The Unpardonable Sin
The Unpardonable Sin
Matthew 12: 31
The love of God in sending Jesus, His only Son, to die on the cross for our sins is the most
wonderful expression of love known to mankind.
God's love and grace reaches out to every individual on the face of this earth.
But behind every word of love and grace from God is a warning about what will happen if we reject His love.
God gives us ample warning about what will happen if we reject His love and grace.
God will not tolerate man's rebellion.
God will not tolerate man's sin.
God does promise that, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven you." (Matthew 12: 31)
This is a tremendous promise.
All manner of sin, all kinds of sin shall be forgiven.
This promise provides hope for the person whose life is twisted and torn apart by sin.
This promise provides hope for the person who is drifting without direction or purpose in life.
There is hope because all manner of sin can be forgiven.
There is a point beyond which God will not go!
The Son of God died upon the cross, and God the Father decreed that every person
who would ever be saved had to come to Him through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
There is no other way of salvation.
God said, "This is the way; you must walk in it."
When Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross, He provided direct access to the heart of God.
Jesus Christ is the door to God.
Jesus is the way!
During His earthly ministry Jesus added another element to the matter of salvation
by saying that there is a sin that drives God away from us.
It is a sin that will not be forgiven.
It is absolutely unforgivable!
It is an unpardonable sin!
What is the unpardonable sin?
It is not stealing.
Many of us have stolen things.
We have actually taken things which did not belong to us.
We have stolen people's reputation.
We have stolen ideas and concepts from others in school. Some call it cheating -- it is stealing.
Many of us are thieves, but I am happy to tell you that being a thief is not the unpardonable sin.
If being a thief were the unpardonable sin, Zacchaeus never would have made it,
because he was a thief.
If being a thief would keep a person from being saved, then the thief on the cross
could never have been saved.
He could never have heard Jesus saying to him, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23: 43)
Immorality is not the unpardonable sin.
God's Word clearly tells us how we are to act, and how we are to conduct ourselves.
The Bible tells us the right way for a man to act toward a woman, and a woman toward a man.
It gives us guidelines, and if we abide by them, we enter into the richest and the fullest possible human experience.
If we violate those guidelines, we create agony and anguish and hell on earth for ourselves.
We may be immoral, but being immoral is not the unpardonable sin.
If that were so, David would never have made it because David was immoral.
Being a murderer is not the unpardonable sin.
To maliciously plot and take the life of another individual is not the unpardonable sin even though
there is a note of finality to such an act of violence.
If being a murderer was the unpardonable sin, David would not have made it, neither would the apostle Paul.
Both of them were involved in the taking of a human life.
Drunkenness is not the unpardonable sin.
It is ridiculous for a person to be a victim of drunkenness with all its heartache, distress, and agony.
Still drunkenness is not the unpardonable sin.
If it were, Noah would never have made it.
Noah got drunk after God spared him in the flood, and he became a shame to his entire family.
Nevertheless, God forgave him.
Drunkenness is not the unpardonable sin.
Unbelief is not the unpardonable sin.
There are many who would say that the unpardonable sin is unbelief.
It is not!
Unbelief may be unpardoned, but it is not unpardonable.
The apostle Paul tells of the time when he was known as Saul of Tarsus, and he was an unbeliever,
but his unbelief was forgiven.
So, you see unbelief may be unpardoned, and if a person should go to their grave
without the knowledge of Jesus Christ, then that person will go to an eternal hell.
But such a person will go to hell in spite of the fact that their unbelief could have been forgiven.
God has provided a remedy for our unbelief.
Unbelief is not the unpardonable sin.
What is the unpardonable sin?
It is a sin against the Spirit of God!
"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.
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." (Matthew 12: 31-32)
We must understand what the work of the Holy Spirit is, in order to understand
what this blasphemy against Him means.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the earth is to magnify Jesus Christ.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into the deep things of the Word of God
and into a mature Christian life.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to apply to our lives what Jesus Christ has done for us on Calvary.
The Holy Spirit is God's agent in saving us.
He is God's agent in redemption.
The unpardonable sin is a sin against the Holy Spirit.
To put it briefly, that means that the unpardonable sin is the constant, continual, perpetual,
and final rejection of Jesus Christ.
In that rejection a person affronts and blasphemes God the Holy Spirit as He ministers to that person.
Every time a person rejects Jesus Christ, that person is one step closer to hell.
