WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JUNE 06, 2025
TOPIC: THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN
BY T. O. BANSO
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:31-32 New King James Version).
Many verses in the Bible give assurance of God’s forgiveness of sin. This should encourage sinners to come to Him and receive forgiveness. One such scripture is 1 John 1:8-10: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (New King James Version).
In the Old Testament, God said in the latter part of Jeremiah 31:34, “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (New King James Version). In Psalm 103:12, the psalmist said, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (New King James Version).
Some sinners are living in rebellion against God, totally devoted to the devil, doing what God forbids. They live their lives without regard for what the Word of God says. It’s as if God is doing His thing and they’re doing their own. Some of them don’t even believe there is God.
Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good” (New King James Version). Psalm 53:1 says the same thing. Since they don’t believe God exists, they don’t care if they offend Him and, therefore, do not seek forgiveness.
But there are other sinners whose consciences condemn them for the way they live, but they don’t know how to be delivered from their sinful lifestyles. They are slaves to sin unlike those born again. These sinners and other sinners who are living rebellious lives, claiming there is no God, need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour so that they will no longer be slaves to sin.
There is another group: Christians, who, although God has promised forgiveness of sin if they confess, doubt if they are qualified for God’s forgiveness because the Bible talks about the unforgivable or unpardonable sin. They are worried if they have committed the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 12, after Jesus had healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute, the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons, which Jesus dismissed. He submitted that if Satan cast out Satan, he was divided against himself, and his kingdom could not stand (verse 26).
The conversation continued in Matthew 12:31-32: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (New King James Version).
This passage has been a subject of controversy among Bible scholars. It is also a source of worry to some Christians who are afraid that they may be guilty of committing the unforgivable sin and will end in hellfire. Knowing what is the unforgivable sin will help determine if the sins of these Christians are unforgivable. However, different interpretations have been given to what Jesus meant by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
From the context in which Jesus talked about the unforgivable sin, He was talking about the sin of the Pharisees who attributed the miracle that He did by the power of the Holy Spirit to Beelzebub. He said every sin and blasphemy, and anything said against the Son of Man, would be forgiven, but saying that the miracles done by the power of the Holy Spirit were done by Beelzebub would never be forgiven.
The New International Version renders Matthew 12:31-32 thus: “And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
The sin Jesus referred to was not like the sins the Bible calls the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21, namely, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envying, drunkenness, reveling, and the like. Without trying to minimize these sins, they are forgivable. But those who do not repent from practising them will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:3-5 says, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (New King James Version). These sins are grievous but are forgivable. Jesus was not referring to any of them but the sin of ascribing the work of the Holy Spirit to the power of Satan.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not sorcery, sexual immorality, murder, idolatry, lying, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (Revelation 22:14-15; Colossians 3:5-6). As much as they are serious sins that will attract the wrath of God, they are forgivable sins.
It is the malicious attribution of glaring works by the power of the Holy Spirit to demonic power that constitutes unpardonable sin. Adam Clarke said, “Even personal reproaches, revilings, persecutions against Christ, were remissible; but blasphemy or impious speaking against the Holy Spirit was to have no forgiveness: i.e. when the person obstinately attributed those works to the devil, which he had the fullest evidence could be wrought only by the Spirit of God.”
Thus, there should not be any confusion regarding what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit or the unforgivable sin. Children of God need not worry that they have committed or may commit this sin. John Wesley said, “How much stir has been made about this? How many sermons, yea, volumes, have been written concerning it? And yet there is nothing plainer in all the Bible. It is neither more nor less than the ascribing those miracles to the power of the devil, which Christ wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
God will forgive every sin except blasphemy or speaking against the Holy Spirit. Mark 3:29 presents this passage we are looking at this way: “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” (New King James Version).
No true child of God will behave like the religious leaders who denied glaring evidence that Jesus cast out demons by the Holy Spirit and said He did so by Beelzebub. Stephen’s statement that the Jews were stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears and always resisted the Holy Spirit as their fathers correctly described the attitude of these religious leaders (Acts 7:51).
True children of God will not ascribe the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan’s power having received the knowledge of the truth. Hebrews 10:26 says if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. A child of God will not want to grieve the Holy Spirit by whom he was sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). He will not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.
After the lame man at the Beautiful Gate was healed, the Bible says he stood, began to walk, and entered with Peter and John into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God. Then all the people saw him walking and praising God (Acts 3:8-9). This is the right thing to do, not to deny the miracles done in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, there are Satan’s agents pretending to be the servants of God and doing magic in the name of miracles. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says Satan transforms himself into or disguises himself as an angel of light. Those who engage in unscriptural practices in the ministry or heretical teachings would be wrong to try to silence the voice of truth against them by claiming that it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. No. It is truth spoken to correct an error.
No child of God should allow the fear of committing the unpardonable sin to hinder his walk with God because it is not a sin true believers in Christ will commit. God will forgive all sins other than blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, but this is not a licence to continue in forgivable sins. We cannot continue in sin so that grace may abound (Romans 6:1-2).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner, and cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Thank You, Father, for all the miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. Father, anoint Your servants to do greater works and anoint me to do greater works for You. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus; I cannot continue in sin so that grace may abound.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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