Tag Archive for 'sin'

As a pastor I’ve been asked the question with some regularity, usually by a young person, “Is there a sin that can’t be forgiven?” In fact, the question was posed to me recently by one of our youth at CoJ. The question is most often provoked by a study of either Mark 3:28-29, where Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin;” or Matthew 12:31-32, which similarly says – “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

In my experience, youth seem particularly vulnerable to the thought that there likely is a particular sin that is so heinous that God just can’t or won’t forgive it, and moreover, that it’s quite possible he or she (or a close friend) has already committed it.

First of all, to this I say that the Scripture passages cited above have a particular context in mind – Jesus’ exchange with the Pharisees, a sect of the Jews of His day, who strictly adhered to the Law of Moses and were proud of their ability to do so. The Pharisees had made the assertion that Jesus’ popularity and miraculous works were the result of Satan’s influence in His life. Jesus called this, “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” or attributing the work of God to the devil, a serious offense with the gravest possible consequences, according to Jesus. Yet, as we search the Scripture, there are numerous forms of serious sins committed by a wide assortment of people that God seems willing and able to forgive. Why does Jesus single out this sin? What is meant by “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” which Jesus asserts is “unforgivable?” Continue reading ‘The Unpardonable Sin’