What is the unforgivable sin in the Bible?
If you've been wondering what the unpardonable sin is, you've come to the right place. You can know what the unpardonable sin is and how to avoid it.
So what is the unpardonable sin in the Bible?The unpardonable sin is the total and complete rejection of Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the Cross.
Could you have committed the unforgivable sin without even knowing it?
The Bible - God's Word - is very clear on this. What a relief to know that the answer to this very important question is perfectly clear!
The unpardonable sin is the absolute rejection of Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross to save us from our sins. For only in Christ is the forgiveness of sins.
According to the Bible, it is also referred to as blasphemy. Rejecting Jesus Christ means rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit revealing the truth of Jesus Christ and His work of redemption and salvation on the Cross.
Let's dive in and unpack.
Is there such a thing as the unpardonable sin? Have I committed the unforgivable sin? (aka the unforgivable sin?) How would I know?
Unforgivable Sin Bible Verses
"So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven". -Jesus Christ. Matthew 12:21-32, NET
And we know that Jesus made that word true because we read that Peter blasphemed when he denied Christ, but Jesus forgave him and Peter became a great witness of the grace of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul testified that he himself was a blasphemer...
"Although I used to be a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man. But I was treated with mercy, acting ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord abounded, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus.” 1Tim 1:13-14, NET
Sure - that was Paul-the-Apostle. He was special, wasn't he? But what if we ordinary people blaspheme by saying something offensive to—or about—God?
You can know without a doubt if your sins are forgiven. The Bible - God's Word - tells us exactly!
God's Word promises that He is faithful and just and will forgive you your sins if you confess your sins to Him.
"But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, forgives our sins, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness."1John 1:9, NOT
Can you know what the unpardonable sin is? And can you avoid committing this terrible sin?
Yes! But before we go any further, let's define the unforgivable sin - also known as the unforgivable sin. It's called the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Markus 3:28–30: "'Truly I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven the children of men, and whatever they blaspheme, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is never forgiven, but is guilty of an everlasting sin' - for they said, 'He has an unclean spirit.'”
In this passage, Jesus is speaking to unbelievers who refuse to believe in him and the miracles he performs.
In the preceding verses they tell him that it is unlawful to perform the miracle of healing on the Sabbath and accuse him of healing with demonic power.
Then the Pharisees come right out and tell Jesus he has an unclean spirit. So you look at the work of the Holy Spirit and call it a demonic spirit.
In doing so, they reject and blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit. Just as Saul did before he met Jesus on the way to Damascus.
God loves the sinner
Let us not forget that God loves the sinner. He knew us all before the worlds began.
He sent his Son to die for us and take our place on the cross. And the Son always agrees with the Father 100%, so the Son - Jesus Christ - loves us just as much as the Father.
God knows everything about us, whether good or bad - and he loves us through and through! Although he knows all the bad things as well as the good!
And we are sinners. We all."For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.
Although the author of this passage - Paul - also known as Saul of Tarsus - blasphemed God, God still loved him. Isn't it amazing that God still loves us when we are against him? What if we curse and slander and defy him?
There was Saul. And Saul thought he was absolutely right. He thought he was doing the work of God by persecuting the church.
But Saula, a Pharisee of Pharisees and a student of the Scriptures, was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Yet he was still against God because he was against what God was doing.
"If someone thinks they have good reason to trust human references, I have more:5I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. As a Pharisee, I lived the law.6In my zeal for God I have persecuted the church. According to the justice prescribed by law, I was blameless.”Phil 3:4b-6
Here Saul acted against the God who loved him. So what has God done? He continued to love Saul.
And God (in the form of Jesus – the second person of the Trinity) reached out and touched Saul and spoke to him on the road to Damascus and showed him His true and perfect will.
Can the unpardonable sin be committed today?
Are you concerned that you have committed a major sin against God? If so, then that's a pretty good indication that you haven't committed the unforgivable sin, because people who have committed the unforgivable sin usually don't care if they do. It doesn't even cross their minds.
It didn't occur to Saul either. But God still loved him enough to change his life one day on the road to Damascus.
“Meanwhile, Saul, still threatening to kill the Lord's disciples, went to the high priest2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that if he found any of the way, either men or women, he could take them captives to Jerusalem.3As he walked on and approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?5So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" He replied, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!"(Acts 9:1-5 NET)
So if you or a loved one has lived in a way that is not pleasing to God, take heart. He loves you. And he loves the sinner. Even the one who slanders him. He is always ready to forgive. And he is always ready to find her, like the shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep to find the lost one.
Even in his worst sin, Saul—whom we also know as Paul—was loved by God, and Jesus Christ himself found him as the shepherd would.
Saul turned his heart to the God who loved him and eventually became a great evangelist and apologist. God loved him that much.
God will always take back the sinner who is willing to repent and give up doing things His way. Here are the words of the most famous Christian evangelist of the 20th century:
"Are you perhaps one of those who worry that you have committed the unpardonable sin? If so, you should face exactly what the Bible says on the subject, not what you may have heard from others.
The unpardonable sin rejects the truth about Christ. It completely and definitively rejects the testimony of the Holy Spirit, who declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who alone can save us from our sins.
Have you rejected Christ in your own life and said in your heart that what the Bible teaches about Him is a lie? Then I tell you as solemnly and sincerely as I know that you are in a very dangerous position.
I urge you to immediately accept the truth about Christ and come to humble confession, repentance, and faith. It would be tragic for you to persist in your unbelief and end up going into eternity without hope and without God.”
― Billy Graham, The Holy Spirit: Activating God's Power in Your Life
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/unpardonable-sin
List of unforgivable sins
This is a short and simple list, for there is only one unforgivable sin: persistent, wanton, enduring, unrelentingRejection of the Lordship of Jesus Christand the atoning grace He purchased for all of us on the cross - also called blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
If you are ready to accept Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross, click below to commit to His discipleship.
Is yourFaith based on facts?Do you haveobliged to follow Jesus?