The unpardonable sin is not a sin that is committed accidentally.
It is not a sin that is committed in just one moment.
It is a studied, deliberate, and willful act against the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a willful sin against what we know is the truth.
The passage in Matthew 12 relates the incident of a man who was brought to Jesus.
This man was blind and deaf, and he was possessed of a demon.
He was brought to Jesus, and Jesus healed him of all three things.
The people were amazed and said, "Is not this the Son of David?"
All through the Old Testament, God had promised to send the Son of David -- the new David --
Jesus Christ the Messiah to Israel.
The people looked for the Son of David to come.
They looked for both a king and a kingdom.
They had been taught what the Word of God had declared about the coming Messiah.
Having been taught, and knowing this, the people said, "This is the Messiah, this is the Son of David."
But the Pharisees would not admit it, even though they had taught the people concerning
this great truth.
Although everyone else knew it, the Pharisees said, "No! It is not so.
This man has done all these miracles by the devil."
They attributed the work of God to the devil.
They were saying, "This man is not the Messiah. He is not the Christ.
All of these things He has done because He is in league, He is in alliance,
He is in partnership with the devil."
They knew better.
The Scriptures had taught them to "Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come
with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be open, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing:
for in the wilderness shall waters breakout, and streams in the desert." (Isaiah 35: 4-6)
They knew when the Messiah would come, the blind would be made to see,
the deaf would be made to hear, the dumb would be made to speak,
and the lame would not only be healed, but they would run like a deer.
It was apparent.
It was obvious.
The Scriptures clearly taught it.
The Pharisees thoroughly studied the life of Christ.
They had hounded Him.
They had followed Him.
They knew what Jesus Christ was doing.
They also knew what the Scriptures taught.
This passage clearly reveals that the Pharisees knew and understood that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.
They knew and the people knew, but the Pharisees refused to admit it.
In fact, they blatantly denied it.
Anytime a person understands that Jesus Christ is God's Son, and that person needs to be saved,
and says, "No!" -- that person is on dangerous ground.
Every message a person hears, every witness a person receives, every experience that a person has
that helps them to understand that Jesus is God's Son, and that He wants to save them,
and that person says, "No!" -- that person takes another step closer to hell.
The Pharisees committed the unpardonable sin because of their willful sin against knowledge.
Pharaoh committed this sin. (Exodus 5-11)
God told Pharaoh 10 times what he should do.
Finally God said, "Pharaoh, that's enough. Let my people go!"
This frightened Pharaoh, and he let them go.
Then one of his advisers came and said, "Pharaoh, you are foolish to let all our free labor go away.
We are really going to have a problem.
You had better go get them."
Pharaoh agreed, and took off after the Israelites.
But God was through playing games!
When Pharaoh tried to get close to the children of Israel in the day a cloud got in his way.
When he tried to get near them at night, a pillar of fire blocked him.
When he tried to force himself through God's provision for the Israelites in the Red Sea,
he died along with all his army.
Why?
Because God meant business!
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
(Galatians 6: 7)
Do not make any mistake about it!
God reveals Himself to us again and again, and we understand.
We know that Jesus is the Messiah.
We know that Jesus is the Christ.
The Holy Spirit draws us to Himself and speaks to us.
God is not playing games with us.
God is saying to us, "I love you. I care for you.
I will forgive you for all manner of sin, except willful rejection, when you know better."
That is the essence of the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
That is the unpardonable sin.
The writer of Hebrews warns us to be very careful lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)
Right now, hearts may be sensitive.
Right now, there may be an emptiness in the soul.
Right now, there may be an awareness that something is wrong.
But every time a person says, "No," sin deceives them.
And without realizing it, the heart of the person gets harder and harder until he cannot respond
to the prompting of God the Holy Spirit.
God is not playing games.
God wants to save you.
He wants to free you.
He wants to give you life.
He wants to give you purpose.
He wants to give you meaning.
He will do it!
He is not playing games with you.
He will free you from drugs.
He will free you from immorality.
He will free you from dishonesty.
He will free you from any chain that binds your soul when you come to Him.
He wants to do it. He wants to give you life.
He has provided a remedy for all your sins.
He loves you!
He cares!
He will save you!
The unpardonable sin is a willful sin against conviction.
Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit, and our willful rejection of His work in our lives is sin
of great magnitude.
The Holy Spirit brings conviction to our lives.
The Holy Spirit creates an awareness of a need for Christ in our hearts.
