The Unforgivable Sin

He who is not with me is against me and he who is not with me scatters…Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks a word against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come.

Matthew 12:31

The Pharisees had been shadowing Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. They had heard His teaching and were eyewitnesses to His miracles. And when He quoted the Law, likely their lips moved in silent unison. Their verdict? “He has a demon.” In doing so, they denied both His Divinity and the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in His life, concluding that He was just a man. And a damaged one, at that.

As they stood huddled together, whispering among themselves. Jesus (who knew the thoughts of all men) addressed them with words of warning. Though not yet final condemnation, His were words of irrevocable judgment on the trajectory on their lives and the condition of their hardened souls.

At their last meal together, Jesus told the disciples that He would be returning to the Father, but that He would be sending the Holy Spirit of God as their Helper and Comforter. It was from the Spirit’s power that His words and miracles came, and, in the future, this Spirit would be in the world revealing the truth of sin, righteousness and judgment to all who wanted to know. (John 16:5-13).

The unforgivable sin is not a one-time action, but a journey. Step by step we all shape our reality and our destiny. All around us are those, like the Pharisees, who have been given the truth, but who choose to turn away from Christ and follow the world’s fables--even as the last breath leaves their body.

God’s forgiveness is limitless, but it is predicated on our repentance and confession that Jesus’ is our only real hope, that His truth is the only Truth and His way is the only Way that will lead to His eternal life.

Nancy Shirah