain words.

[This is deliberate, willful predispostion to not believe regardless of the evidence that God has presented to the individual]

c) No Christian can commit this sin.

[Regardless of the state of mind of the Christian, the believer in Christ, all sins have been forgiven, past, present and future]

d) No one who is worried that he may have committed it has committed it.

[Implies that the predisposition is not willfully permanent. There remains a chance for the individual to be persuaded by God. God has not given up yet.]

e) Anyone who has committed this sin is totally hardened against Christ and His salvation

[This is the issue. Without the ever present persuasion of God toward the individual, then all is lost. The individual will never choose to belief on his own auspices]

2) HERE'S WHAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS SIN

a) Is this sin a one-time act or repeated or lifelong rejection of Christ?

[Depends upon the circumstances, the severity of the rejection of Christ. Most of the time a lifelong rejection is in view or at least one of many years. Bitterness toward the Creator God perhaps because of life experiences might be contributory. Blaming God for what someone else has done you one for example, may cause irreconciliable bitterness]

b) Can this sin be committed today?

[Yes. Irreconcilable hardening of the heart toward God would certainly cause this sin to prevent an individual from choosing to express a moment of faith in Jesus Christ. And when that faith never was expressed in ones mortal life, one may conclude that God had at some time ceased to strive / persuade that individual to believe in His Son]

c) Was Jesus telling people that they had already committed this sin, or was He warning them that they might be in danger of committing it?

[Circumstances today would decide the answer to this. The issue is hard heartedness, deliberate refusal to choose to believe regardless of the evidence that God has presented about Who He is to the individual]

3) FINAL WORD

I know that no one likes uncertainty, especially perfectionists. And guess who is most likely to be worried about the unpardoned sin? While I don't worry about this sin, I do sympathize with the people who do. However, God's Word promises that whoever believes in Christ has everlasting life and shall never come into judgment. So, if you're afraid you've committed the unpardoned sin, stop worrying. Jesus is not a liar! If you believe in Him for eternal life, then you've got it. It's that simple. He guarantees it."

[Note that only unbelievers can be in view then those who have have distanced themselves so far from God that He will cease to strive with them; leaving them on their own, thereafter and without the Holy Spirit striving with them. They will have no further chance to believe and be saved - their wills held captive by their sin natures against the will of God]

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IV) MAN HAS THE CAPACITY TO OBEY GOD AND UNDERSTAND AND BELIEVE IN WHAT GOD HAS SAID BUT HIS SINFUL NATURE HAS TURNED HIS WILL TOTALLY AGAINST THE EXERCISE OF THAT CAPACITY

A) [Compare Ro 8:5-15]:

(v. 5) "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

(v. 6) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

(v. 7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

(v. 8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

"The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. (v. 8) Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." =

1) [Compare Jn 12:37-40]:

(v. 37) '''Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

(v. 38) This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

(v. 39) For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

(v. 40) "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them."

Man has the capacity to obey even believe in God and His Son for eternal life but his sinful nature has turned his will totally against the exercise of those capacities, hence he cannot please God because he will not.

so all unsaved individuals all of which have the capacity to trust alone in Christ alone unto eternal life, (otherwise God would not ask them to trust in His Son at all, (Jn 3:5-18, etc.), cannot please God by trusting in Christ as Savior because they will not, i.e., because they all have totally depraved natures that simply will not accept anything that God commands them to do. They cannot believe in Christ as Savior because they will not even accept the sovereignty of God in their lives over their eternal destiny.

For example, consider the wife who in spite of the evidence presented cannot believe her husband has been unfaithful because she just will not accept the truth.

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