February 25th: The Unpardonable Sin

Speaker: Duncan Wyncoll
What is the unpardonable sin? Can it be committed today? Young believers especially can be plagued by blasphemous thoughts against the Holy Spirit. The condition of the Pharisees to whom Christ said, “hath never forgiveness”, compared with the troubled believer.

The sin of ‘Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’, Matthew 12.31-32
Ø  Mentioned at least 3 times in NT, possibly 5
Ø  What is this unpardonable sin? Numerous different opinions…
Ø  Depressed, troubled, sensitive believers think they’ve committed it
Ø  William Cowper, young believers; plagued by unwanted thoughts, expressions of unbelief
Ø  Can it be committed today? Forgiveness for murder & adultery, but not this??

Remember: A Regenerate cannot be lost; maybe take them to these verses…
John 10.27-29 - ‘My sheep hear my voice, & I know them, & they follow me: & I give unto them eternal life; & they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; & no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand’
Ø  Misunderstanding of this can lead to mistaken conclusions about our own soul

So, what is this Unpardonable Sin? (Sin against the Holy Spirit)
First – What it’s not!

A.    ‘Is suicide the unpardonable sin?’ – cannot seek forgiveness or be restored
None of the passages are following suicide – interpret scripture in the light of scripture
Of the ~10 suicides in the Bible none mentions this

B.    ‘Rejecting Christ for the last time?’ – it’s terrible to reject saving grace
Someone who dies cannot be pardoned, but this was not Christ’s intention
The sin was unpardonable because of its nature, not because the opportunity of forgiveness had been passed by death

C.    ‘Sinning away their day of grace?’ – resisting efforts of the HS
Almost as if sinners are in danger of crossing a deadline
Esau in Hebrews 12.17 ’…found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears…’ Rejects God for temporary blessing

So… What it is!
Remember principles of interpretation – ‘Context’ & ‘Compare scripture with scripture’

1.    Matthew 12.31-32
Context: Healing of a demon-possessed man, both dumb & blind
Ø  Witnesses were amazed. Reaction - ‘is this not the son of David?’
Ø  But vehement anger from the Pharisees
Ø  Reaction – ‘This (fellow) doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of devils’
Ø  Jesus knew their thoughts – Utterly unreasonable & slanderous remarks

Imagine Palestine
After the ‘Quiet Age’ – Burst of miracles, the Messiah had come
Ø  Yet rejection & suppression of all the supernatural demonstrations from Christ
Ø  With utmost determination – gave voice to insulting views of their imagination
Ø  When privileged people have very clear light, & engage in unbelief ® unpardonable
Ø  Blasphemy was inexcusable: all generated by deep hatred of Christ’s power
Ø  They saw & felt the authenticating power of the Lord ® vile response
Ø  Some knowledge, but rejection in the face of all evidence ® ‘stiff-necked’
Ø  This was rejection of the Invincible Saviour…
Ø  Notice Christ’s calmness, but razor-sharp edge of suppressed anger ® showed absurdity (Satan versus Satan)

1 Tim 1.12,13 – ‘& I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, & a persecutor, & injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief’  
Ø  Pharisees displayed malignant determination to shut their eyes to all evidence – in spite of all the miracles & their heritage
Ø  Wilful apostasy – in opposition to one’s own convictions

What does it mean to us?
Ø  A vicious blasphemy which had sealed the Pharisees in hell
Ø  Is anyone in danger of committing this awful sin today?
Some have taken the view that it could only have been committed in Bible times
Ø  Because it was in full blaze of divine light…
Ø  Others think it may well be possible today?

Definition
Ø  Voluntary slander – deliberate, resolute, outwardly expressed, unrepentant
Ø  NOT rejection of God in ignorant unbelief
This view is confirmed by the 2nd reference in the NT

2.    Mark 3.22-30
Ø  Challenge to the scribes – Saducees & Pharisees
Ø  Attributing Jesus’ works to Satan
Ø  This was complete rejection of Christ’s work & the following HS gifts to the Church

3.    Luke 12.8-10
Ø  Warning to disciples about the Pharisees (in presence of a ‘innumerable multitude’)
Ø  Verse 1 – ‘Beware ye the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees…’
Ø  Forfeiting privilege of forgiveness, by malicious opposition in spite of the miracles
Ø  Note context of chapter 11: casting out a devil; evil generation seeking after signs but rejecting what they have been given; other great warnings to Pharisee’s hypocrisy…

4.    Hebrews 6.4-8 – False initial conversions
Ø  Enlightened, tasted but not bought – as in a marketplace…
Ø  People incapable of repentance, bitter enemies
Ø  Determined indifference to the state of their souls
Ø  Not in ignorant unbelief, but after a profound convicting work of the Spirit
Ø  False initial conversions; Matthew Henry: ‘Plainly wilful Apostacy’

5.    Hebrews 10.26
‘For if we sin wilfully after we’ve received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins’
Verses 23-25 – ‘Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) & let us consider one another to provoke unto love & to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,… but exhorting one another: & so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’

6.    Psalm 19.13 – The forerunner to the sin against the Holy Spirit
‘Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright & I shall be innocent from the great transgression’

7.    Numbers 15.30 – Another forerunning warning to the Pharisees
‘But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; & that soul shall be cut off from among his people’
Ø  ‘With a high hand…’ – proudly, confronting God’s authority
Ø  No sacrifice was accepted for a presumptuous sin [Deut 17.12 & Exodus 21.14]

Suppose it were possible to be committed today – remember what the sin entails…
Ø  Rejection of God despite light & Attributing to Satan that which was God’s work…
Ø  But still some Believers fear they may have committed this sin – sometimes encouraged by the foolishness of others
Ø  We’re occasionally plagued by unwanted thoughts/doubts/troubles but this is pardonable…

Contrasts
Pharisees of Matt 12 / Suffering, Troubled believer
Obstinate rejection / Troubled that Christ has ‘gone’
Hatred of Christ / Concerned that they have ‘Lost’ Christ
Going against light / Troubled by conviction
Vicious slander / Afraid they have slandered
Wilful blasphemy / Plagued by blasphemous thoughts
Contempt, never worship / Fear God & attempt to worship
Insulted God openly / Desire forgiveness
Derided His words / Believe words & tremble

It’s probably not possible to blaspheme the Holy Spirit today. The Bible seems clear that it was the Pharisees’ hard hearts that motivated them to ascribe the Lord’s miracles to demons instead of to God.
It was the Pharisees’ persistently hard hearts that caused them to see a withered hand healed (& other miracles performed on the Sabbath), but instead of rejoicing at the Lord’s loving-kindness, they merely saw a rule being broken. Sinful hard-heartedness is the Adamic infection that induces such blasphemies.
Picture the Pharisees covering their ears at Stephen’s words: Acts 7:51-58

Conclusion
Ø  Not something depressed believers commit… concerned people cannot be guilty
Ø  But never minimise the grave danger of rejecting the gospel call
Ø  A heavenly call by a sovereign King, who will not tolerate levity or frivolity
Luke 13.5 - ‘...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish’
Ø  Hope this has helped you, & may be able to help others who misunderstand these passages