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Amongst the many devices employed by Satan to discourage souls, and lead them astray, is that of beguiling them into the thought that they have committed the unpardonable sin. It is sad indeed to see the distress into which some are plunged through listening to this suggestion of the wicked one. But, before proceeding to say a few words in seeking to help those who may be in this painful condition, we would earnestly remind them of Satan's real character, as declared by the Lord Jesus Christ: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44.
Now, as long as men are careless and worldly, living without God, Satan leaves them undisturbed in the enjoyment of the pleasures of sin; but the moment the soul becomes awakened to its responsibility to God, and the cry of the heart has gone forth, “What must I do to be saved?” than he does his utmost to hinder them from coming to Christ, to blind them to the abounding grace of God, and to make them believe that they are too sinful to be saved.
In order to understand the passage which deals with the unpardonable sin, we would invite our readers to carefully consider the whole context. Christ had been casting out unclean spirits, when “the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils. And He called them unto Him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” Mark 3:22-30.
Any careful reader of the foregoing passage may see at a glance what the unpardonable sin is. It is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. And in what did the blasphemy consist? We are distinctly told, in verse 30, that it was “because they said, He hath an unclean spirit." That is, these wicked scribes said that the Holy Ghost was the devil. Horrible wickedness! And does not your soul, beloved reader—you who may be sorely troubled about this sin—revolt at the very suggestion of such a thing? How, then, can you have committed it? Those wicked men saw the work of the Holy Ghost before their very eyes, and yet, in their blindness and wickedness, ascribed it to Satan, saying, “He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils.” But did you ever see the Lord cast out devils, and say of Him, “He hath an unclean spirit”? Surely you would never allow the thought that He wrought miracles by the power of Satan, or that the Holy Ghost was Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. Again we ask you, then, how can you have committed the unpardonable sin? Impossible! It is simply Satan's lie to make and keep you miserable. Foolish soul, listen to him no longer; give him no place; resist him, and he will flee from you. Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7.
But if Satan sees that you are beginning to see through, and to escape from his snare, he will very probably change his tactics, and suggest, as he does to some, that if you have not blasphemed the Holy Ghost you have at least sinned against Him. But what saith the Scripture? We nowhere read that sin against the Holy Ghost is not forgiven; or who could be saved? For is not all sin against Him, in that the Holy Ghost is God? And all sin is against God; and God forgives all manner of sins and iniquities. Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is the sole exception. Of every one that believeth, He says, even the God that cannot lie (Titus 1:2), “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17. Again, “It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?” Romans 8:33-34. And again, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” Romans 4:8.
Matthew 12:31-32 might still present a difficulty to some troubled soul. We read, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
Another and more accurate translation of this passage is as follows: “For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one.”
We see then, from this, that speaking injuriously of and speaking against the Holy Ghost are the same as blaspheming against Him, which we have already sought to explain.
Some tried one, however, may say, “But, oh, I feel I've grieved the Spirit so often!” Well, that of course is wrong. It is sin, but not blasphemy. Where does God say that grieving the Holy Spirit is an unpardonable offence? Can Satan quote or misquote a scripture for that? What does the word of God say? “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30. Now God gives the Holy Spirit to those that believe. “After that ye [or having] believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13. The Holy Spirit takes up His abode in the body of the believer. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?” 1 Corinthians 6:19. And He is the abiding Comforter. John 14:16. He does not come and go; but once He dwells in the believer, He remains with him. We are sealed unto the day of redemption. If we sin, we grieve the Spirit, but He does not leave us. It does not say we are sealed until we sin, or even until we die, and our bodies go to corruption, but until the day of redemption. If we should die (or fall asleep), He ceases to dwell in us—on the earth, of course—and our bodies do go to corruption. But what the Scripture says (and it is all-important to keep close to it) is, “Whereby ye are sealed unto [or for] the day of redemption;” that is, the coming of the Lord. Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20-21.
David as a godly Jew could rightly pray, “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11. But since the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, at the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), once He makes the believer's body His abode, he is sealed till the day of redemption. It is on the ground of this very truth that we are exhorted not to grieve Him. What can be more miserable than to live in a house with a person who is grieved with your ways, and who is constantly showing his dis-approval of them? And how unhappy the state of a Christian who is grieving the Spirit by lax and unholy walk and ways. He is the Holy Spirit, and is grieved by all unholiness. Knowing, then, that He dwells in us, how careful, watchful, and prayerful this should make us, that we should not grieve Him, but that rather we should be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and be filled too with all joy and peace in believing (Romans 15:13).
If we grieve the Holy Spirit of God, then, He does not leave us, but at once makes us sensible of His grief, and of our failure and sin. Communion is interrupted and joy lost, to be restored only through the advocacy of Christ and the confession of sins. 1 John 1:9, 2:1. But our salvation, thanks be to the God of all grace, is eternal. Hebrews 5:9. And when a soul is sealed, it is on the ground of the infinite worth of the finished work of Christ, the value of which ever abides in its lasting efficacy before God. Hence we are sealed for the day of redemption.
There is one more passage which we may connect with our subject, as it sometimes troubles souls. It is in 1 John 5:16-17, and speaks of a sin which brings down the chastisement of God upon the offender. God deals in government as well as in grace, and one of His children may so commit himself that, though the subject of grace, he may be taken away from the world in the government of God.
In 1 Corinthians 11:28-32 we have a confirmation of this. Christians at the Lord's table were committing grievous sin, and partaking of the supper unworthily. Hence they were eating and drinking judgment to themselves. The hand of God was heavy upon them in consequence. “For this cause” says the apostle, “many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
And now, dear reader, if you are one that hitherto has been harassed and perplexed by the onslaught and fiery darts of the wicked one, and thinking that your case is hopeless, we would earnestly entreat you to heed no longer the lie of the arch-enemy of your soul, who belies the character of God, but rest in child-like simplicity of faith upon the sure word of God. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. Listen to the word of Christ, in one of the very passages that has been troubling you, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” Matthew 12:31. Mark it once again, the only exception is the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, and this you have not committed. The false accusation comes from the father of lies. Heed him not. God has said, “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
Author unknown. This article is a chapter of the book Christian Privileges (BTP #3428, highly recommended).