A Little Light Reading.
BEYOND MERCY,
The unpardonable sin.
Doug Bachelor.
A man visiting Scotland for the first time went to
a place on the coast featuring a beautiful bay
beach. Up along the beach, soft, sandy hills rose
up sharply into a steep, rocky cliff that dropped down
right along the narrow shore. The man was enjoy-
ing his time, meditating and studying the shells. He
noticed the tide had gone out, exposing a lot of new
beautiful rocks and shells. So he continued to walkâ
the ocean on one side, the beach beneath him, and
the sheer rock cliff wall that stretched for miles on the
other side.
As he traveled up the shore, he came to a rusted
steel post in the ground hoisting a metal sign that had
words painted in bold, clear letters:
âWarning!
Danger: If you go beyond this point, you will
not be able to escape the incoming tide.â
The man looked behind him and thought, âWell,
I might not be a marathon runner, but I can surely get
back to the safe zone before the tide overtakes me. Iâd
like to go a little farther. These are some of the best shells
and tidal pools Iâve ever seen.â Besides, the tide was a
good way off.
He walked on, well past the signâpreoccupied
with the starfish, seashells, and curious little crabs
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 3 8/23/12 11:53 AM 4
Beyond Mercy
that were now skittering from hole to hole. Along the
way, every so often, he would think: Iâll just keep an
eye on the surf and, when I see it start to change, Iâll
head back to the safe section of the beach.
But once he had gone beyond that sign, he had
already gone too far. He did not realize in that part
of Scotland, during certain seasons and moon phases,
the tidal cycle is often powerful and swift. So he kept
walking, meandering along the wet sand.
Not long after, he saw the tide had changed and
the waves were beginning to come in, so he turned
around. But the tide was surging very fast, charg-
ing in like a galloping horse. Heâd never seen a tide
roll in so quickly! No sooner had he turned to make
a hasty retreat, than the waves were upon him like
miniature tsunamis. He began to run, but the rising
waves slapped against his legs, repeatedly knocking
him over. Soon the waves were dragging him right up
against the rocky cliffs!
People sightseeing above the cliffs saw him strug-
gling and watched helplessly as the man was pum-
meled time and time again against the unforgiving
sheer rock.
His lifeless body was found the next day.
What happened? He had gone beyond the warn-
ing sign.
Yesâhe was alive and well for a while after he
passed the warning sign, but there actually was no
hope because he had reached the point of no return.
There is, in certain situations, a very clear point of
no return. The military even has a term for it: âPNR.â
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 4 8/23/12 11:53 AM 5
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
And with good reason too. We hear about Navy he-
licopters that are sent on rescue missions. As theyâre
flying out over the ocean from their aircraft carrier,
they have a special instrument labeled PNR*âthe
point of no return. When they reach a certain point,
an alarm goes off. It tells them, basically, that itâs now
or neverâtheyâve reached the halfway point of their
fuel supply. It means that, even if they see the person
theyâre trying to rescue just a little farther beyond, if
they continue to fly away from their vessel, as well-
intentioned as they might be, based on the laws of
physics, they are going to run out of fuel before they
can get back. Theyâll be ditching in the ocean.
Like that man who died on the Scottish shore,
if they donât turn around right then and there, they
might not make it home by air.
No Turning Back?
Along these same lines, the Bible teaches that there
is a point you can go to in sinning against God where
your life might still be activeâyour lungs are breath-
ing, your heart is beatingâbut you are doomed, just
as surely as if the gates of Hades had already closed
behind you. That is, it is possible for a person to have
gone so far away from God, from the promptings of
the Holy Spirit, that they have spiritually reached the
point of no return and, perhaps, even have gone well
past it.
It is called the âunpardonable sin,â and weâre deal-
ing with this because so many worried and confused
* Now also called âPoint of Equal Timeâ (PET) or âCritical
Pointâ (CP).
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 5 8/23/12 11:53 AM 6
Beyond Mercy
Christians are wondering, âHave I committed the un-
pardonable sin? What hope can you give me?â
No question, in our ministry, we frequently meet
those who have wondered if they have committed
this unforgivable sin. A man feels his prayers seem to
bounce back from the ceiling, or a woman feels there
is no hope of receiving Godâs favor or forgiveness. Yet
they canât identify any particular sinful act that severed
them from the hope of salvation. God just seems si-
lent. How can they tell if they have actually committed
the unpardonable sin? Can any person really know?
Why Does This Matter?
A few years ago the psychology department of
Duke University carried on an interesting experi-
ment. (It would never be allowed today.) They wanted
to see how long rats could swim based on hope. In
one container surrounded by sheer walls, they placed
a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape. He
swam in circles a few moments and then gave up, re-
signed to drown. In the other container, they made
the hope of escape possible for the rat. A little ladder
was placed just out of reach. The rat swam for sev-
eral hours before finally drowning. We usually say, âAs
long as there is life, there is hope.â The Duke experi-
ment proved, âAs long as there is hope, there is life.â
Some people believe they have committed the un-
forgivable sin and have lost hope and stopped living.
So before answering these troubling questions
about the unpardonable sin, a glorious truth first
needs to be recognized: We serve a God of infinite
love and compassion! It is not His will that anyone
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 6 8/23/12 11:53 AM 7
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
be lost. He has made provision in His Word for every
soul to be forgiven and saved. The incredible promise
of 1 John 1:9 applies to every man, woman, and child
in the world today: âIf we confess our sins, he is faith-
ful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.â
On the condition of a sincere confession, God
promises to forgive any sin, regardless of its nature.
âCome now, and let us reason together,â says
the Lord, âThough your sins are like scar-
let, they shall be as white as snow; though
they are red like crimson, they shall be as
woolâ (Isaiah 1:18).
Here God is saying, âYou have sinned. I know that.
But I still love you and want you to have salvation so
badly that I sent my Son to die on the cross for you, to
pay the penalty for your sins. Why, therefore, donât you
accept what I have done for you?â
What a special assurance for those who have vio-
lated every law of God and man in their wild plunge
into degradation. God loves them still! There is no
guilt too great for Him to cleanse away. He waits with
outstretched arms to receive those who take the first
step toward His forgiveness and mercy. After all, look
at what happened at the cross! The ultimate price
was paid for our redemption from sin. The God who
would do that for us wants us to have the salvation He
offers, a salvation that cost Him so much.
At the same time, however, people can commit
the unpardonable sin, which will put them out of the
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 7 8/23/12 11:53 AM 8
Beyond Mercy
reach of salvation and eternal life. What is this sin
which heaven regards with such abhorrence? Why,
too, will God deal so severely with those who are
guilty of it?
To the human mind, a great number of depraved
and cruel acts might fall into such a category, but
which one of them would God count so heinous that
it could never be forgiven? This is the crucial question
that we are going to explore in this short book.
A Fearsome Warning
Letâs first look at what the Bible specifically says
about this sin.
Indeed, the most fearful words ever spoken by
Jesus had to do with the fateful possibility of commit-
ting the unpardonable sin. He said,
âTherefore I say to you, every sin and blas-
phemy will be forgiven men, but the blas-
phemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven
menâ (Matthew 12:31).
Here it is again:
âAssuredly, I say to you, all sins will be for-
given the sons of men, and whatever blasphe-
mies they may utter; but he who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit never has forgive-
ness, but is subject to eternal condemnationâ
(Mark 3:28, 29).
And again, in Luke 12:10:
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 8 8/23/12 11:53 AM 9
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
âAnd anyone who speaks a word against the
Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to
him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit,
it will not be forgiven.â
Letâs look at these texts closely. âI say to you,â Jesus
said, âevery sin and blasphemy will be forgiven.â We
should be so thankful that the Lord is a God who
forgives âevery sin and blasphemy.â After all, human
beings are capable of some pretty gruesome and de-
praved acts, are we not? And yet Jesus here is very
clear: All can be forgiven. Thatâs how powerful and ef-
fectual Christâs death on the cross was. It was enough
to cover every sin and blasphemy.
But we would be remiss to end right here, because
Jesus doesnât end right here.
He goes on to say something very grave. He says
that the âblasphemy against the Spirit will not be for-
given men.â Amazing! âAnyone who speaks a word
against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him.â Yet
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven!
Right after some religious leaders in Israel, in cahoots
with the Romans, crucified Jesus, He prayed, âFather, for-
give them.â Would Jesus have uttered that prayer if it was
not possible for them to be forgiven? Even something as
horrible as crucifying the Son of God was forgivable.
But what did Jesus say in another place? âBut
whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be
forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to comeâ
(Matthew 12:32).
Thatâs heavy! They could be forgiven for driv-
ing nails into Jesusâ hands and hoisting him up on a
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 9 8/23/12 11:53 AM 10
Beyond Mercy
ragged cross but not for âspeakingâ against the Holy
Spirit. No forgivenessânot now, not in judgment day,
not in the resurrectionâŚnot ever!
Again, we see this same contrast in Mark: âAll sins
will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blas-
phemies they may utter.â Thatâs encouraging; is it not?
God is so merciful that He can forgive us all sins and
blasphemy. But then we are given this warning: âBut
he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has
forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnationâ
(Mark 3:28, 29).
How much clearer could Jesus be? We obviously
donât want to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit be-
cause it will lead to âeternal condemnation.â Thus,
how important it is that we learn two things:
⢠First, what does it mean to âutter blasphemyâ
against the Holy Spirit?
⢠Second, how can we make sure that we donât do it?
What the Unpardonable Sin Is Not
Now, whenever people hear about the unpardon-
able sin, their first question is, âWhat is it?â
In search of the answer, they often go the book of
Exodus and look through the Ten Commandments,
where they try to conjure up what they think is the
worst possible sin; that sin is surely, they surmise, the
unpardonable one.
For instance, one might believe that innocent life
is certainly the most important thing, and if someone
were to take an innocent lifeâthat is, commit mur-
derâthat would have to be the unpardonable sin.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 10 8/23/12 11:53 AM 11
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
After all, once a person is dead, thereâs nothing that
can be done to bring that person back.
That makes sense, of course. Murder is horren-
dous. However, we clearly find examples in the Bible of
those guilty of murder who we believe will be in heaven.
