What is the 'Unpardonable Sin'? Understanding Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit | Ep. 76
06/27/23 • 49 min
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit – commonly referred to as the ‘unpardonable’ or ‘unforgiveable’ sin – has been the cause of a lot of debate, confusion, and anxiety for many.
The primary issue is this: If in Christ we are able to find forgiveness for all our sins, how is it that there is one sin which will never be forgiven – either in this age or in the age to come, as Jesus states in Matthew 12?
Moreover, with such grave eternal consequences, even some believers are filled with concern that perhaps they have, at some point committed this sin and will not be saved after all.
Attempts to explain what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is vary greatly, and many fail to take in to account the context of the passage where it is mentioned.
While some say that this sin can no longer be committed now that Jesus is no longer in His earthly ministry, others say that it refers to especially terrible sins like murder, and still others say that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is merely referring to the sin of unbelief – that only those who refuse to embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior have committed it.
In this sermon on Matthew 12:22-32 I endeavor to examine the context of Jesus’ warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in order to rightly understand what it is, who can commit it, and why the consequences are so dire.
In addition to staying grounded in the text, I also seek to understand this verse within the wider context of what God has revealed about our salvation – namely that it is a work of God’s Spirit whereby he convinces us of our sin, enlightens our mind with the knowledge of Christ, and draws us to embrace Jesus Christ through His effectual calling. Those whom the Spirit draws will, ultimately, be saved. The will of God is not overridden by the will of sinful man.
And so I hope that the following sermon will be helpful to you as we consider the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit within the context of Matthew 12:22-32.
__________________
For the full text of this sermon: https://reasonabletheology.org/what-is-the-unforgiveable-sin/
___________________
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Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit – commonly referred to as the ‘unpardonable’ or ‘unforgiveable’ sin – has been the cause of a lot of debate, confusion, and anxiety for many.
The primary issue is this: If in Christ we are able to find forgiveness for all our sins, how is it that there is one sin which will never be forgiven – either in this age or in the age to come, as Jesus states in Matthew 12?
Moreover, with such grave eternal consequences, even some believers are filled with concern that perhaps they have, at some point committed this sin and will not be saved after all.
Attempts to explain what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is vary greatly, and many fail to take in to account the context of the passage where it is mentioned.
While some say that this sin can no longer be committed now that Jesus is no longer in His earthly ministry, others say that it refers to especially terrible sins like murder, and still others say that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is merely referring to the sin of unbelief – that only those who refuse to embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior have committed it.
In this sermon on Matthew 12:22-32 I endeavor to examine the context of Jesus’ warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in order to rightly understand what it is, who can commit it, and why the consequences are so dire.
In addition to staying grounded in the text, I also seek to understand this verse within the wider context of what God has revealed about our salvation – namely that it is a work of God’s Spirit whereby he convinces us of our sin, enlightens our mind with the knowledge of Christ, and draws us to embrace Jesus Christ through His effectual calling. Those whom the Spirit draws will, ultimately, be saved. The will of God is not overridden by the will of sinful man.
And so I hope that the following sermon will be helpful to you as we consider the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit within the context of Matthew 12:22-32.
__________________
For the full text of this sermon: https://reasonabletheology.org/what-is-the-unforgiveable-sin/
___________________
Get a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos
GET THE NEWSLETTER
Each edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:
- A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly
- A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History
- Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy
- A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library
Previous Episode
Recovering the True Purpose of the Reformation with Dr. Matthew Barrett
Were the Protestant Reformers theological innovators, or were they calling the church to return to it’s foundational beliefs and practices?
On this episode I talk with Dr. Matthew Barrett about his new book The Reformation as Renewal: Retrieving the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
In this discussion we’ll talk about how the reformation and the men who lead it have often been misunderstood and even misrepresented.
Because rather than attempting to do something new and innovative, they were in fact focused on retrieving the historical Christian faith and correcting errors that had seeped into the church over the ages.
Here’s some of what we cover in this conversation:
- A helpful overview about how the Reformers benefited from and made use of the Church Fathers
- Why understanding the Middle Ages is critical for understanding the Reformation
- Our need to embrace the rich history and tradition of the church that goes back much further than the 1500s
You can find the show notes for this episode at at https://ReasonableTheology.org/Renewal where I will provide additional resources for diving deeper into this topic.
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_______________________________
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Each edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:
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Next Episode
America's Christian Founding: A Discussion with Historian Mark David Hall
Did the United States truly have a Christian founding, or were the Founders simply Deists who desired to create a secular nation?
This question has been hotly debated for generations, and our society increasingly regards the idea of America's Christian heritage as something to be minimized, rejected, or denied.
So what is the truth regarding the faith of the Founders and how it influenced their actions as they fought a revolution and brought forth a new nation?
To answer this question we're speaking with historian Mark David Hall. Hall is one of the most distinguished scholars of early American history. He is a professor, a nationally-recognized expert on religious freedom, and the author of several books, including Did America Have a Christian Founding?
In this conversation we'll discuss how Christianity shaped our nation, how much impact deism actually had on some of the founders, the true meaning of the separation of church and state, and how we can return to the biblical founding principles that made America a great nation.
See the Show Notes at ReasonableTheology.org/Founders
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Each edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:
- A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly
- A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History
- Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy
- A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library
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