No Turning Back

What is the “unpardonable sin?”

Some believe it is murder; some, cursing the Holy Spirit; some, committing suicide; some, killing an unborn child; some, a heinous, horrible, extremely evil act; and others, worshiping a false god.

Moreover, Jesus says in the end that some will call His name but will not be saved. Why? What sin cannot be forgiven and dooms Christians to lose their eternal home in paradise? These are all important questions that, thankfully, the Bible answers for.

Q. What is the sin that God cannot forgive?

  • "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).

The sin God cannot forgive is "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost."

Q. What does the Bible say about blasphemy against the Holy Ghost?

  • "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men" (Matthew 12:31).

The Bible clearly says that all kinds of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven. So none of the sins listed above is the sin that God cannot forgive. In fact, no single act of any kind is the unpardonable sin.

This might sound contradictory, but both of these statements are true:

  1. Any and every kind of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven.
  2. The blasphemy or sin against the Holy Ghost will not be forgiven.

Jesus made both statements in Matthew 12:31, so there is no error here. To harmonize the statements we must discover the work of the Holy Ghost.

  • "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).

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 feels sorrow for sin, nor is anyone ever converted.

Q. When the Holy Spirit convinces you of sin, what must you do to be forgiven?

  • "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).

When convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, we must confess our sins in order to be forgiven. When we confess them, God not only forgives us but He also miraculously cleanses us from all unrighteousness. God is waiting and ready to forgive you for any and every sin you may commit (Psalms 86:5), but only if you confess and forsake it.

God forgives us when we confess our sins! So what happens when we don't?

Find out in our Study Guide, “No Turning Back!”

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