First, thereâs Moses. Exodus 2:12 says the great
prophet âlooked this way and that way, and when he
saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the
sand.â That was the sin of murder. God didnât want
Moses to commit it, but God did forgive the imperfect
prophet and even used Moses to do a great work in
leading the children of Israel out of Egypt.
How about David? In 2 Samuel 12:9, the prophet
Nathan said to David, âWhy have you despised the
commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?
You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you
have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed
him with the sword of the people of Ammon.â So, be-
sides murder, we can add adultery to Davidâs grievous
sin. Neither murder nor adultery, bad as they are (and
they are bad), can be the unpardonable sin, because
we know from the Bible that God forgave David both
of these sinsâthough, of course, the king did have to
live with the terrible consequences of his sins, which
is another matter entirely.
In our culture, perhaps the worst crime is when
someone sexually abuses or otherwise harms or kills
an innocent child. Truly, how much lower can a per-
son stoop? Even Jesus says, âWhoever causes one of
these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would
be better for him if a millstone were hung around his
neck, and he were thrown into the seaâ (Mark 9:42).
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 11 8/23/12 11:53 AM 12
Beyond Mercy
If anything were the unpardonable sin, one would
think it would be harming an innocent child.
This crime is actually mentioned in the Bible too.
As a matter of fact, in some pagan nations, infanticide
was part of their worship. They would kill their chil-
dren and burn them on altars, all to supposedly ap-
pease their gods. In the Bible, itâs referred to as making
their children âpass through the fire.â
Itâs referenced in Ezekiel 16:20â22 as one of the
things that was especially offensive to the Lord re-
garding the nations that surrounded Israel. But what
made matters worse was that some Israelites began
doing the same thing to their own children. Despite
all the light that they had been given, they had fall-
en into one of the most awful and degrading of all
pagan practices! âThey even sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demonsâ (Psalm 106:37).
Now what could be worse than thatâespecially for
a people who should have known better because of
all the special revelations given to them as Godâs
chosen nation?
But thereâs somebody in the Bible who did this,
yet, according to the biblical record, we can believe
that person is forgiven. Manasseh was a king in Israel
who was guilty of infanticide. A king! 2Kings 21:6
says: âHe made his son pass through the fire, prac-
ticed soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted
spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight
of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.â It was child
sacrifice, pure and simple. But you read on and the
Bible tells us that this king fully repented, accepted the
Lord, and even implemented a reformation in Israel.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 12 8/23/12 11:53 AM 13
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Itâs unimaginable to us that someone, after they get
involved in child sacrifice, could be forgiven. God is,
obviously, more gracious and merciful than most of
us would be, thatâs for sure!
(Maybe youâve heard of Ted Bundy, a vicious se-
rial killer of young women. The murders were espe-
cially horrific. When he was finally caught and put in
prison on death row, he confessed and ostensibly went
through a conversion process and accepted Jesus. The
respected family counselor Dr. James Dobson went to
visit Bundy before his execution, and the Christian
leader came away believing that God can even forgive
someone who did the horrible things that Bundy did,
as unimaginable as that might seem to us.)
Thus, when Jesus says thereâs a sin for which you
canât be forgiven, it must be really bad! Worse than
adulteryâŚworse than murderâŚeven worse than
child sacrifice!
Could it be the act of denying Christ? Well, can
we think of somebody in the Bible who openly and
blatantly denied Christ yet was forgiven? The book
of Matthew records how Peter swore up and down
that he would be faithful to Jesus no matter what.
However, when accused of being a follower of Christ,
he openly denied itâthree times, even! âThen he be-
gan to curse and to swear.â It was bad enough that he
denied Christ, but he did it with cursing and swearing
as well! (See Matthew 26:69â75.)
Publicly denying Christ, renouncing that you know
Him, and doing it with an oath and foul languageâŚ
thatâs pretty bad, especially for someone who had been
as privileged as Peter, who had been part of Jesusâ
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 13 8/23/12 11:53 AM 14
Beyond Mercy
intimate inner circle for so long and who had seen so
many miracles! Could that sin be forgiven?
Obviously it can, because Peter was not only for-
given his sin, he also became a leader in the early New
Testament church. Here are the words of Jesus to him
after Jesus had been raised from the dead:
âSo when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said
to Simon Peter, âSimon, son of Jonah, do you
love Me more than these?â He said to Him,
âYes, Lord; You know that I love You.â He said
to him, âFeed My lambs.â He said to him again a
second time, âSimon, son of Jonah, do you love
Me?â He said to Him, âYes, Lord; You know that
I love You.â He said to him, âTend My sheep.â
He said to him the third time, âSimon, son of
Jonah, do you love Me?â Peter was grieved be-
cause He said to him the third time, âDo you
love Me?â And he said to Him, âLord, You know
all things; You know that I love You.â Jesus said
to him, âFeed My sheepââ (John 21:15â17).
If that doesnât sound like forgiveness, what does?
What About Suicide?
This is obviously a very emotionally charged sub-
ject. Indeed, who doesnât know, either directly or in-
directly, someone who committed suicide? Sometimes
suicidal people call our radio program asking, âIf I
commit suicide, can I still be saved?â What do you
think we tell them? We discourage them in every way
possible. We suggest to them that if the last act of a
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 14 8/23/12 11:53 AM 15
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
personâs life is an act of utter hopelessness and faith-
lessness, and if the Bible tells us that without faith itâs
impossible to please God, what can we say? We do all
we can to dissuade them from the thought, reminding
them if the last act of their lives is self-murder, obvious-
ly, that wouldnât bode very well for their eternal future.
At the same time, who doesnât know someone
whose loved one, a child, perhaps, has taken his or
her own life? These dear people are so devastated by
the thought that a loved oneâs next conscious thought
is that they are eternally lost, they do everything they
can in their reasoning to widen that gate. And, indeed,
we need to be careful not to be dogmatic about the
eternal destiny of anyone, including a suicide. Only
God knows the state of the heart and mind in those
last moments of life.
Besides, we have an example in the Bible of some-
one who committed suicide yet was still deemed faith-
ful: Samson. Judges 16:30 reads, âThen Samson said,
âLet me die with the Philistines!â And he pushed with
all his might, and the temple fell.â Yes, the temple fell
on the lords of the Philistines, killing them, but its walls
also fell on Samson. Some might argue, âLook, they were
getting ready to kill him anyway; he just thought to take
his enemy with him. Thus, Samsonâs act of war was re-
ally a sacrifice and not a suicide. Nevertheless, Samson
knew that by knocking down the walls, he would kill
himself as wellâand that is a form of suicide.
Will Samson be in heaven? In Hebrews 11, heâs
listed among the faithful. Suicide, though tragic in ev-
ery way, cannot be the unpardonable sin.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 15 8/23/12 11:53 AM 16
Beyond Mercy
The Horror of Hopelessness
On December 17, 1927, while surfacing, the US-
S-4 submarine was accidentally rammed and sunk by
the Coast Guard destroyer Paulding. The entire crew
was trapped in its prison house of death. Ships rushed
to the scene of disaster off the coast of Massachusetts,
where the doomed men clung to life as the oxygen
slowly gave out.
A diver placed his helmeted ear to the side of
the vessel and listened. He heard a tapping noise.
Someone was tapping out a question in the dots and
dashes of Morse code. The question came slowly:
âIsâŚthereâŚanyâŚhope?â
Sadly, despite their best efforts, there was no rea-
son for hope and all six men perished.
This seems to be the cry of humanity: âIs there
any hope?â Hope, indeed, is the basis of all human ex-
istence in Christ!
You have heard the expression, âWhere there is
life there is hope.â This comes from the Bible, where
Solomon says, âBut for him who is joined to all the liv-
ing there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead
lionâ (Ecclesiastes 9:4).
So far we have looked at some pretty heavy sins,
and yet we have reason to believe that, as bad as these
sins are, not one of them is the unpardonable sin that
Jesus spoke so strongly about.
What, then, is the sin that is so bad that it cannot
be forgiven, no matter what? What sin is so bad that
even the death of Jesus isnât enough to save the guilty
one from condemnation? What sin leaves them with
no hope?
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 16 8/23/12 11:53 AM 17
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
After all these years, who isnât still disturbed by
the images from the 9/11 attacks on America? Some
are very graphic, like when photographers captured
images of those desperate and trapped workers in the
World Trade Center. They have photos of people on
the higher floors who found their way to the windows
in an effort to escape the flames. They couldnât make
it down because the fires trapped them, but once
they got to the windows, then what? In some cases,
they were 40 stories above the ground, yet with no
other recourse, they jumped to their deaths rather
than be burned alive inside the building. Talk about
utter hopelessness!
Or what about this situation? He was a parachute
instructor who had spent so much time making sure
that his students were all suited up and cinched in
tight that one day he had forgotten, believe it or not,
to put on his own parachute. He then jumped out of
the airplane to his death! Can you imagine what he
must have felt like on the way down, knowing that
he was going to die? All that training for othersâŚyet
he ended up doing something so careless. Again, talk
about an awful sense of hopelessness!
We use these two sad stories as an analogy for
what it must be like to have the Lord declare to a per-
son, a family, a nation, a city, or the world that thereâs
no hope for them, that they are eternally lost. To still
be alive and know that your situation is hopeless is a
dreadful thought. Itâs like that with the unpardonable
sin, the one sin that cannot be forgiven. So again we
ask, âWhat is it?â
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 17 8/23/12 11:53 AM 18
Beyond Mercy
Blasphemy
As we saw above, in Luke 12:10, Jesus said, âAny-
one who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will
be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgivenâ (emphasis sup-
plied). It is someone who âblasphemesâ who cannot
be forgiven. Thus, we need to decipher what blasphe-
my is, because, obviously, it is a crucial component to
understanding the unpardonable sin.
In the Greek, the word is blasphemos and, accord-
ing to one dictionaryâs concise definition, it means âto
vilify, to speak impiously, to defame, to rail upon, to
revile, to speak evil, to hurt or blast the reputation,
nature or works of God.â So to speak evil of Godâ
to defame, to vilify, to undermine Him with your
wordsâis blasphemy. There are some other defini-
tions, but this one is principally the one that Jesus uses
in this warning.
