5 Bible Questions and AnswersSample

What is the unpardonable sin, and can we commit it today?

Matthew 12:31–32 mentions a sin God will not forgive: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (NKJV). What is this unforgivable or unpardonable sin? Can we commit it today?

The text states the sin is “blasphemy against the Spirit.” However, many wonder what this means. The context of Matthew 12 reveals that those who saw the miracles Jesus had performed were attributing his power to Satan. Instead of accepting the Spirit’s work as being from God, they accused it of being from the devil. This was the unforgivable sin. These religious teachers would not be forgiven of calling God’s works the works of Satan.

But does this mean we can commit the unpardonable sin today? Not exactly. Like those who watched Jesus perform miracles, a person can still choose to attribute the power of God as being from the devil and die as an unbeliever apart from God. But unlike when Jesus spoke these words, we are not forever condemned if we make such a statement in a time of weakness. Jesus condemned a specific group of people for a specific act against the Lord. Therefore, it appears this unpardonable sin is unable to be committed in the same way today.

The larger question is whether our sin will keep us from heaven or not. Jesus taught we receive eternal life through faith in him (John 3:16). There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). There is also no good deed or work we can do that is sufficient to forgive our own sins and provide eternal life (Ephesians 2:8–9). The only way to escape the judgment of sin is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Those who truly believe in him do not need to fear somehow losing this gift. Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:37–39). Instead, we praise God for the gift of eternal life. We seek to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1–2). We are called to mature in our faith, to show God’s love, and to share Christ with others, making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20).

Even as believers, we still often commit sins. When we do, we are called to confess them (1 John 1:9). We do not need to be saved every day and receive a daily conversion, but we do need daily confession. This pattern of confessing our sins before the Lord allows us to remain in close fellowship with him and effectively fulfill his call for our lives.

However, we can take great comfort in knowing there is nothing we can do to make God love us any more or any less. Our heavenly Father loves us perfectly, just as we are. He wants to help us grow and help others as we seek to avoid sin and pursue his plans for our future.