What is the UNPARDONABLE
or UNFORGIVABLE sin?

Q. What is the unpardonable (unforgivable) sin? How can I tell if I committed the unpardonable sin?

(Submitted by: Kathy)

A. The verses which raise questions about the the unpardonable sin are found in the gospels of Matthew and Mark:

"Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute;  and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, 'Could this be the Son of David?'

"Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, 'This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.'

"But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, BY WHOM DO YOUR SONS CAST THEM OUT? (Note: the unspoken answer here is "by no one"! The sons of the Pharisees could NOT cast out demons at all. See Acts 19:13-17 for what happened to the SEVEN sons of a certain Jewish priest when they ALL tried to cast out ONE demon!). Therefore they shall be your judges.

"'But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you . . .

"'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.' " (Matthew 12:22-28, 31-32, NKJV throughout)

"And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said,  "He (Jesus) has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He (Jesus) casts out demons."

"So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  'How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end . . .

"'Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;  but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation . . .' " (Mark 3:22-26, 28-29)

From these two sections of scripture we can ascertain what Jesus was speaking about - the sin against the Holy Spirit. He was specifically addressing the Pharisees and scribes who accused Him of performing miracles by the power of Satan RATHER THAN by the power of God (the power of the Holy Spirit). This kind of sin will not be forgiven if someone persists in this type of accusation or blasphemy against God. This accusation amounts to giving the DEVIL the credit for a miracle instead of God. This is one type of unpardonable sin.

The OTHER type of unpardonable sin is discussed in this site's answer to the question of HOW can God love us even when we continue to sin in spite of our desire not to do so. In short, a person can commit the unpardonable sin when they consciously know better yet WILLFULLY persist in sinning and REFUSE to repent of such sin(s). Notice that this refusal must be WILLFUL as opposed to sinning out of weakness and deception (which even the most righteous of believers do from time to time). Other than these two types of willful, sinful situations, God promises to forgive all of our sins IF we come to Him in true, heartfelt repentance:

"If we confess our sins, He is FAITHFUL and just to FORGIVE US our sins and to CLEANSE US from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9)