In the American Heritage Dictionary, blasphemy
is defined as âa contemptuous or profane act, utter-
ance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity.â
It also gives another definition: âthe act of claiming
for oneself the attributes and rights of God.â We ac-
tually believe this last one is closer to the definition
weâre looking for when the Bible speaks of blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit. But if you arenât sure about dic-
tionary definitions, then letâs let the Bible define itself.
In the Bible, we find some stories in which blas-
phemy is cited, such as in John 10:33. At one point,
some of the leaders in Israel were trying to find a
reason to stone Jesus. âThe Jews answered Him, say-
ing, âFor a good work we do not stone You, but for
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 18 8/23/12 11:53 AM 19
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make
Yourself God.â â Thus, man putting himself in the place
of God is a Bible definition of blasphemy, just as it was
in the dictionary.
Now look at Luke 5:21. âAnd the scribes and the
Pharisees began to reason, saying, âWho is this who
speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God
alone?â â Now, Jesus had just said He could forgive the
sins of a paralytic. The religious leaders were angry,
because they realized that by forgiving the manâs sin,
Jesus was putting Himself in the place of God.
In other words, suggesting that what you think is
more important than what God says. Isnât that put-
ting yourself in the place of God? Some people might
not have considered that theyâre at risk of committing
the unpardonable sin because they are claiming the
prerogatives of God for themselves. Theyâre making
themselves their own god. Theyâre not listening to the
words of God; instead, theyâre saying, âMy reasons are
more important than the commandments of God.â A
man putting himself in the place of God. Thatâs pretty
heavy. If thatâs not blasphemy, what is?
Of course, blasphemy itself is not the unpardon-
able sin. In fact, we all have probably committed vary-
ing degrees of blasphemy at some point or another.
After all, the apostle Paul had been a blasphemer,
and we can be assured that Paul will be in heaven. In
1Timothy 1:13, he writes: âAlthough I was formerly a
blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I
obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.â
Godâs grace to us is exceedingly abundant; it for-
gives even blasphemy. Indeed, right in Matthew 12:31,
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 19 8/23/12 11:53 AM 20
Beyond Mercy
Jesus says: âEvery sin and blasphemy will be forgiv-
en menâ (emphasis supplied). Again, Godâs grace is
amazing! All kinds of blasphemy are forgivenâŚex-
cept the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Thus, in order to understand what blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit is, we also need to understand
what the Holy Spirit does. Once we grasp that, we can
then better understand what it means to blaspheme
the Holy Spirit and why itâs been deemed the unpar-
donable sin.
Three Functions
What does the Holy Spirit do? Why is His func-
tion so crucial that blasphemy against Him is so seri-
ous a sin that it cannot be forgiven?
Jesus said, âBut the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in My name, He will teach you
all things, and bring to your remembrance all things
that I said to youâ (John 14:26). First, the Holy Spirit
teaches us thingsâthe things we need to know for
our salvation.
Next, besides teaching us all things, Jesus indi-
cated that the Spirit will also âguide you into all truthâ
(John 16:13). Every searching student of the Word has
probably experienced this guiding influence of the
Holy Spirit. There can be no true insight into biblical
truth without the enlightenment of this Spirit of God.
Finally, the mission of the Holy Spirit is to con-
vict of sin. Jesus said, âIt is to your advantage that I go
away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come
to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And
when He has come, He will convict the world of sin,
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 20 8/23/12 11:53 AM 21
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
and of righteousness, and of judgmentâ (John 16:7, 8).
It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to reprove us
and convict us of our sin. When wrongs are commit-
ted, the conscience is pricked with a sense of guiltâ
that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, we see that the Holy Spirit 1) teaches us
what we need to know, 2) guides us into truth, and 3)
convicts of sin. This is His work. It is logical, therefore,
to conclude that as long as we allow the Holy Spirit
to teach us, to guide us, and to convict us, we could
never be guilty of committing the unpardonable sin.
But suppose we refuse to acknowledge these
three operations of the Spirit in our personal expe-
rience with God? That is exactly when people begin
to approach the deadly parameters of the worst sin
on record.
A Powerful Example
It is intriguing to study the actual examples of the
unpardonable sin in the Bible record. For instance,
at one time, practically everyone in the world passed
over that point of no return. Here is what the Bible
says about the state of the world before the global
flood: âAnd the Lord said, âMy Spirit shall not strive
with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days
shall be one hundred and twenty yearsââ (Genesis 6:3,
emphasis added). Thatâs a scary declaration!
God is saying that at some point, enough is
enough. Look at what the pre-flood people were like:
âThen the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 21 8/23/12 11:53 AM 22
Beyond Mercy
was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and
He was grieved in His heartâ (Genesis 6:5, 6). If every
thought of their hearts was evil, imagine what their
words and deeds were like! They were so bad that God
was even sorry that He had created them.
These texts speak of the antediluvian world,
which perished in the global flood. For more than 100
years, the Holy Spirit pleaded with that wicked gen-
eration through the preaching of Noah. Although the
imagination of nearly every heart was evil continually,
a small remnant responded to the Spirit and entered
the ark. All the rest were swept away in the raging wa-
ters, which covered every inch of the earthâs surface.
After years of patient striving, the Spirit withdrew to
leave the stubborn sinners to their chosen fate.
Could the same thing happen again? There is an
amazing parallel between the days of Noah and today.
Jesus said, âAs it was in the days of Noah, so it will be
also in the days of the Son of Manâ (Luke 17:26). The
very same excesses of the pre-flood world are being
committed right now in the great cities of our world.
Perversions of the worst degree continue to mark the
carnal course of every nation under the sun as few
seek the safety of Godâs hands.
Itâs curious, of course. Why did the vast majority
of pre-flood people refuse to enter the ark of safety?
Many of them probably helped Noah construct that
huge vessel; they saw all the animals go aboard peace-
fully. Surely the Holy Spirit stirred them with convic-
tion, but they would not obey the message. Finally,
God said, âLet them alone. My Spirit will no longer
strive with them.â
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 22 8/23/12 11:53 AM 23
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Here we see a key issue that should help us un-
derstand the point of no return. Godâs Holy Spirit
no longer strove among those people. That is, they
were so hardened in their rejection of the Spirit and
His pleadings with them that God finally had to say
enough is enoughâno more.
We also see here at a corporate level what weâre
trying to find on an individual one: what it means to
spurn the Holy Spirit at such a level that nothing more
can be done for us because we have, indeed, reached
the PNRâthe point of no return.
How crucial, then, it is for us as individuals to
make sure we donât make the same mistake that these
people did and fall headlong into the same trap.
Conviction
The good news is that we donât have to fall into that
trap, not as long as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit
in our lives. Remember, one of the things He does is
convict us of wrongdoing. âWhen He has come, He
will convict the world of sinâ (John 16:8). To refuse,
to reject, and to harden yourself against the convict-
ing influence of the Spirit cannot be something good.
Indeed, as we just saw with those who lived before the
flood, itâs a big step toward crossing the PNR.
Think about it: Is it good to be convicted? If you
are standing in a house thatâs caught on fire, your
nerves tell you to run. But if you ignore that pain from
the heat, youâre going to burn. Indeed, pain can be a
healthy thing if it helps you preserve your life, right?
Some unfortunate people have a disease that deadens
the pain nerves in their body. It might sound attractive
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 23 8/23/12 11:53 AM 24
Beyond Mercy
to be unable to experience pain, but the problem is
that the people with this disease sustain all sorts of
injuries the rest of us donât. For instance, if we were to
put our hand on a hot stove, we would instantly pull it
away. They wouldnât pull away because they wouldnât
feel the pain; hence, they would get badly burned in a
way we would not.
Thus painâconvictionâat the right time, in the
right place, is very important. And thatâs especially
true when it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit
in bringing to us the conviction of sin. It was the
conviction of the Holy Spirit that led the men to ask
Peter, âWhat shall we do [to be saved]?â (Acts 2:37).
They were convicted; it was a healthy thing. Yet sup-
pose they were so hardened against the Spirit that
they ignored Peter and his powerful preaching.
One of the most important questions we can ask is,
âWhat must I do to be saved?â If you donât ask it, if
you donât care about being saved, what hope is there
for you?
Indeed, what if you had a son who was regularly
given to cursing, lying, and stealing without any feel-
ings of guilt? Would that not worry you? Wouldnât
you want your kidâs conscience to bother him about
wrongdoing? You certainly wouldnât want your son
to feel good, to boast in doing evil! You would want
him to be convicted and to act upon that convic-
tion of wrongdoing, right? Itâs an encouraging thing
to see your child feel remorseful about doing wrong.
Itâs a sign of growth. But if heâs morally calloused and
doesnât have any conviction, thatâs very dangerous and
any parent should be concerned.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 24 8/23/12 11:53 AM 25
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Perhaps you remember the story in the book of
Exodus about the Pharaoh of Egypt. Talk about some-
one seeing evidence of the Spirit! What monarch saw
more miracles than he did? Moses would even come
and schedule out the miracles. Heâd say there was
going to be a divine plague the next day, and it hap-
pened. Pharaoh personally witnessed the power of
God. How stubborn does one have to be to see a pillar
of fire, to see the Red Sea part, to see the Jews march-
ing through the sea, and yet be so bent on resisting
the evidence of Godâs Spirit that he would still attack
His people?
Can you imagine how nervous those Egyptian
soldiers were as they saw the sea part and the chil-
dren of Israel pass through it on dry ground? They
could clearly see that God was with those people. âYou
want us to do what? You still want us to attack them
after all these plagues to deliver them?â How stubborn
and ornery can someone be? Itâs as if youâd have to
be possessed by another spirit, a dark spirit, to be
that obstinate.
Well, Pharaoh was that stubborn, and that is what
destroyed him in the endâalong with his entire army.
He allowed his own heart to become hardened. He was
not able to acknowledge that he was wrong. Despite
all the incredible miracles he had seen, despite all the
evidence that he had witnessed, even the death of his
own first-born son, he refused to acknowledge the
power and sovereignty of the living God.
