HAVE YOU COMMITTED THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?

Our text for the day:  Matthew 12:22-32

[22] Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.  [23] And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?  [24] But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.  [25] And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:   [26] And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?  [27] And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  [28] But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.  [29] Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?  And then he will spoil his house.  [30] He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad.  [31] 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.  [32] 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.

Today, we call "the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost (the Holy Spirit - compare vs. 28 & 31)," "the Unpardonable Sin," and from the text above, it is clearly accurate to do so.  The Pharisees heard that Jesus had cast devils out of a man that had been made sightless and speechless by them (vs. 22-24).  Their reaction?  They immediately accused Jesus of using Satan's power to free the man (v. 24).  So why is their attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, a sin that cannot be forgiven?  After all, didn't Jesus die for the sins of the whole world?  Of course He did (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 2:2; etc.)!  Then why is this particular sin "not covered by Christ's blood?"  Why is this the single exception?  Can there really be a sin that was not paid for by Jesus?  Hebrews 9:22 suggests there is:  "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

To understand why this sin is the exception, one need only to look at the "mission" of the Holy Spirit."  In John 16:7-14, we are told that the Holy Spirit's job is to convict mankind of their sin, and to convince lost humanity to trust in Jesus.  That is exactly why the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to cast out the devils!  Verse 28 says, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."  The Holy Spirit was providing evidence that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah!  Had they believed, their sins would have been forgiven; but because they rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit, that very rejection of Jesus could not be forgiven!  Salvation is the result of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 10:9-13; Eph. 2:8-9; etc.)!

Faith in Jesus proves you have not committed the unpardonable sin!