Is there any sin that is unpardonable today?
Answers to Bible Questions
Scriptures are from the KJV of the Bible
(Q) Is there any sin that is unpardonable today?
(A) A lot of churches today teach that the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin today. Is this true? Let’s find out.
The first scripture that comes to mind when talking about this subject is Matthew 12:31-32 which says: 31Wherefore 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.
32And 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 above verses mean exactly what they say. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven unto men. But, who is Jesus Christ talking to in these verses? Christ was speaking the above words to the nation of Israel, not to the Gentiles. Why is that fact important?
To get a proper understanding of the above verses you need to know that the whole Bible is about Jews and Gentiles. When the Bible is referring to the nation of Israel, what is being said will not always apply to the Gentiles. This is what the Bible calls rightly dividing the Word of truth, II Timothy 2:15: 15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The key to understanding the Bible is found in the above verse in II Timothy 2:15. You must know how to “rightly divide” the Word of truth. Our original question, “Is there any sin that is unpardonable today,” cannot be understood correctly until you have a good understanding of “rightly dividing.” So if you do not have any idea of what I am talking about, please read my articles about “Introduction to the Bible” and under the FAQ about the Bible, click on the article “What does the word dispensation mean and what are the different dispensations in the Bible.” These articles will help you to understand the Bible better.
Now back to our question. In Matthew 12:31-32 Christ said blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven men. Remember that Christ was talking to the nation of Israel. Why would the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit not be forgiven? Because the Holy Spirit was God’s witness to Israel that He had made Jesus both Lord and Christ; that He had exalted Jesus to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
Israel did resist and blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and committed the unpardonable sin. As the result of the unpardonable sin Israel was set aside in Romans 11:8-15: 8According as it is written, God hath given “them”(Israel) the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 11I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. 15For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Since the judgment of Roman 11 Israel has been an outcast nation, even to this very day. We learn from Romans 11 and also Acts 28 that because of the sins of Israel God said that salvation is now going to the Gentiles, Acts 28-27-28: 27For the heart of this “people” (Israel) is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 28Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
What I wanted to show here is that Israel was set aside and God began to work with the Gentiles which He never did before. Let’s look at Ephesians 2:11-12: 11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
What does all this have to do with the unpardonable sin of blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? Simply that God was starting what is called a new dispensation, or a different way in which God would bring salvation to all people under this new program. The unpardonable sin now became pardonable under this new dispensation of grace.
Under this new dispensation, called the dispensation of the grace of God in Ephesians 3:2, there is NO sin that is unpardonable, even if someone would blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. But today, to be forgiven of all sin you must BELIEVE that Christ died, shed His Holy blood for forgiveness of your sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
THE GENTILES AND THE GRACE OF GOD
A few words about the Gentiles and the gospel of the grace of God. Ephesians 2:6-10 says “And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Here we learn that Gentiles who had been aliens from Israel were saved. How? By grace. What does this mean? Read Ephesians 2:4. “But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us.” God’s work-God’s workmanship. What was man’s part? Not of yourselves. Not of works. What was man’s condition? Dead in trespasses and sins. In the world without God and without hope. Ephesians 2:12. Alienated from the life of God. Ephesians 4:18. What could such a dead man do for himself? Nothing. What did such a dead man have to do to be saved? Some say, “repent.” Yes, “repent” means “change your mind.” But God had to work
on them. God wanted them to change their mind from their evil life style and come to Christ and put their complete trust and faith in Him for their salvation just by believing what Christ accomplished at Calvary on their behalf. God, Who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith He loved us when we were dead hath made us alive.
Think of all the sins charged to those ungodly wicked Gentiles. They learned the truth of Romans 5:20, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” How many of their sins were forgiven? Read the answer in Colossians 2: 13 and Acts 13:39.”AND YOU, BEING DEAD IN YOUR SINS, AND THE UNCIRCUMCISION OF YOUR FLESH, HATH HE QUICKENED TOGETHER WITH HIM, HAVING FORGIVEN YOU ALL TRESPASSES.” “And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
Yes, every sin, thought, word, and deed, including the sin of unbelief and blaspheme against the Holy Spirit was forgiven when those ungodly Gentiles believed the gospel of grace and received Christ. Note what happened- “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13. Their sins were forever put Away; all of their sins. Moreover, they stood in the presence of God as though they had never committed one sin.
All of their sins were pardoned. Which one of their sins was unpardonable? Someone says, the sin of unbelief. They were all guilty of that sin, but when they believed all of their sins were pardoned, that sin was included. When they believed there was no sin of unbelief. All of their sins were unpardoned until they were saved by grace. Then all of their sins were pardoned. If they had resisted the Holy Spirit, blasphemed against Him, and not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, all of their sins would have remained unpardoned; but none of them would have been unpardonable.
CAN A CHRISTIAN COMMIT THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?
Let us note what happened to the saints who sinned in Corinth. “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE CONDEMNED WITH THE WORLD.” I Corinthians 11:29 to 32.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” These sinning saints could not be condemned with the world. Note again the sin of the Corinthians saints, in I Corinthians 6:6 to 8: “But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.” In spite of their sins, the Holy Spirit wrote to them-“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” I Corinthians 6:19.
God cannot lie. He promised us eternal life before the world began. Titus 1:2. And note II Timothy 1:9: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” God wants Christians to know that they have eternal life. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” I John 5:13.
In Ephesians 1 God says when you believe the gospel of your salvation, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit which is the earnest (guarantee) of your inheritance until your redemption (when you die or the Rapture takes place) because you are now a purchased possession belonging to God, Ephesians 1:13-14: 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
In conclusion, there is no sin today which is unpardonable if you believe (before you die) in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus your Lord and Saviour, who died to pay for the sins of the whole world, all sin.
However, if you die and did not place your total trust, faith or belief in Christ who is your Lord and Saviour, none of your sins are pardonable, you will die in unbelief and be condemned for eternity in what the Bible calls the lake of fire; John 3:15-18: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
“BELIEVE” AND ALL SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN!
Maranatha (Lord come)
John