Take a moment to read these powerful words
from the writer E.G. White:
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 25 8/23/12 11:53 AM 26
Beyond Mercy
âGod had declared concerning Pharaoh, âI will
harden his heart, that he shall not let the peo-
ple goâ (Exodus 4:21). There was no exercise
of supernatural power to harden the heart of
the king. God gave to Pharaoh the most strik-
ing evidence of divine power, but the monarch
stubbornly refused to heed the light. Every
display of infinite power rejected by him,
rendered him the more determined in his re-
bellion. The seeds of rebellion that he sowed
when he rejected the first miracle produced
their harvest. As he continued to venture on
in his own course, going from one degree of
stubbornness to another, his heart became
more and more hardened, until he was called
to look upon the cold, dead faces of the first-
bornâ (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 261).
Weâre now seeing more clearly what this blasphe-
my against the Holy Spirit involves. We should also
start to discern that this lethal sin isnât just one horri-
ble isolated deed, but a constant rejection of the work
that the Holy Spirit is seeking to do in a personâs heart.
John 16:13 says, âThe Spirit of truthâŚwill guide
you into all truth.â As we have seen, the Spirit guides
us, teaches us, and convicts usâbut thatâs just for
starters. For us to obtain forgiveness, what has to hap-
pen? âIf we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrigh-
teousnessâ (1 John 1:9).
To receive Godâs forgiveness, we must first re-
pent and confess. If we refuse, then we begin to head
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 26 8/23/12 11:53 AM 27
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
toward the point of no return. But if our hearts are,
like Pharaohâs, hardened, if we see evidence of Godâs
work in our lives but consistently and repeatedly stifle
the conviction that the evidence brings, itâs not likely
that we are going to confess or repent of anything.
How could we?
The Crucial Context
The topic of the unpardonable sin should start to
be clearer nowâitâs like Christianity 101. We need to
repent, we need to be convicted, we need to be guided,
we need to know that we have done wrong, and we
need to confess that wrong.
What brings about all these things in our lives? It
is the work of the Holy Spirit alone. Thus, blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit is rejecting and refusing to re-
spond to the leading, the teaching, and the conviction
of the Holy Spirit. It is closing the only door through
which we obtain forgiveness. Thatâs why itâs the sin
that cannot be forgiven.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the sin for
which we will not repent and confess; hence, it is un-
pardonable, and that is why Jesus spoke so strongly
about it. Letâs look at the context in which Jesus ut-
tered one of His warnings about this sin.
Matthew 12:22 reads, âThen one was brought to
Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute.â
This person was in bad shape: blind, unable to speak,
and demon-possessed. The verse continues: âAnd
He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both
spoke and he saw.â The demon was cast out, and the
multitudes were amazed; they asked, âCould this be
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 27 8/23/12 11:53 AM 28
Beyond Mercy
the Son of David?ââin other words, âCould this be
the Messiah?â
Why would they ask that? The evidence was over-
whelming that Jesus had the power of God against the
devil. He liberated and healed the manâs sight and
speech as they all stood there and watched. Imagine
if you were to see a miracle like that right before your
own eyes. Someone blind suddenly being able to see;
someone voiceless suddenly able to speak!
What, though, was the reaction of the Pharisees
when they heard about this miracle? âThis fellow does
not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler
of the demons.â That was a very dangerous attitude
to have in the presence of Godâs Son: to disregard the
obvious evidence of the working of Godâs Spirit and to
instead call it the working of the devil!
The Pharisees called the work of Jesus the work
of a pagan deity. Beelzebub was a Phoenician god,
about the lowest of the low when it came to gods.
Beelzebub was also known as the âLord of the Flies,â a
god of filth, because when the Phoenicians saw some
filth, or scum, or even a corpse, they noticed that flies
would land on them and, soon, worms and maggots
would appear. Not knowing about modern science,
they came to the conclusion that the filth and scum
of corpses somehow had the power to give life. They
thought some god must have put that power in there;
thus, they came to worship the âLord of the Flies,â
Beelzebub. And this was the being that the religious
leaders said gave Jesus His power.
Talk about pushing the envelope.
Talk about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 28 8/23/12 11:53 AM 29
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
They were denying the influence and power
of the Holy Spirit. Thatâs why Jesusâknowing their
thoughtsâsaid,
âEvery kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation, and every city or house
divided against itself will not stand. If Satan
casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.
How then will his kingdom stand? And if I
cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do
your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall
be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the
Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has
come upon youâ (Matthew 12:25â28).
In other words, âIf what Iâm doing is of God, then
what are you men really doing and saying? What po-
sition are you taking in regard to what God is doing
in this world? You are ascribing to the devil the work
of the very God you claim to worship and serve.â They
were refusing to acknowledge the obvious demonstra-
tion of Godâs Spirit. Look again at His statement in
Matthew 12:28: âBut if I cast out demons by the Spirit
of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon
you.â He was pleading with them! âThe kingdom of
God is come to you. Donât reject it, donât deny it, and
donât mislabel it by calling the obvious signs of that
kingdom the work of the devil.â
But Jesus wasnât finished. He continued,
âHow can one enter a strong manâs house and
plunder his goods, unless he first binds the
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 29 8/23/12 11:53 AM 30
Beyond Mercy
strong man? And then he will plunder his
house. He who is not with Me is against Me,
and he who does not gather with Me scatters
abroadâ (Matthew 12:29, 30).
What was Jesus saying here? He was telling the
Pharisees, very clearly and unambiguously, that if they
werenât recognizing His work as the power of God,
then they would eventually be filled with the power of
the devil. Thereâs no middle ground; weâre on one side
or the other. There is, indeed, a great controversy be-
tween good and evil, Christ and Satan, and we have to
make our choice about whose side we are going to join
in this conflict. And to be blunt: to not choose Christ
is to choose the other sideâthe devilâs side.
Now comes Jesusâ zinger:
âTherefore I say to you, every sin and blas-
phemy will be forgiven men, but the blas-
phemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven
men. Anyone who speaks a word against the
Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but who-
ever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not
be forgiven him, either in this age or in the
age to comeâ (Matthew 12:31, 32).
So now we have the full context in which Jesus
makes His statement about the unpardonable sin.
The Pharisees refused to recognize the work of
the Holy Spirit; they rejected the clear work of the
Spirit of God. Donât miss this point: If we refuse to
acknowledge and recognize the working of the Holy
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 30 8/23/12 11:53 AM 31
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Spirit in our lives, then we are at risk of committing the
unpardonable sin.
Remember back in 2010, when those 33 Chilean
miners were trapped 2,300 feet below the surface? A
narrow, deep hole was dug through the rocky earth to
rescue them. If those miners refused to heed the voice
of their helpers, to escape through that tiny tunnel,
they would have surely died. There was no other way
for them to be saved!
Likewise, as we have seen, if the work of the Holy
Spirit is to guide us into knowledge and lead us to
repentance and conviction, and we reject that very
work, we are in danger of committing the unpardon-
able sin because itâs only through that work we can
be brought to repentance, which ultimately leads
to pardon.
One of the best definitions of the unpardonable
sin that Iâve read comes from E.G. White. She writes,
âNo one needs look upon the sin against the
Holy Ghost as something mysterious and
indefinable. The sin against the Holy Ghost
is the sin of persistent refusal to respond to
the invitation to repentâ (That I Might Know
Him, pg. 243).
Thatâs itâŚpure and simple! âThe persistent re-
fusal to repent of sin.â That is the unpardonable sin.
Three Wrong Paths
Now that we better understand what the unpar-
donable sin is, the next question arises: How does it
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 31 8/23/12 11:53 AM 32
Beyond Mercy
happen that someone gets in danger of committing it?
Itâs fine that we know what it is, but thatâs only part of
the issue. Whatâs just as important is what we need to
do to make sure we donât commit it!
What happens, then, that causes people to com-
mit the unpardonable sinâto place themselves in a
position where they canât be saved, where they have
crossed the point of no return? It happens like this âŚ
Almost imperceptibly, the conscience is seared
and the heart is hardened. In fact, this is why it is
counted as such a terrible sin. Sometimes people donât
understand why God considers this the worst thing
that can be done, but it is because the Holy Spirit is
the only way God can reach an individual with the
message of salvation. That is the way we are led to
repentance. If we did not have the Holy Spirit, there
would be no hope for us, because we have to repent in
order to be forgiven. If we have no sense of our need
of repentance, we wonât do it and, therefore, we wonât
be forgiven.
Again, itâs like a deep-sea diver. His oxygen tank
has the air he needs to live. His dive computer is al-
ways working to let him know when heâs in danger of
running out of air. But if he ignores the computer and
continues to descend when he knows he should start
ascending, heâs going to run out of air and drown. If he
obeys the warnings of his dive computer and makes
his way to the surface, he will live. But he has no way
of knowing that itâs getting dangerous for him but by
his dive computerâso is it wise for him to ignore it?
In the same way, in this sin-darkened world, the only
way God can reach us is through the Holy Spirit.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 32 8/23/12 11:53 AM 33
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
In our analogy, God is the air we need to live;
Jesus is the salvation at the surface. The Holy Spirit
is the dive computerâHe warns us that our spiritual
tank is running out of God and we need to surface to
Jesus to be saved. But if we turn away from the Spirit,
if we refuse to listen and obey our spiritual dive com-
puter, God will have to let us go; thus, we will be lost.
And it was our choice!
This was why King David was so deeply con-
cerned in his great prayer of contrition. While pour-
ing out his heart to God in Psalm 51, David prayed,
âDo not cast me away from Your presence, and do not
take Your Holy Spirit from meâ (verse 11). He realized
that if God removed the Holy Spirit from his life, he
was lost. He would be left alone with no way of being
saved. Thatâs why Jesus said this sin is the unpardon-
able sin. When you cut yourself off and refuse to listen
to the Holy Spirit, there is no hope for you.
Now, there are three specific ways in which peo-
ple can commit this hopeless sin.
1) The first way is for a person to simply admit
in his life, âI donât want to be saved; I donât want to
be bothered with God and the Bible.â Once in a while,
youâll find a person like thisâbut not too often. Most
people really want to be saved, but now and then youâll
find someone who just isnât interested at all. Heâs satis-
fied with his materialistic world even though he knows
it will ultimately lead to a complete dead end for him.
Proverbs 28:13 says: âHe who covers his sins will
not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them
will have
A Little Light Reading.