The Holy Spirit of God is the real presence of God in our day-to-day experience.
Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." (John 6: 44)
The Father uses the Holy Spirit to draw people to the Lord Jesus.
A person cannot be saved unless the Holy Spirit draws us to God.
If He did not convict us of our sin, there would be no desire for salvation in our lives.
God is sovereign!
Salvation is His sovereign work.
Many seem to have the idea that they can get saved whenever they are ready.
This is not so!
Salvation comes when God gets ready.
People find salvation, when the Spirit of God draws them to Himself.
The Bible says, "Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." (Hebrews 3: 7-8)
The Bible also says, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while He is near."
(Isaiah 55: 6)
If the Spirit of God is dealing with you, then you know that something needs to be done.
You dare not turn Him down!
The unpardonable sin is a continuous, constant, perpetual, and final rejection of the ministry of the Holy Spirit
in our lives as He directs us to Jesus Christ.
Now, who is to say when the final time has come?
Who is to say when that final moment has come?
Who is to say when we have said, "No," to God for the last time?
Remember, the unpardonable sin is a sin against knowledge.
It is a sin against conviction.
It is a sin people commit who really know better.
I do not believe that any of us can plead ignorance to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit of God.
We have heard the gospel.
We know the gospel.
We have heard a story of Jesus.
If most people were asked if Jesus is the Son of God, they would indicate their belief that He is.
Once the unpardonable sin has been committed, the door of grace is closed.
After that, it doesn't matter how many church services are attended.
It doesn't matter how loudly one may cry or pray.
When the unpardonable sin is committed, God says, "That is it!"
At that point, God stops dealing with that person.
That choice has been eternally made.
How do you know if you have committed the unpardonable sin?
How do you know that you still have hope of being saved?
Let us answer that question with a question.
How do you feel?
If God is dealing with you, and there is a feeling of tenderness in your heart,
then you have not committed the unpardonable sin.
Suppose you break your leg, and go to the doctor.
The doctor looks at your leg. He pokes it. He says, "Does that hurt?"
If you say, "No, I cannot feel a thing."
The doctor's reply will be, "That is bad."
The loss of feeling in the leg means that something has happened to those nerves,
and healing cannot take place.
There is no sensitivity.
It is dead.
Now suppose that when he begins to poke on the leg, the pain is severe.
The doctor will say, "That is good."
Pain means there is still life, and healing can take place.
It is the same way in your spiritual life.
You may know Christ to be the Son of God.
You may know that Jesus Christ died for us.
You may know that we are sinners who have need of God.
Still, if there is no stirring of the Spirit of God in your heart,
and if there is no feeling when you hear the gospel, you may have already committed
the unpardonable sin.
If there is a hunger, and if there is a desire for something more than you have,
then God is still working with you.
If there is a longing within you for Christ and life eternal, it is the Spirit of God dealing with you.
That is wonderful!
You must come while Christ is calling!
Now is the time for your salvation!
Now one final question.
How do you know that you are not going to commit the unpardonable sin now?
The only one who can be sure is the person who is already saved,
because the Christian never commits it.
In fact, no Christian can commit it because God the Holy Spirit lives within the Christian's heart.
Only unbelievers can commit the unpardonable sin!
What about you?
It doesn't matter what church you attend.
It doesn't matter what a good life you may be living.
It doesn't matter how kind you have tried to be through your life.
It doesn't matter how honest you are.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, there is only one way to be completely sure
that you're not going to commit the unpardonable sin.
That is to repent and turn your life over to Jesus Christ.
Turn everything over to Jesus!
He is the only way to God!
He wants you to bring your sin, your emptiness, and your lack of direction to Him.
He will get rid of it.
You will never have to face it again!
He will put your sin behind Him, and He will never remember it again.
You cannot do this for yourself.
You have tried to get rid of your sin.
You have tried to change that nature that is always rebelling.
You have tried, but you cannot.
Jesus can!
He knows what to do with your sin.
He will put it in the sea of the grace of God – the sea of God's forgetfulness.
He will treat your sin as though it never happened.
He will heal your sinful spirit.
He will give you a life that will never end.
He will give you a home in heaven.
He wants to do that for you right now!
You must accept Him!
Receive Jesus now as your personal Saviour.
The unpardonable sin is a willful sin, and being saved is a willful act.
You must be willing for Jesus to come into your heart and into your life.
Invite Jesus into your heart – now!
Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White
