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The Unpardonable Sin: Can It Be Committed Today?

Nowhere in Scripture do we ever find the term "The Unpardonable Sin." People get this term from Matthew 12:31 where we read that "the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men." Here we learn what the so-called "Unpardonable Sin" is – it is blasphemy against the Spirit. So the question is not "What is the Unpardonable sin?" but rather "What is blasphemy against the Spirit?"

The case of "blasphemy against the Spirit" in the New Testament is mentioned in Mark 3:22-30 and in Matthew 12:22-32.

In Matthew 12:31-32, the Pharisees, having witnessed that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, claimed instead that the Lord was possessed by the demon"Beelzebub" (Matthew 12:24). Now notice that in Mark 3:30 Jesus is very specific about what exactly they did to commit "the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit."

So, what is the Blasphemy against the Spirit? Well, first of all, let's define "blasphemy."

blasphemeo, blas-fay-meh'-o; from Greek 989(blasphemos); to vilify; specially to speak impiously :- (speak) blaspheme (-er, -mously, -my), defame, rail on, revile, speak evil.

To "blaspheme" means to speak evil or injuriously about someone. But notice that one can blaspheme Jesus and still be forgiven (Matt. 12:32; Mark 3:28), so blasphemy against the Sprit must be something different. 

Some consider the blasphemy to be a certain "big" sin. But since many people in Scripture committed these "big" sins and were forgiven, we know that this cannot be it.

Some think it is Israel's rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah. They look at the context of Matthew 12 and notice that it is the Jewish Religious leaders Jesus was talking to, and they did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, nor listen to the Holy Spirit's testimony about Him. So they said that Jesus was from Satan, which was a blasphemous thing to say. 

Those who hold this view say that since Jesus is no longer walking the earth that this sin can no longer be committed by individuals today. 

Notice that Jesus says "anyone who…" This means anyone, not just the Israelite people of that day. Also, there are other places where people accuse Jesus of acting according to the devil, and He says nothing there about blasphemy against the Spirit. 

Some believe that it is unbelief of the Gospel. We know that those who do not believe will not go to heaven, and so will never be forgiven for their unbelief. When people refuse to listen to Him, they are committing this sin. The warning is quite strong. And if this were true, why wouldn't Jesus have just called it the "sin of disbelief"? 

Some think it is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the work of Satan. In other words, if you see someone doing something when they claim to be under the power of the Holy Spirit, you better not hint that maybe they are actually under demonic influences, because that might be the blasphemy against the Spirit. 

But this seems to go against much of what Scripture says about "testing the spirits" (1 John 4:1), and ignores warnings about how false prophets come in sheep's clothing (Matt. 7:15). It is a Christian's duty to question whether something is from God or not. 

 This blasphemy has to do with someone accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. There are other ways to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. As a result, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be committed today. Jesus Christ is not on earth. But seated at the right Hand of God. No one can witness Jesus Christ performing a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. Although there is no blasphemy of the Spirit today, we should always keep in mind there is an unpardonable state of existence--the state of continued disbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in disbelief. Continual rejection to trust in Jesus Christ is the unpardonable blasphemy.