BEYOND MERCY,
The unpardonable sin.
Doug Bachelor.
A man visiting Scotland for the first time went to
a place on the coast featuring a beautiful bay
beach. Up along the beach, soft, sandy hills rose
up sharply into a steep, rocky cliff that dropped down
right along the narrow shore. The man was enjoy-
ing his time, meditating and studying the shells. He
noticed the tide had gone out, exposing a lot of new
beautiful rocks and shells. So he continued to walkâ
the ocean on one side, the beach beneath him, and
the sheer rock cliff wall that stretched for miles on the
other side.
As he traveled up the shore, he came to a rusted
steel post in the ground hoisting a metal sign that had
words painted in bold, clear letters:
âWarning!
Danger: If you go beyond this point, you will
not be able to escape the incoming tide.â
The man looked behind him and thought, âWell,
I might not be a marathon runner, but I can surely get
back to the safe zone before the tide overtakes me. Iâd
like to go a little farther. These are some of the best shells
and tidal pools Iâve ever seen.â Besides, the tide was a
good way off.
He walked on, well past the signâpreoccupied
with the starfish, seashells, and curious little crabs
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 3 8/23/12 11:53 AM 4
Beyond Mercy
that were now skittering from hole to hole. Along the
way, every so often, he would think: Iâll just keep an
eye on the surf and, when I see it start to change, Iâll
head back to the safe section of the beach.
But once he had gone beyond that sign, he had
already gone too far. He did not realize in that part
of Scotland, during certain seasons and moon phases,
the tidal cycle is often powerful and swift. So he kept
walking, meandering along the wet sand.
Not long after, he saw the tide had changed and
the waves were beginning to come in, so he turned
around. But the tide was surging very fast, charg-
ing in like a galloping horse. Heâd never seen a tide
roll in so quickly! No sooner had he turned to make
a hasty retreat, than the waves were upon him like
miniature tsunamis. He began to run, but the rising
waves slapped against his legs, repeatedly knocking
him over. Soon the waves were dragging him right up
against the rocky cliffs!
People sightseeing above the cliffs saw him strug-
gling and watched helplessly as the man was pum-
meled time and time again against the unforgiving
sheer rock.
His lifeless body was found the next day.
What happened? He had gone beyond the warn-
ing sign.
Yesâhe was alive and well for a while after he
passed the warning sign, but there actually was no
hope because he had reached the point of no return.
There is, in certain situations, a very clear point of
no return. The military even has a term for it: âPNR.â
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 4 8/23/12 11:53 AM 5
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
And with good reason too. We hear about Navy he-
licopters that are sent on rescue missions. As theyâre
flying out over the ocean from their aircraft carrier,
they have a special instrument labeled PNR*âthe
point of no return. When they reach a certain point,
an alarm goes off. It tells them, basically, that itâs now
or neverâtheyâve reached the halfway point of their
fuel supply. It means that, even if they see the person
theyâre trying to rescue just a little farther beyond, if
they continue to fly away from their vessel, as well-
intentioned as they might be, based on the laws of
physics, they are going to run out of fuel before they
can get back. Theyâll be ditching in the ocean.
Like that man who died on the Scottish shore,
if they donât turn around right then and there, they
might not make it home by air.
No Turning Back?
Along these same lines, the Bible teaches that there
is a point you can go to in sinning against God where
your life might still be activeâyour lungs are breath-
ing, your heart is beatingâbut you are doomed, just
as surely as if the gates of Hades had already closed
behind you. That is, it is possible for a person to have
gone so far away from God, from the promptings of
the Holy Spirit, that they have spiritually reached the
point of no return and, perhaps, even have gone well
past it.
It is called the âunpardonable sin,â and weâre deal-
ing with this because so many worried and confused
* Now also called âPoint of Equal Timeâ (PET) or âCritical
Pointâ (CP).
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 5 8/23/12 11:53 AM 6
Beyond Mercy
Christians are wondering, âHave I committed the un-
pardonable sin? What hope can you give me?â
No question, in our ministry, we frequently meet
those who have wondered if they have committed
this unforgivable sin. A man feels his prayers seem to
bounce back from the ceiling, or a woman feels there
is no hope of receiving Godâs favor or forgiveness. Yet
they canât identify any particular sinful act that severed
them from the hope of salvation. God just seems si-
lent. How can they tell if they have actually committed
the unpardonable sin? Can any person really know?
Why Does This Matter?
A few years ago the psychology department of
Duke University carried on an interesting experi-
ment. (It would never be allowed today.) They wanted
to see how long rats could swim based on hope. In
one container surrounded by sheer walls, they placed
a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape. He
swam in circles a few moments and then gave up, re-
signed to drown. In the other container, they made
the hope of escape possible for the rat. A little ladder
was placed just out of reach. The rat swam for sev-
eral hours before finally drowning. We usually say, âAs
long as there is life, there is hope.â The Duke experi-
ment proved, âAs long as there is hope, there is life.â
Some people believe they have committed the un-
forgivable sin and have lost hope and stopped living.
So before answering these troubling questions
about the unpardonable sin, a glorious truth first
needs to be recognized: We serve a God of infinite
love and compassion! It is not His will that anyone
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 6 8/23/12 11:53 AM 7
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
be lost. He has made provision in His Word for every
soul to be forgiven and saved. The incredible promise
of 1 John 1:9 applies to every man, woman, and child
in the world today: âIf we confess our sins, he is faith-
ful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.â
On the condition of a sincere confession, God
promises to forgive any sin, regardless of its nature.
âCome now, and let us reason together,â says
the Lord, âThough your sins are like scar-
let, they shall be as white as snow; though
they are red like crimson, they shall be as
woolâ (Isaiah 1:18).
Here God is saying, âYou have sinned. I know that.
But I still love you and want you to have salvation so
badly that I sent my Son to die on the cross for you, to
pay the penalty for your sins. Why, therefore, donât you
accept what I have done for you?â
What a special assurance for those who have vio-
lated every law of God and man in their wild plunge
into degradation. God loves them still! There is no
guilt too great for Him to cleanse away. He waits with
outstretched arms to receive those who take the first
step toward His forgiveness and mercy. After all, look
at what happened at the cross! The ultimate price
was paid for our redemption from sin. The God who
would do that for us wants us to have the salvation He
offers, a salvation that cost Him so much.
At the same time, however, people can commit
the unpardonable sin, which will put them out of the
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 7 8/23/12 11:53 AM 8
Beyond Mercy
reach of salvation and eternal life. What is this sin
which heaven regards with such abhorrence? Why,
too, will God deal so severely with those who are
guilty of it?
To the human mind, a great number of depraved
and cruel acts might fall into such a category, but
which one of them would God count so heinous that
it could never be forgiven? This is the crucial question
that we are going to explore in this short book.
A Fearsome Warning
Letâs first look at what the Bible specifically says
about this sin.
Indeed, the most fearful words ever spoken by
Jesus had to do with the fateful possibility of commit-
ting the unpardonable sin. He said,
âTherefore I say to you, every sin and blas-
phemy will be forgiven men, but the blas-
phemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven
menâ (Matthew 12:31).
Here it is again:
âAssuredly, I say to you, all sins will be for-
given the sons of men, and whatever blasphe-
mies they may utter; but he who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit never has forgive-
ness, but is subject to eternal condemnationâ
(Mark 3:28, 29).
And again, in Luke 12:10:
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 8 8/23/12 11:53 AM 9
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
âAnd anyone who speaks a word against the
Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to
him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit,
it will not be forgiven.â
Letâs look at these texts closely. âI say to you,â Jesus
said, âevery sin and blasphemy will be forgiven.â We
should be so thankful that the Lord is a God who
forgives âevery sin and blasphemy.â After all, human
beings are capable of some pretty gruesome and de-
praved acts, are we not? And yet Jesus here is very
clear: All can be forgiven. Thatâs how powerful and ef-
fectual Christâs death on the cross was. It was enough
to cover every sin and blasphemy.
But we would be remiss to end right here, because
Jesus doesnât end right here.
He goes on to say something very grave. He says
that the âblasphemy against the Spirit will not be for-
given men.â Amazing! âAnyone who speaks a word
against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him.â Yet
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven!
Right after some religious leaders in Israel, in cahoots
with the Romans, crucified Jesus, He prayed, âFather, for-
give them.â Would Jesus have uttered that prayer if it was
not possible for them to be forgiven? Even something as
horrible as crucifying the Son of God was forgivable.
But what did Jesus say in another place? âBut
whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be
forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to comeâ
(Matthew 12:32).
Thatâs heavy! They could be forgiven for driv-
ing nails into Jesusâ hands and hoisting him up on a
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 9 8/23/12 11:53 AM 10
Beyond Mercy
ragged cross but not for âspeakingâ against the Holy
Spirit. No forgivenessânot now, not in judgment day,
not in the resurrectionâŚnot ever!
Again, we see this same contrast in Mark: âAll sins
will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blas-
phemies they may utter.â Thatâs encouraging; is it not?
God is so merciful that He can forgive us all sins and
blasphemy. But then we are given this warning: âBut
he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has
forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnationâ
(Mark 3:28, 29).
How much clearer could Jesus be? We obviously
donât want to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit be-
cause it will lead to âeternal condemnation.â Thus,
how important it is that we learn two things:
⢠First, what does it mean to âutter blasphemyâ
against the Holy Spirit?
⢠Second, how can we make sure that we donât do it?
What the Unpardonable Sin Is Not
Now, whenever people hear about the unpardon-
able sin, their first question is, âWhat is it?â
In search of the answer, they often go the book of
Exodus and look through the Ten Commandments,
where they try to conjure up what they think is the
worst possible sin; that sin is surely, they surmise, the
unpardonable one.
For instance, one might believe that innocent life
is certainly the most important thing, and if someone
were to take an innocent lifeâthat is, commit mur-
derâthat would have to be the unpardonable sin.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 10 8/23/12 11:53 AM 11
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
After all, once a person is dead, thereâs nothing that
can be done to bring that person back.
That makes sense, of course. Murder is horren-
dous. However, we clearly find examples in the Bible of
those guilty of murder who we believe will be in heaven.
