Introduction

The God revealed in the Bible is a God who delights in mercy. The greatest demonstration of His mercy is that He forgives sinners. God in His mercy is willing and ready and able to forgive sins. He does not forgive reluctantly. He delights to show mercy. The Scripture says, for example, in ...

Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7: Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin ...

Our God is a a God of mercy and a God of forgiveness.

Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 

Isaiah wrote in ...

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

If you look at the Scriptures you will find that God forgives all kinds of sins. God forgave Moses who killed an Egyptian. God forgave David who committed adultery and tried to hide it with murder. God forgave Peter who denied Him three times. God forgave Paul who blasphemed Him and persecuted His church. God forgave the woman who was caught in the act adultery. 

Paul gives us a catalogue of sins in ...

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10: Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11: And such were some of you (that is what some of you were): but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

God forgives fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate (homosexuals), abusers of themselves with mankind (prostitutes), thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers (slanderers), extortioners (swindlers). God forgives liars, cheaters, murderers, abortionists, and blasphemers. There is no sin that God is not willing and able to forgive for He is a merciful ad forgiving God.

And yet the same Bible that teaches that God is a forgiving God also teaches that there is a sin that He will not forgive. There is a sin God will not forgive "neither in this world, nor the world that is to come".

Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32: And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

All sins may be forgiven, even the blasphemy against the Son of Man may be forgiven, but not the sin against the Holy Spirit. The unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That's what I want us to consider this morning. What is this sin? Who can commit it? What is the consequence of this sin? Why is it unforgivable?

I — The Setting

To help us understand what this sin is let's look at the setting that led Jesus Christ to bring up this issue of unforgivable sin. 

Matthew 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23: And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24: But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

The Lord had just healed a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. All the people were amazed and said, "Is not this the son of David?" "Could this be the Son of David?" "Could this be the Messiah?" But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils."

The Pharisees who were the influential religious leaders in the time of Christ and the early church could not deny the miracle. They admitted the reality of the work of healing which they had witnessed. But instead of believing in Christ and giving Him the glory they reproached Him for it and slandered Him before the people. They ascribed the miracle He performed to Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.

This was not the first time they slandered Christ. Before this event, the Lord has already performed many miracles and many of the Pharisees were there to witness them. 

Matthew 9:32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33: And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34: But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

The Pharisees many times have spoken against Christ; they have slandered Christ. They have called Him as a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a Sabbath-breaker, a blasphemer.

Matthew 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. 20: Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 21: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Here Christ pronounces great woes upon those cities in which He has done most of His miracles, the city of Chorazin and Bethsaida and specially the city of Capernaum. If the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon had seen the miracles, as the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida had, they would have repented long ago. They are without excuse because of their knowledge and the light that has been given to them. 

So this is the setting surrounding this event where Christ brought out the issue of unforgivable sin. 

II — The Sin

The unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

What it is not

There is a kind of blasphemy that is forgivable but there is another kind of blasphemy that is not.

Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

One form of blasphemy is using God's name in vain. We are guilty of this form of blasphemy when we misuse the name of God. It is blasphemy to use the name Lord in a light and trifling way. It is blasphemy when we use God's Name as  just an expression without any show of reverence of Him, and affection to Him.

I will dare say that every one of us, one way or another, has committed this form of blasphemy. How many of us use His Name lightly or even as a curse word before we were saved? (OMG, JC, GD, JMJ). This is serious sin, but be assured that this form of blasphemy can be forgiven if it is repented of! 

Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

So it is important to understand that Jesus does not refer to any sin against the Spirit but to one very specific transgression, namely, blasphemy. All sins grieve the Holy Spirit, but not every sin is an act of blasphemy against Him.

What it is

So, what is this blasphemy that is not forgivable? What is the nature of this terrible sin that is unforgivable? 

Our Lord explains the unforgivable sin as speaking against the Holy Spirit in ...

Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

The miracles that Jesus performed were done by the power of the Spirit, but the Pharisees blasphemously ascribed these miracles to Beelzebub, the prince of darkness. They have attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

Mark Webb preaching on this subject "Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" said this ...

"It is blasphemously rejecting the testimony of the Holy Ghost given towards Jesus Christ. It is a sin against the light rather than a sin against darkness. It is that sin against divine light of Holy Spirit revelation that God gives to man through the ministry of the Holy Ghost. It is knowledgeable sin. Sin with our eyes wide open to what we are doing and to the consequences in view and to the issues that are involved.

Consider these Pharisees that they are exactly in that place. These men do not hate Jesus because they do not know who He is. No, it's precisely because they do know Who He is and that the Holy Ghost has made it perfectly clear and plain who Jesus is. That's how they are able to commit this sin. In spite of the fact that the Holy Ghost has made it clear to them Who Jesus is, these people say we will not let this man reign over us."

The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin against light and knowledge. The Pharisees saw Christ, they heard Him, they watched His power displayed as He performed His healing power and yet they rejected Him. They rejected the clear testimony of the Holy Spirit and because of that they cannot be forgiven.

III — The Sentence

What is the ultimate consequence of committing this sin?

Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

Anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven "neither in this world, nor the world that is to come". This is a sin with eternal consequences. This is a sin which can never be blotted out, and will never be forgiven, but will be punished with everlasting destruction.

Once this sin has been committed, a line has forever been crossed. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is so important that to blaspheme Him is to suffer eternal judgment. 

The Pharisees have many times have spoken against Christ; they have slandered Christ many times before. They have called Him as a gluttonous man and a drunkard (wine-bibber), a Sabbath-breaker, or blasphemer. But they were not yet guilty of unforgivable sin at those times because their offense might be sins of ignorance.

But having witnessed many of the miracles of Christ and having seen a man delivered from the power of Satan unto God, having watched the work of the Spirit of God, and then to ascribe that work to the power of evil, they have crossed the line. They are in a state where there was no possibility of repentance and therefore no possibility of forgiveness.

Closing Thoughts

At the outset I wanted us to understand that the God we worship is a God who delights in mercy and forgiveness. He forgives all manner of sin and blasphemy. 

What is the worst crime ever committed in the world? The crucifixion of the Lord of glory! Yet that sin is the subject of Christ's prayer when He was on the cross.

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Even those who crucified the Lord of glory can be forgiven. The one who tore the hair off His face, the one who spat upon His face, the one who slap His face, the one who put the crown of thorns on His head; the one who drove the nails in His hands; the one who pierced His side with a spear; all these can be forgiven. As a matter of fact, many of them in that same crowd on the day of Pentecost found mercy and forgiveness.

Let me close with two important points, namely comfort and caution.

1. Comfort

Is it possible for a true born again Christian to commit this sin? The answer is no. We are safe and secure. We are sealed uno the day of redemption. No! The saved person can never commit the unpardonable sin! 

Some of you may be asking, "How do I know that I have not committed the unforgivable sin?" Let me ask you this question, are you concerned that you have committed the unforgivable sin? Do you worry you have committed the unforgivable sin? If yes, the very fact that you are concerned is the best proof that you have not committed the unforgivable sin. If you worry you have committed the unforgivable sin, then you haven't; for if you had you would not be worried! Those who have committed this sin do not care!

2. Caution

But here is a caution for those who are not born again here this morning. It is true that God forgives all manner of sin and blasphemy. But God does not forgive outside of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. There is no forgiveness of sin without repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you repented and believed the Gospel?

The reason the Pharisees couldn't be forgiven, is because they have rejected the remedy for sin. They were beyond pardon because they perceived themselves to be beyond the need for repentance.

If a person is not forgiven, it is not because God would not forgive nor because forgiveness is not available. No, it is because they would not ask forgiveness.

You have heard the warning. Now hear the offer of grace. "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ..." I plead with you in the name of Christ, repent today of your sins and believe the gosple, do it now, because you may not be able to tomorrow.

AMEN!