I am often asked questions about the “unforgivable sin”. One of the greatest sources of anxiety among believers is confusion over issues of sin and forgiveness. Tell a confused Christian that there is an unforgiveable sin and it’s like throwing gas on a fire. So, is there an unforgiveable sin and, if so, what is it? The following verse is commonly quoted:
…but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation. (Mark 3:29 NKJV)
Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit indirectly implies that such a person has not yet been saved. Why? Because the moment someone is born again, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. (Eph 1:13 NKJV)
The Holy Spirit cannot blaspheme against Himself, because since He is God this would mean He is blaspheming against God. No, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Father and testifies to the fact that Jesus had come in the flesh:
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. (1 John 4:2 NKJV)
So, this means that no person that has been given the Holy Spirit, can speaking by the spirit blaspheme against God. If a person blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it means the Spirit they have is not the Holy Spirit, which means they have not yet been saved and therefore cannot be forgiven for their sin (because they don’t believe in Jesus). However, once such a person puts their faith in Christ, all their sins are forgiven.
When we sin, we fall into grace. The bigger our sin, the bigger the grace that covers the sin, according to Romans 5:20 (and I’m not encouraging people to go out and sin). If we ever think that there’s a sin that cannot be covered by God’s grace, we are actually saying that the punishment that was bestowed on Jesus was not harsh enough and that our sin is more powerful than the power of His forgiveness! Those who do this are trampling the grace of God under foot.
Only One Unforgivable Sin
There is one sin however, that can’t be forgiven. And this is also a very misunderstood scripture. Jesus had just told His disciples He would be going away, but that He would send the Helper to them; the promised Holy Spirit:
And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (John 16:8 NKJV)
Most people stop here and think this verse means the Holy Spirit’s job is to convict them of sin; that He is always supposed to make them feel guilty about “unholy areas” in their life. https://dellyoung.net/2019/06/09/the-holy-spirit-is-not-convicting-you/ However, most people miss the fact that there is a semi colon at the end of verse 8. This means that Jesus was about to explain what He had just said!
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:8-10 NKJV)
Verse 9 says the Holy Spirit will convict the world of their sin of unbelief in Jesus, thus He is referring to unbelievers. Also, it says “sin”, not “sins”. It is also important to know that the word “sin” here is a noun and not a verb. https://dellyoung.net/2017/04/03/sin-is-a-noun-grace-is-a-verb/
Unbelief in Jesus Christ is the only sin that Jesus could not die for. This is the only sin that God can’t forgive. A person must believe in Jesus if they want to be saved! But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)
Verses 10 and 11 of John 16 also say that the Holy Spirit will convict people of two other things:
Verse 10 – of righteousness, because Jesus went to the Father, and imputed His righteousness to believers as a free gift!
Verse 11 – of judgment, because Satan (the ruler of this world) is judged!
So, the Holy Spirit only reminds us of how righteous we are in Christ, how powerless Satan is, and He reminds unbelievers that they need to believe in Jesus. What an awesome God we serve! Therefore, if we still live with some secret fear of punishment, then we have not yet received the full revelation of the grace and love of our Father:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment [punishment]. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18 NKJV,)
Knowing how much our Father loves us will cast out all fear of punishment, because we have been made righteous forever!