First, thereâs Moses. Exodus 2:12 says the great
prophet âlooked this way and that way, and when he
saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the
sand.â That was the sin of murder. God didnât want
Moses to commit it, but God did forgive the imperfect
prophet and even used Moses to do a great work in
leading the children of Israel out of Egypt.
How about David? In 2 Samuel 12:9, the prophet
Nathan said to David, âWhy have you despised the
commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?
You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you
have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed
him with the sword of the people of Ammon.â So, be-
sides murder, we can add adultery to Davidâs grievous
sin. Neither murder nor adultery, bad as they are (and
they are bad), can be the unpardonable sin, because
we know from the Bible that God forgave David both
of these sinsâthough, of course, the king did have to
live with the terrible consequences of his sins, which
is another matter entirely.
In our culture, perhaps the worst crime is when
someone sexually abuses or otherwise harms or kills
an innocent child. Truly, how much lower can a per-
son stoop? Even Jesus says, âWhoever causes one of
these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would
be better for him if a millstone were hung around his
neck, and he were thrown into the seaâ (Mark 9:42).
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 11 8/23/12 11:53 AM 12
Beyond Mercy
If anything were the unpardonable sin, one would
think it would be harming an innocent child.
This crime is actually mentioned in the Bible too.
As a matter of fact, in some pagan nations, infanticide
was part of their worship. They would kill their chil-
dren and burn them on altars, all to supposedly ap-
pease their gods. In the Bible, itâs referred to as making
their children âpass through the fire.â
Itâs referenced in Ezekiel 16:20â22 as one of the
things that was especially offensive to the Lord re-
garding the nations that surrounded Israel. But what
made matters worse was that some Israelites began
doing the same thing to their own children. Despite
all the light that they had been given, they had fall-
en into one of the most awful and degrading of all
pagan practices! âThey even sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demonsâ (Psalm 106:37).
Now what could be worse than thatâespecially for
a people who should have known better because of
all the special revelations given to them as Godâs
chosen nation?
But thereâs somebody in the Bible who did this,
yet, according to the biblical record, we can believe
that person is forgiven. Manasseh was a king in Israel
who was guilty of infanticide. A king! 2Kings 21:6
says: âHe made his son pass through the fire, prac-
ticed soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted
spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight
of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.â It was child
sacrifice, pure and simple. But you read on and the
Bible tells us that this king fully repented, accepted the
Lord, and even implemented a reformation in Israel.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 12 8/23/12 11:53 AM 13
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Itâs unimaginable to us that someone, after they get
involved in child sacrifice, could be forgiven. God is,
obviously, more gracious and merciful than most of
us would be, thatâs for sure!
(Maybe youâve heard of Ted Bundy, a vicious se-
rial killer of young women. The murders were espe-
cially horrific. When he was finally caught and put in
prison on death row, he confessed and ostensibly went
through a conversion process and accepted Jesus. The
respected family counselor Dr. James Dobson went to
visit Bundy before his execution, and the Christian
leader came away believing that God can even forgive
someone who did the horrible things that Bundy did,
as unimaginable as that might seem to us.)
Thus, when Jesus says thereâs a sin for which you
canât be forgiven, it must be really bad! Worse than
adulteryâŚworse than murderâŚeven worse than
child sacrifice!
Could it be the act of denying Christ? Well, can
we think of somebody in the Bible who openly and
blatantly denied Christ yet was forgiven? The book
of Matthew records how Peter swore up and down
that he would be faithful to Jesus no matter what.
However, when accused of being a follower of Christ,
he openly denied itâthree times, even! âThen he be-
gan to curse and to swear.â It was bad enough that he
denied Christ, but he did it with cursing and swearing
as well! (See Matthew 26:69â75.)
Publicly denying Christ, renouncing that you know
Him, and doing it with an oath and foul languageâŚ
thatâs pretty bad, especially for someone who had been
as privileged as Peter, who had been part of Jesusâ
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 13 8/23/12 11:53 AM 14
Beyond Mercy
intimate inner circle for so long and who had seen so
many miracles! Could that sin be forgiven?
Obviously it can, because Peter was not only for-
given his sin, he also became a leader in the early New
Testament church. Here are the words of Jesus to him
after Jesus had been raised from the dead:
âSo when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said
to Simon Peter, âSimon, son of Jonah, do you
love Me more than these?â He said to Him,
âYes, Lord; You know that I love You.â He said
to him, âFeed My lambs.â He said to him again a
second time, âSimon, son of Jonah, do you love
Me?â He said to Him, âYes, Lord; You know that
I love You.â He said to him, âTend My sheep.â
He said to him the third time, âSimon, son of
Jonah, do you love Me?â Peter was grieved be-
cause He said to him the third time, âDo you
love Me?â And he said to Him, âLord, You know
all things; You know that I love You.â Jesus said
to him, âFeed My sheepââ (John 21:15â17).
If that doesnât sound like forgiveness, what does?
What About Suicide?
This is obviously a very emotionally charged sub-
ject. Indeed, who doesnât know, either directly or in-
directly, someone who committed suicide? Sometimes
suicidal people call our radio program asking, âIf I
commit suicide, can I still be saved?â What do you
think we tell them? We discourage them in every way
possible. We suggest to them that if the last act of a
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 14 8/23/12 11:53 AM 15
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
personâs life is an act of utter hopelessness and faith-
lessness, and if the Bible tells us that without faith itâs
impossible to please God, what can we say? We do all
we can to dissuade them from the thought, reminding
them if the last act of their lives is self-murder, obvious-
ly, that wouldnât bode very well for their eternal future.
At the same time, who doesnât know someone
whose loved one, a child, perhaps, has taken his or
her own life? These dear people are so devastated by
the thought that a loved oneâs next conscious thought
is that they are eternally lost, they do everything they
can in their reasoning to widen that gate. And, indeed,
we need to be careful not to be dogmatic about the
eternal destiny of anyone, including a suicide. Only
God knows the state of the heart and mind in those
last moments of life.
Besides, we have an example in the Bible of some-
one who committed suicide yet was still deemed faith-
ful: Samson. Judges 16:30 reads, âThen Samson said,
âLet me die with the Philistines!â And he pushed with
all his might, and the temple fell.â Yes, the temple fell
on the lords of the Philistines, killing them, but its walls
also fell on Samson. Some might argue, âLook, they were
getting ready to kill him anyway; he just thought to take
his enemy with him. Thus, Samsonâs act of war was re-
ally a sacrifice and not a suicide. Nevertheless, Samson
knew that by knocking down the walls, he would kill
himself as wellâand that is a form of suicide.
Will Samson be in heaven? In Hebrews 11, heâs
listed among the faithful. Suicide, though tragic in ev-
ery way, cannot be the unpardonable sin.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 15 8/23/12 11:53 AM 16
Beyond Mercy
The Horror of Hopelessness
On December 17, 1927, while surfacing, the US-
S-4 submarine was accidentally rammed and sunk by
the Coast Guard destroyer Paulding. The entire crew
was trapped in its prison house of death. Ships rushed
to the scene of disaster off the coast of Massachusetts,
where the doomed men clung to life as the oxygen
slowly gave out.
A diver placed his helmeted ear to the side of
the vessel and listened. He heard a tapping noise.
Someone was tapping out a question in the dots and
dashes of Morse code. The question came slowly:
âIsâŚthereâŚanyâŚhope?â
Sadly, despite their best efforts, there was no rea-
son for hope and all six men perished.
This seems to be the cry of humanity: âIs there
any hope?â Hope, indeed, is the basis of all human ex-
istence in Christ!
You have heard the expression, âWhere there is
life there is hope.â This comes from the Bible, where
Solomon says, âBut for him who is joined to all the liv-
ing there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead
lionâ (Ecclesiastes 9:4).
So far we have looked at some pretty heavy sins,
and yet we have reason to believe that, as bad as these
sins are, not one of them is the unpardonable sin that
Jesus spoke so strongly about.
What, then, is the sin that is so bad that it cannot
be forgiven, no matter what? What sin is so bad that
even the death of Jesus isnât enough to save the guilty
one from condemnation? What sin leaves them with
no hope?
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 16 8/23/12 11:53 AM 17
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
After all these years, who isnât still disturbed by
the images from the 9/11 attacks on America? Some
are very graphic, like when photographers captured
images of those desperate and trapped workers in the
World Trade Center. They have photos of people on
the higher floors who found their way to the windows
in an effort to escape the flames. They couldnât make
it down because the fires trapped them, but once
they got to the windows, then what? In some cases,
they were 40 stories above the ground, yet with no
other recourse, they jumped to their deaths rather
than be burned alive inside the building. Talk about
utter hopelessness!
Or what about this situation? He was a parachute
instructor who had spent so much time making sure
that his students were all suited up and cinched in
tight that one day he had forgotten, believe it or not,
to put on his own parachute. He then jumped out of
the airplane to his death! Can you imagine what he
must have felt like on the way down, knowing that
he was going to die? All that training for othersâŚyet
he ended up doing something so careless. Again, talk
about an awful sense of hopelessness!
We use these two sad stories as an analogy for
what it must be like to have the Lord declare to a per-
son, a family, a nation, a city, or the world that thereâs
no hope for them, that they are eternally lost. To still
be alive and know that your situation is hopeless is a
dreadful thought. Itâs like that with the unpardonable
sin, the one sin that cannot be forgiven. So again we
ask, âWhat is it?â
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 17 8/23/12 11:53 AM 18
Beyond Mercy
Blasphemy
As we saw above, in Luke 12:10, Jesus said, âAny-
one who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will
be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgivenâ (emphasis sup-
plied). It is someone who âblasphemesâ who cannot
be forgiven. Thus, we need to decipher what blasphe-
my is, because, obviously, it is a crucial component to
understanding the unpardonable sin.
In the Greek, the word is blasphemos and, accord-
ing to one dictionaryâs concise definition, it means âto
vilify, to speak impiously, to defame, to rail upon, to
revile, to speak evil, to hurt or blast the reputation,
nature or works of God.â So to speak evil of Godâ
to defame, to vilify, to undermine Him with your
wordsâis blasphemy. There are some other defini-
tions, but this one is principally the one that Jesus uses
in this warning.
