On numerous occasions a question comes to the surface regarding the unpardonable sin. Many sense that in the past or even in the present, they are involved with things that they know are wrong. The question is, “Will God forgive me or have I gone too far and there is no hope?

The story that is referred to is found in three of the Gospel accounts of which one of them is Matthew 12:24-32. Jesus was healing the sick people that came to Him and also casting out the demons from people. The religious leaders of Jerusalem seemed to be jealous of the popularity that Jesus had because many came to Him for healing. Because of that jealousy, they tried to counteract what Jesus was doing and began to falsely accuse Jesus of casting out demons and doing His good work, not by the power of God, but by the power of the devil. Jesus then makes the statement that all manner of sin shall be forgiven unto men, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.

Through Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, God has provided that all our sin can be forgiven. Out of love for mankind, the total debt is paid for by God Himself. 1st John 2:2 tells us that Jesus paid the debt of sin for the whole world which includes every human being that ever lived, is living now, or ever will live.

However, being forgiven does not come automatically. The requirement for anyone to be forgiven is to confess the sin and ask God to forgive (1st John 1:9). God also requires that all need to repent (Matthew 4:17). Repentance is first of all a change in our thinking. Instead of thoughts of doing sinful activities we need to start thinking about God’s commands. Right thinking will eventually turn a person 180 degrees from the direction he was going to a totally new way of life. The fact is that no one is able to turn away from sinful things just by his/her own human strength and willpower. We need to be filled with the Spirit of God in order to have the ability to turn away from sin.

That brings us back to the unpardonable sin or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The unforgivable sin is when one rejects God’s forgiveness by refusing to let God help them overcome sin. So all sin is forgivable, no matter what we have done in the past or present. The only time sin is not forgivable is when we reject God’s gift of forgiveness by rejection of God’s Spirit who wants to empower us to overcome the sin we have been enslaved to.

So we go back to the original question. Has any one of us committed the unpardonable sin? The answer is affirmably no. The only way it becomes unpardonable is if we make it unpardonable by rejecting God’s forgiveness and His power to overcome. So the good news is that we can have forgiveness, but God loves us too much to let us continue in that way of life. He has provided the necessary tools and power to break the habits of sin.

My prayer is that every one of us would experience God’s forgiveness and the victorious power of His presence with us to overcome. May God bless you!