The Unforgivable Sin

The Unforgivable Sin

The unforgivable or "eternal" sin is referenced by Jesus in three passages: Matt. 12.22-­32; Mark 3.22-30 (nearly identical parallel passages) and Luke 12.8­-12.

Matt. 12.22-32 ESV

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Thoughts on Matthew 12.22-32 (Mark 3.22-30)

In the context, Jesus is answering the accusation of being able to perform exorcisms "by the prince of demons", or due to His being possessed by "Beelzebul". The Pharisees are not denying Jesus' ability to do so but rather calling into the question the source of His power. In so doing, they are attempting to refute Jesus' claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God by declaring "He has an unclean spirit." (v.30)

This is the specific issue Jesus addresses in the verses that follow, and His reasoning is this:

1. How can Satan cast out Satan? That would be like a kingdom fighting a civil war (which left unchecked destroys the nation) or a house divided into two halves, which immediately crumbles. It would be self-defeating activity if Jesus were using demonic power to exorcise demons. If this were the case, Satan and his forces aren't going to be around much longer.
   
2. Since Satan clearly isn't seeking to destroy himself, the only way exorcisms can be performed is if one greater and stronger than the "strong man" binds him first and then plunders his house. (Translation: Jesus and the power within Him is greater than that of Satan or any demon in his employ.)
   
3. Therefore, refusing to accept Jesus as Messiah (the Son of God) and speaking evil of the power within Him (which is also to speak evil of the God who so empowered and sent Him) is an offense for which (if not repented of) there is no recourse. Since Jesus performs exorcisms, healings, and even forgives sins by the power of God, if a person blasphemes (reviles, slanders, maligns, etc.) the Spirit, there is zero potential for the forgiveness of sins. Remember that in an earlier passage Jesus proved His ability to forgive sins by demonstrating healing power for the paralytic (Matt. 9.1-8), to which the Jews responded to the notion of forgiveness with accusations of blasphemy, for as they correctly noted "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Mark 3.7)
   
   Look again at the passage: Jesus says v.28-29 specifically because in v.30 they were saying "He has an unclean spirit." This is the crux of the issue, and unless they depart from that belief/response to Him, there is no forgiveness of sins to be found. Heb. 10.26-31 is helpful here as it also describes a scenario in which forgiveness is withheld: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
   
4. However, there is potential for any sin to be forgiven, even blasphemies, provided the sinner does not persist in their rejection of Christ.
   "...all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter."
   
   Jesus is gracious to forgive even blasphemy against Himself, provided the normal procedures are followed (repentance, confession, baptism, etc.) The apostle Paul is a great example of this. He adamantly opposed Christ (like the other Pharisees), yet repented and was given forgiveness in spite of his blasphemy against Jesus. (1 Tim. 1.12-14)
   

Thoughts on Luke 12.8-12

Again, Jesus is addressing the central problem of the Jews of His day: Denial of Jesus as the Messiah. He sets up a clear contrast: Acknowledge Jesus before men, and we'll be acknowledged before "the angels of God" (i.e. before the Father in Heaven). Deny Jesus and be denied before the same.

Many spoke what was evil/wrong about Jesus:

• Matt. 11.19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.””
• John 7.12 “And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.””
• John 9.24 “So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.””
• (not to mention the innumerable things said about Jesus at the Cross)

These things can and would be forgiven for those who repented of their stance against Jesus.

However, if one persisted in this, blaspheming the Holy Spirit, this person "will not be forgiven" (Luke 12.10) This fits the context of v.8-9: To be denied before the Father is the same as not being forgiven of one's sins, and one is denied/not forgiven for the same reason: They refused to subject themselves to Christ and His teachings.

"The religious leaders to whom Jesus spoke had seen clear, public, and compelling evidence of the good hand of God. Jesus’ healing was not a hidden God-in-flesh or God-in-his-Word, but an open demonstration of his power. By calling that power evil or demonic they were wickedly and consciously rejecting God, his power, and his saving grace. That was willful and high-handed sin by those who had seen the truth but rejected it and slandered it to others. Hebrews 6:4–6 points out that no argument or evidence will help such a person; the problem is willful rejection, not blindness. It is called “a sin that ends in death” (1 Jn 5:16). The Pharisees proved their unwillingness to repent by trying to destroy Christ and later his church."
(Peter H. Davids, “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 364.