In the American Heritage Dictionary, blasphemy
is defined as âa contemptuous or profane act, utter-
ance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity.â
It also gives another definition: âthe act of claiming
for oneself the attributes and rights of God.â We ac-
tually believe this last one is closer to the definition
weâre looking for when the Bible speaks of blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit. But if you arenât sure about dic-
tionary definitions, then letâs let the Bible define itself.
In the Bible, we find some stories in which blas-
phemy is cited, such as in John 10:33. At one point,
some of the leaders in Israel were trying to find a
reason to stone Jesus. âThe Jews answered Him, say-
ing, âFor a good work we do not stone You, but for
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 18 8/23/12 11:53 AM 19
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make
Yourself God.â â Thus, man putting himself in the place
of God is a Bible definition of blasphemy, just as it was
in the dictionary.
Now look at Luke 5:21. âAnd the scribes and the
Pharisees began to reason, saying, âWho is this who
speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God
alone?â â Now, Jesus had just said He could forgive the
sins of a paralytic. The religious leaders were angry,
because they realized that by forgiving the manâs sin,
Jesus was putting Himself in the place of God.
In other words, suggesting that what you think is
more important than what God says. Isnât that put-
ting yourself in the place of God? Some people might
not have considered that theyâre at risk of committing
the unpardonable sin because they are claiming the
prerogatives of God for themselves. Theyâre making
themselves their own god. Theyâre not listening to the
words of God; instead, theyâre saying, âMy reasons are
more important than the commandments of God.â A
man putting himself in the place of God. Thatâs pretty
heavy. If thatâs not blasphemy, what is?
Of course, blasphemy itself is not the unpardon-
able sin. In fact, we all have probably committed vary-
ing degrees of blasphemy at some point or another.
After all, the apostle Paul had been a blasphemer,
and we can be assured that Paul will be in heaven. In
1Timothy 1:13, he writes: âAlthough I was formerly a
blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I
obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.â
Godâs grace to us is exceedingly abundant; it for-
gives even blasphemy. Indeed, right in Matthew 12:31,
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 19 8/23/12 11:53 AM 20
Beyond Mercy
Jesus says: âEvery sin and blasphemy will be forgiv-
en menâ (emphasis supplied). Again, Godâs grace is
amazing! All kinds of blasphemy are forgivenâŚex-
cept the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Thus, in order to understand what blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit is, we also need to understand
what the Holy Spirit does. Once we grasp that, we can
then better understand what it means to blaspheme
the Holy Spirit and why itâs been deemed the unpar-
donable sin.
Three Functions
What does the Holy Spirit do? Why is His func-
tion so crucial that blasphemy against Him is so seri-
ous a sin that it cannot be forgiven?
Jesus said, âBut the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in My name, He will teach you
all things, and bring to your remembrance all things
that I said to youâ (John 14:26). First, the Holy Spirit
teaches us thingsâthe things we need to know for
our salvation.
Next, besides teaching us all things, Jesus indi-
cated that the Spirit will also âguide you into all truthâ
(John 16:13). Every searching student of the Word has
probably experienced this guiding influence of the
Holy Spirit. There can be no true insight into biblical
truth without the enlightenment of this Spirit of God.
Finally, the mission of the Holy Spirit is to con-
vict of sin. Jesus said, âIt is to your advantage that I go
away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come
to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And
when He has come, He will convict the world of sin,
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 20 8/23/12 11:53 AM 21
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
and of righteousness, and of judgmentâ (John 16:7, 8).
It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to reprove us
and convict us of our sin. When wrongs are commit-
ted, the conscience is pricked with a sense of guiltâ
that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, we see that the Holy Spirit 1) teaches us
what we need to know, 2) guides us into truth, and 3)
convicts of sin. This is His work. It is logical, therefore,
to conclude that as long as we allow the Holy Spirit
to teach us, to guide us, and to convict us, we could
never be guilty of committing the unpardonable sin.
But suppose we refuse to acknowledge these
three operations of the Spirit in our personal expe-
rience with God? That is exactly when people begin
to approach the deadly parameters of the worst sin
on record.
A Powerful Example
It is intriguing to study the actual examples of the
unpardonable sin in the Bible record. For instance,
at one time, practically everyone in the world passed
over that point of no return. Here is what the Bible
says about the state of the world before the global
flood: âAnd the Lord said, âMy Spirit shall not strive
with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days
shall be one hundred and twenty yearsââ (Genesis 6:3,
emphasis added). Thatâs a scary declaration!
God is saying that at some point, enough is
enough. Look at what the pre-flood people were like:
âThen the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 21 8/23/12 11:53 AM 22
Beyond Mercy
was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and
He was grieved in His heartâ (Genesis 6:5, 6). If every
thought of their hearts was evil, imagine what their
words and deeds were like! They were so bad that God
was even sorry that He had created them.
These texts speak of the antediluvian world,
which perished in the global flood. For more than 100
years, the Holy Spirit pleaded with that wicked gen-
eration through the preaching of Noah. Although the
imagination of nearly every heart was evil continually,
a small remnant responded to the Spirit and entered
the ark. All the rest were swept away in the raging wa-
ters, which covered every inch of the earthâs surface.
After years of patient striving, the Spirit withdrew to
leave the stubborn sinners to their chosen fate.
Could the same thing happen again? There is an
amazing parallel between the days of Noah and today.
Jesus said, âAs it was in the days of Noah, so it will be
also in the days of the Son of Manâ (Luke 17:26). The
very same excesses of the pre-flood world are being
committed right now in the great cities of our world.
Perversions of the worst degree continue to mark the
carnal course of every nation under the sun as few
seek the safety of Godâs hands.
Itâs curious, of course. Why did the vast majority
of pre-flood people refuse to enter the ark of safety?
Many of them probably helped Noah construct that
huge vessel; they saw all the animals go aboard peace-
fully. Surely the Holy Spirit stirred them with convic-
tion, but they would not obey the message. Finally,
God said, âLet them alone. My Spirit will no longer
strive with them.â
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 22 8/23/12 11:53 AM 23
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Here we see a key issue that should help us un-
derstand the point of no return. Godâs Holy Spirit
no longer strove among those people. That is, they
were so hardened in their rejection of the Spirit and
His pleadings with them that God finally had to say
enough is enoughâno more.
We also see here at a corporate level what weâre
trying to find on an individual one: what it means to
spurn the Holy Spirit at such a level that nothing more
can be done for us because we have, indeed, reached
the PNRâthe point of no return.
How crucial, then, it is for us as individuals to
make sure we donât make the same mistake that these
people did and fall headlong into the same trap.
Conviction
The good news is that we donât have to fall into that
trap, not as long as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit
in our lives. Remember, one of the things He does is
convict us of wrongdoing. âWhen He has come, He
will convict the world of sinâ (John 16:8). To refuse,
to reject, and to harden yourself against the convict-
ing influence of the Spirit cannot be something good.
Indeed, as we just saw with those who lived before the
flood, itâs a big step toward crossing the PNR.
Think about it: Is it good to be convicted? If you
are standing in a house thatâs caught on fire, your
nerves tell you to run. But if you ignore that pain from
the heat, youâre going to burn. Indeed, pain can be a
healthy thing if it helps you preserve your life, right?
Some unfortunate people have a disease that deadens
the pain nerves in their body. It might sound attractive
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 23 8/23/12 11:53 AM 24
Beyond Mercy
to be unable to experience pain, but the problem is
that the people with this disease sustain all sorts of
injuries the rest of us donât. For instance, if we were to
put our hand on a hot stove, we would instantly pull it
away. They wouldnât pull away because they wouldnât
feel the pain; hence, they would get badly burned in a
way we would not.
Thus painâconvictionâat the right time, in the
right place, is very important. And thatâs especially
true when it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit
in bringing to us the conviction of sin. It was the
conviction of the Holy Spirit that led the men to ask
Peter, âWhat shall we do [to be saved]?â (Acts 2:37).
They were convicted; it was a healthy thing. Yet sup-
pose they were so hardened against the Spirit that
they ignored Peter and his powerful preaching.
One of the most important questions we can ask is,
âWhat must I do to be saved?â If you donât ask it, if
you donât care about being saved, what hope is there
for you?
Indeed, what if you had a son who was regularly
given to cursing, lying, and stealing without any feel-
ings of guilt? Would that not worry you? Wouldnât
you want your kidâs conscience to bother him about
wrongdoing? You certainly wouldnât want your son
to feel good, to boast in doing evil! You would want
him to be convicted and to act upon that convic-
tion of wrongdoing, right? Itâs an encouraging thing
to see your child feel remorseful about doing wrong.
Itâs a sign of growth. But if heâs morally calloused and
doesnât have any conviction, thatâs very dangerous and
any parent should be concerned.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 24 8/23/12 11:53 AM 25
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Perhaps you remember the story in the book of
Exodus about the Pharaoh of Egypt. Talk about some-
one seeing evidence of the Spirit! What monarch saw
more miracles than he did? Moses would even come
and schedule out the miracles. Heâd say there was
going to be a divine plague the next day, and it hap-
pened. Pharaoh personally witnessed the power of
God. How stubborn does one have to be to see a pillar
of fire, to see the Red Sea part, to see the Jews march-
ing through the sea, and yet be so bent on resisting
the evidence of Godâs Spirit that he would still attack
His people?
Can you imagine how nervous those Egyptian
soldiers were as they saw the sea part and the chil-
dren of Israel pass through it on dry ground? They
could clearly see that God was with those people. âYou
want us to do what? You still want us to attack them
after all these plagues to deliver them?â How stubborn
and ornery can someone be? Itâs as if youâd have to
be possessed by another spirit, a dark spirit, to be
that obstinate.
Well, Pharaoh was that stubborn, and that is what
destroyed him in the endâalong with his entire army.
He allowed his own heart to become hardened. He was
not able to acknowledge that he was wrong. Despite
all the incredible miracles he had seen, despite all the
evidence that he had witnessed, even the death of his
own first-born son, he refused to acknowledge the
power and sovereignty of the living God.
