The first passage is Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” The other passage that refers to this is found in Mark 3:28-29, “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
These two passages reveal several things concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The first is that ALL sins are forgivable except for one. Second, the one unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The third thing revealed is what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is. It is the total rejection of the Holy Spirit’s promptings to receive Jesus as Savior over a lifetime. In other words, it is dying without accepting Jesus as Savior even though the Holy Spirit gave you opportunities to do so. This is proven in the statements, “either in this age or the age to come” and “never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.” These phrases point not only to Jesus being the only way to Heaven, but also to the fact that you cannot live a life of complete rejection of the Holy Spirit’s promptings and then hope for forgiveness at the judgment. We each have one lifetime in which to accept Jesus as Savior, and that is more than we deserve. However, as harsh as this may sound to some, these passages also remind us that as long as we draw breath, we can accept Jesus as Savior, have ALL our sin forgiven, and receive, not eternal condemnation, but eternal life with our Lord.
