Answers from the Word

A friend asked this week, "What is the unforgivable sin?"

"And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Matthew 12:32

Many different denominations and theologians have speculated about what constitutes the "unforgivable sin."

Although Jesus said that sin can be forgiven "in this world... and the world to come," yet one sin can never be forgiven. That unpardonable sin is offending the Holy Ghost.

Notice, that Jesus said speaking against the Son of God can be forgiven. However, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable.

St. Paul warned people to be careful how they represented the Holy Spirit, "Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?" 1 Corinthians 14:23

By misusing or misrepresenting spiritual gifts, we might accidentally cause unsuspecting people to speak evil of God's Holy Spirit, which is dangerous. So, we must be very careful.

But why must we respect God's Holy Ghost?  The answer is because of the job the Holy Spirit came to do when Jesus returned to Heaven.

The Holy Ghost does many things.

He is a teacher and a reminder, "The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 14:26

The Holy Ghost is a comforter, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter." John 16:7

God's Spirit is a corrector, "And when He has come, He will convict (correct) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." John 16:8

But most important of all, the Holy Ghost holds us secure in God's Grace and prevents us from being lost by committing sin after we accept Jesus as our savior, "When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." Ephesians 1:13

Since we are "sealed" or locked into God's Grace, St. Paul said we should be very careful not to harm the Holy Ghost, "How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace (the Holy Ghost)?" Hebrews 10:29

So, this is the secret of the unforgivable sin. When we first believe in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit to keep us saved. However, if we renounce our faith in Jesus, then we injure God's Spirit that holds us secure in Grace. No sin can keep believers out of Heaven, except for one... offending the Holy Ghost by denying Jesus after we first believed.

According to St. Peter, it would be better for a person to never accept Jesus than to later reject Him and offend God's Holy Spirit, "And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life." 2 Peter 2:20-21

Offending God's Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin.

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