Take a moment to read these powerful words
from the writer E.G. White:
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 25 8/23/12 11:53 AM 26
Beyond Mercy
âGod had declared concerning Pharaoh, âI will
harden his heart, that he shall not let the peo-
ple goâ (Exodus 4:21). There was no exercise
of supernatural power to harden the heart of
the king. God gave to Pharaoh the most strik-
ing evidence of divine power, but the monarch
stubbornly refused to heed the light. Every
display of infinite power rejected by him,
rendered him the more determined in his re-
bellion. The seeds of rebellion that he sowed
when he rejected the first miracle produced
their harvest. As he continued to venture on
in his own course, going from one degree of
stubbornness to another, his heart became
more and more hardened, until he was called
to look upon the cold, dead faces of the first-
bornâ (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 261).
Weâre now seeing more clearly what this blasphe-
my against the Holy Spirit involves. We should also
start to discern that this lethal sin isnât just one horri-
ble isolated deed, but a constant rejection of the work
that the Holy Spirit is seeking to do in a personâs heart.
John 16:13 says, âThe Spirit of truthâŚwill guide
you into all truth.â As we have seen, the Spirit guides
us, teaches us, and convicts usâbut thatâs just for
starters. For us to obtain forgiveness, what has to hap-
pen? âIf we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrigh-
teousnessâ (1 John 1:9).
To receive Godâs forgiveness, we must first re-
pent and confess. If we refuse, then we begin to head
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 26 8/23/12 11:53 AM 27
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
toward the point of no return. But if our hearts are,
like Pharaohâs, hardened, if we see evidence of Godâs
work in our lives but consistently and repeatedly stifle
the conviction that the evidence brings, itâs not likely
that we are going to confess or repent of anything.
How could we?
The Crucial Context
The topic of the unpardonable sin should start to
be clearer nowâitâs like Christianity 101. We need to
repent, we need to be convicted, we need to be guided,
we need to know that we have done wrong, and we
need to confess that wrong.
What brings about all these things in our lives? It
is the work of the Holy Spirit alone. Thus, blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit is rejecting and refusing to re-
spond to the leading, the teaching, and the conviction
of the Holy Spirit. It is closing the only door through
which we obtain forgiveness. Thatâs why itâs the sin
that cannot be forgiven.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the sin for
which we will not repent and confess; hence, it is un-
pardonable, and that is why Jesus spoke so strongly
about it. Letâs look at the context in which Jesus ut-
tered one of His warnings about this sin.
Matthew 12:22 reads, âThen one was brought to
Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute.â
This person was in bad shape: blind, unable to speak,
and demon-possessed. The verse continues: âAnd
He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both
spoke and he saw.â The demon was cast out, and the
multitudes were amazed; they asked, âCould this be
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 27 8/23/12 11:53 AM 28
Beyond Mercy
the Son of David?ââin other words, âCould this be
the Messiah?â
Why would they ask that? The evidence was over-
whelming that Jesus had the power of God against the
devil. He liberated and healed the manâs sight and
speech as they all stood there and watched. Imagine
if you were to see a miracle like that right before your
own eyes. Someone blind suddenly being able to see;
someone voiceless suddenly able to speak!
What, though, was the reaction of the Pharisees
when they heard about this miracle? âThis fellow does
not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler
of the demons.â That was a very dangerous attitude
to have in the presence of Godâs Son: to disregard the
obvious evidence of the working of Godâs Spirit and to
instead call it the working of the devil!
The Pharisees called the work of Jesus the work
of a pagan deity. Beelzebub was a Phoenician god,
about the lowest of the low when it came to gods.
Beelzebub was also known as the âLord of the Flies,â a
god of filth, because when the Phoenicians saw some
filth, or scum, or even a corpse, they noticed that flies
would land on them and, soon, worms and maggots
would appear. Not knowing about modern science,
they came to the conclusion that the filth and scum
of corpses somehow had the power to give life. They
thought some god must have put that power in there;
thus, they came to worship the âLord of the Flies,â
Beelzebub. And this was the being that the religious
leaders said gave Jesus His power.
Talk about pushing the envelope.
Talk about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 28 8/23/12 11:53 AM 29
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
They were denying the influence and power
of the Holy Spirit. Thatâs why Jesusâknowing their
thoughtsâsaid,
âEvery kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation, and every city or house
divided against itself will not stand. If Satan
casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.
How then will his kingdom stand? And if I
cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do
your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall
be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the
Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has
come upon youâ (Matthew 12:25â28).
In other words, âIf what Iâm doing is of God, then
what are you men really doing and saying? What po-
sition are you taking in regard to what God is doing
in this world? You are ascribing to the devil the work
of the very God you claim to worship and serve.â They
were refusing to acknowledge the obvious demonstra-
tion of Godâs Spirit. Look again at His statement in
Matthew 12:28: âBut if I cast out demons by the Spirit
of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon
you.â He was pleading with them! âThe kingdom of
God is come to you. Donât reject it, donât deny it, and
donât mislabel it by calling the obvious signs of that
kingdom the work of the devil.â
But Jesus wasnât finished. He continued,
âHow can one enter a strong manâs house and
plunder his goods, unless he first binds the
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 29 8/23/12 11:53 AM 30
Beyond Mercy
strong man? And then he will plunder his
house. He who is not with Me is against Me,
and he who does not gather with Me scatters
abroadâ (Matthew 12:29, 30).
What was Jesus saying here? He was telling the
Pharisees, very clearly and unambiguously, that if they
werenât recognizing His work as the power of God,
then they would eventually be filled with the power of
the devil. Thereâs no middle ground; weâre on one side
or the other. There is, indeed, a great controversy be-
tween good and evil, Christ and Satan, and we have to
make our choice about whose side we are going to join
in this conflict. And to be blunt: to not choose Christ
is to choose the other sideâthe devilâs side.
Now comes Jesusâ zinger:
âTherefore I say to you, every sin and blas-
phemy will be forgiven men, but the blas-
phemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven
men. Anyone who speaks a word against the
Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but who-
ever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not
be forgiven him, either in this age or in the
age to comeâ (Matthew 12:31, 32).
So now we have the full context in which Jesus
makes His statement about the unpardonable sin.
The Pharisees refused to recognize the work of
the Holy Spirit; they rejected the clear work of the
Spirit of God. Donât miss this point: If we refuse to
acknowledge and recognize the working of the Holy
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 30 8/23/12 11:53 AM 31
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
Spirit in our lives, then we are at risk of committing the
unpardonable sin.
Remember back in 2010, when those 33 Chilean
miners were trapped 2,300 feet below the surface? A
narrow, deep hole was dug through the rocky earth to
rescue them. If those miners refused to heed the voice
of their helpers, to escape through that tiny tunnel,
they would have surely died. There was no other way
for them to be saved!
Likewise, as we have seen, if the work of the Holy
Spirit is to guide us into knowledge and lead us to
repentance and conviction, and we reject that very
work, we are in danger of committing the unpardon-
able sin because itâs only through that work we can
be brought to repentance, which ultimately leads
to pardon.
One of the best definitions of the unpardonable
sin that Iâve read comes from E.G. White. She writes,
âNo one needs look upon the sin against the
Holy Ghost as something mysterious and
indefinable. The sin against the Holy Ghost
is the sin of persistent refusal to respond to
the invitation to repentâ (That I Might Know
Him, pg. 243).
Thatâs itâŚpure and simple! âThe persistent re-
fusal to repent of sin.â That is the unpardonable sin.
Three Wrong Paths
Now that we better understand what the unpar-
donable sin is, the next question arises: How does it
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 31 8/23/12 11:53 AM 32
Beyond Mercy
happen that someone gets in danger of committing it?
Itâs fine that we know what it is, but thatâs only part of
the issue. Whatâs just as important is what we need to
do to make sure we donât commit it!
What happens, then, that causes people to com-
mit the unpardonable sinâto place themselves in a
position where they canât be saved, where they have
crossed the point of no return? It happens like this âŚ
Almost imperceptibly, the conscience is seared
and the heart is hardened. In fact, this is why it is
counted as such a terrible sin. Sometimes people donât
understand why God considers this the worst thing
that can be done, but it is because the Holy Spirit is
the only way God can reach an individual with the
message of salvation. That is the way we are led to
repentance. If we did not have the Holy Spirit, there
would be no hope for us, because we have to repent in
order to be forgiven. If we have no sense of our need
of repentance, we wonât do it and, therefore, we wonât
be forgiven.
Again, itâs like a deep-sea diver. His oxygen tank
has the air he needs to live. His dive computer is al-
ways working to let him know when heâs in danger of
running out of air. But if he ignores the computer and
continues to descend when he knows he should start
ascending, heâs going to run out of air and drown. If he
obeys the warnings of his dive computer and makes
his way to the surface, he will live. But he has no way
of knowing that itâs getting dangerous for him but by
his dive computerâso is it wise for him to ignore it?
In the same way, in this sin-darkened world, the only
way God can reach us is through the Holy Spirit.
Beyond Mercy Text.indd 32 8/23/12 11:53 AM 33
What Is the Unpardonable Sin?
In our analogy, God is the air we need to live;
Jesus is the salvation at the surface. The Holy Spirit
is the dive computerâHe warns us that our spiritual
tank is running out of God and we need to surface to
Jesus to be saved. But if we turn away from the Spirit,
if we refuse to listen and obey our spiritual dive com-
puter, God will have to let us go; thus, we will be lost.
And it was our choice!
This was why King David was so deeply con-
cerned in his great prayer of contrition. While pour-
ing out his heart to God in Psalm 51, David prayed,
âDo not cast me away from Your presence, and do not
take Your Holy Spirit from meâ (verse 11). He realized
that if God removed the Holy Spirit from his life, he
was lost. He would be left alone with no way of being
saved. Thatâs why Jesus said this sin is the unpardon-
able sin. When you cut yourself off and refuse to listen
to the Holy Spirit, there is no hope for you.
Now, there are three specific ways in which peo-
ple can commit this hopeless sin.
1) The first way is for a person to simply admit
in his life, âI donât want to be saved; I donât want to
be bothered with God and the Bible.â Once in a while,
youâll find a person like thisâbut not too often. Most
people really want to be saved, but now and then youâll
find someone who just isnât interested at all. Heâs satis-
fied with his materialistic world even though he knows
it will ultimately lead to a complete dead end for him.
Proverbs 28:13 says: âHe who covers his sins will
not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them
will have