What is the unforgivable sin?

Author: BibleAsk Team


The Unforgivable Sin/Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost

About the unforgivable sin, Jesus said, “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men” (Matthew 12:31). But what is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost?

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin and to guide us into all truth. The Holy Spirit is God’s agency for conversion. Without the Holy Spirit, no one can feel sorrow for sin, nor is anyone ever converted. “He [the Holy Spirit] will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” “He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:8, 13).

Thus, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, or the unforgivable sin, consists of progressive resistance to truth that results in a final and irrevocable decision against it, intentionally made in the full knowledge that by so doing one is intending to seek his own way in life in opposition to the Lord’s will. The conscience is hardened by continued rejection to the convictions of the Holy Spirit, and one may hardly be aware that he has made the deadly decision.

At the end, a person loses the ability to repent, and therefore cannot be saved. It is for this sin that a person cannot be forgiven, because he has rejected the Spirit that convicts of sin (John 16:8). So, if a person still feels convicted of sin and has the desire to repent, then he has not committed the unpardonable sin.

Repentance of Sin

Any sin is forgiven if a person asks for forgiveness with a repentant heart. The Lord promised, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). But when a person refuses God’s repeated calls, then he is slowly refusing the work of the Holy Spirit and thus he will be blaspheming His Name. Therefore, if a person is troubled with a haunting fear that he has committed the “unforgivable sin,” this is a conclusive evidence that he has not committed it.

In His service,
BibleAsk Team

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