Every Sin Will Be Forgiven, But One...

*This article was taken from the conclusion to a recent sermon on Matthew 12:22-32.

30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come, (Matt. 12:30-32).

What is Jesus describing as the unforgivable sin?

In a word, it is the sin of unbelief. It is a continual refusal to repent and believe the truth of the gospel.

This, and this only, is the one sin which cannot be forgiven because it is the one sin which, by its very nature, keeps sinners alienated from the only source of forgiveness: the LORD Jesus Christ.

To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to resist and reject the faithful proclamation of the Word of God. It is to willfully refuse to receive the blessings of forgiveness and salvation which the Spirit holds forth to you through that Word as it is faithfully proclaimed throughout the world.

We must understand that it is in the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus both proclaimed and miraculously confirmed the truth of the gospel, (Matt. 12:18, 28). Yet, like so many in this world, these Pharisees were resisting and rejecting the Holy Spirit’s witness. The Spirit was testifying to the saving truth of the gospel before their very eyes in word and deed, and yet they looked upon it with mockery, contempt and scorn. They rejected the message of truth, and thereby they simultaneously rejected the Spirit of Truth who stands behind it.

In the work of redemption which our Triune God has decreed from all eternity, each member of the Trinity plays a specific role. The Father planned the redemption of the elect. The Son accomplished the work necessary for redemption. And the Holy Spirit applies that work to the sinner’s heart, (I Cor. 2:6-13). It is the third person of the Trinity—God the Spirit—who unites sinners to the saving benefits of Christ.

Metaphorically speaking, we might say that the Spirit is the hand of God that reaches forth to rescue those hanging on the cliff-edge of eternal destruction, (Lk. 11:20). He does this through the preaching of the Word, (Acts 1:8; 2:37). When the Word of God is preached to the world, the Spirit of God is holding forth his hand of deliverance to the lost. Through the Word, the Spirit of God is calling out, beckoning sinners to repent and believe. They who refuse his hand in unbelief, refuse all the benefits which that hand represents.

Thus, it is the work of the Holy Spirit which is, in this sense, most paramount to our salvation. A response of repentance and faith to the Spirit’s call through the preached Word, is the only door of entrance into the manifold blessings of Christ’s saving work. If we refuse to receive the Spirit’s witness with faith, we reject all the blessings which that witness offers to our soul, (Lk. 11:28). This is what Jesus meant when he said that offenses against the Son may be forgiven, but that those who blaspheme the witness of the Spirit can never be forgiven. Through repentance and faith, all sins—even sins against the Son of God himself—can and will be forgiven. But without repentance and faith, there is no forgiveness of sins.

Let me attempt to illustrate. Picture a car. You can kick the tires of that car and grumble about the size or state of the engine, but if you will turn the key to that car, you will nevertheless still enjoy the benefits provided by both the tires and the engine. It is the ignition that applies the power of that car to your personal benefit. But if, for any reason, you refuse to turn the ignition key, no matter what else you may do, you will not personally enjoy the transportive power of the automobile. All its ability and benefits will not benefit you because you refused to make use of the one source necessary for their application.

In the same way, Jesus is saying that absolutely every sin which sinners have ever committed can and will be forgiven them. But this blessed gift only belongs to those who receive the witness of the Spirit who holds forth his hand of salvation through the preaching of the Word. If you blaspheme the Spirit’s witness by refusing to believe, you are guilty of a sin which cannot be forgiven, because you are guilty of the one sin which, by its very nature, keeps you alienated from the only source of forgiveness: the LORD Jesus Christ.

If you are here today and you are guilty of blaspheming the Spirit’s witness by refusing to believe and obey the testimony of the Word of God, you have now been clearly warned of the grave danger your soul is in. God almighty will count you eternally guilty and without any hope of forgiveness if you continue to refuse to repent and believe in his Son, the only Savior, Jesus Christ.

But if you are here today and you are truly a Christian, let your heart rest and rejoice. Your Savior has declared that by faith alone, your every sin, with no exceptions, will be washed and forgiven through the salvation that he has accomplished in your place.