Let me ask you this: Is unbelief a sin? And will God forgive an unbeliever ( if he/she remains in unbelief until death?) There you have it! The Unforgivable sin is UNBELIEF. I Believe that is biblical.
There is one unforgivible sin.
"The unforgivable sin of speaking against the
Holy Spirit has been interpreted in various ways, but the true meaning cannot contradict other Scripture. It is unequivocally clear that the one unforgivable sin is permanently rejecting
Christ (
John 3:18;
3:36). Thus, speaking against the Holy Spirit is equivalent to rejecting Christ with such finality that no future
repentance is possible. 'My spirit shall not always strive with man,' God said long ago (
Genesis 6:3).
In the context of this particular passage (
Matthew 12:22-32), Jesus had performed a great miracle of creation, involving both healing and casting out a
demon, but the
Pharisees rejected this clear witness of the
Holy Spirit. Instead they attributed His powers to Satan,
thus demonstrating an attitude permanently resistant to the Spirit, and to the deity and saving Gospel of Christ" [SIZE=-1][Henry M. Morris,
The Defender's Study Bible (Iowa Falls, Iowa: World Bible Publishers, 1995), emphasis added.][/SIZE].
What is the difference between the two types of blasphemy described in Matthew 12? Why is the sacrifice of Christ ineffective as an atonement for the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Respected Christian theologian Dr. F.F. Bruce writes,
"
Speaking against the
Son of man might be due to a failure to recognize Him for what He is. So
Paul recalls how in his pre-Christian days he thought it his duty to oppose the name of Jesus of
Nazareth. But if, having seen the light on the
Damascus road, he had deliberately closed his eyes to it and kicked out against the
goad which was directing him into the true path, that would have been the sin against the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit persuades and enables men to accept
Christ and enjoy the saving benefits of the
gospel [
John 16:8;
1 Corinthians 2:12-14;
Acts 7:51], but if anyone refuses to submit to the Spirit's gracious constraint, preferring to call good evil and evil good, how can the gospel avail for him? The deliberate refusal of the grace of God is the one sin which by its very nature is irremediable" [SIZE=-1][F.F. Bruce,
Answers to Questions (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1973), pp. 46-47.][/SIZE].
"Anyone who rejects the Holy Spirit's convicting influence and does not repent will not be forgiven, [FONT=Times, Times New Roman]'neither in this world, neither in the world to come' (
Matthew 12:32)"[/FONT] [SIZE=-1][Ray Comfort, The Unpardonable Sin,
The Evidence Bible (Gainesville, Florida: Bridge-Logo Publishers, 2001).][/SIZE].
Jesus thus regards blasphemy against the Spiritpermanently rejecting his identity (
Matthew 12:18) as attested by the Spirit's works (
12:28)as the worst of sins
[Craig S. Keener,
The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993), p. 80.].
The situation was similar at the biblical city of
Capernaum, where Jesus Christ performed an
extraordinary number of miracles and taught many important public lessons. In the end, most of the people of Capernaum remained unrepentant. Like the Pharisees, they persistently rejected the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit who bore witness to the true identity of Jesus Christ, their
Messiah.
They turned away from the abundant light graciously provided to them, and chose to remain forever in their unbelief. They persistently refused to listen to anything the Holy Spirit was telling them. Like the Pharisees, they chose self-imposed blindness. For this reason, they were strongly judged. [FONT=Times, Times New Roman]"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required
" (
Luke 12:48).[/FONT] Thus, along with nearby
Chorazin and
Bethsaida, Capernaum received a very stern warning from Jesus, [FONT=Times, Times New Roman]"It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee" (
Matt. 11:21-24)[/FONT].
How can one know whether or not they have committed "the unforgivable sin?"</B>
Bible researcher Larry Richards points out,
"This reference to an unforgivable sin has troubled many unnecessarily. Those who are concerned that they have done something for which Jesus will not forgive them show a very different attitude from the
Pharisees, who refused to accept even the most compelling evidence that Jesus was the
Son of God. The person who rejects the Spirit's message about Jesus will not be forgiven. Anyone who seeks Jesus' forgiveness certainly has not committed the unforgivable sin" [SIZE=-1][Larry Richards,
735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Fleming H. Revell, 1993), pp. 241-242.][/SIZE].
Scholars Morris and Clark further explain:
"Persons deeply troubled by a guilty
conscience often fear that they have sinned too grievously for God to forgive and save them. Others, dominated by a
carnal, calculating attitude, hope to sin to the limit and then come to Christ to escape the consequences. Thus with radically different motives, both ask
'Is it possible to sin beyond the point of being saved?'
God's ability to save is not limited by man's sinfulness. In fact, every person, before he accepts Jesus Christ as
Savior, is in total rebellion against God, though sinfulness many not manifest itself with equal intensity in every person. The
Apostle John taught believers,
'If any man
sin, we have an
advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the
propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world' (
1 John 2:1-2).
