Is there any sin that God will not forgive?
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Asked July 01 2013
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Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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Seth Freeman
The only unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Or put in more simple terms - it's not believing in Christ. Christ's death on the cross is sufficient to forgive everyone of any sin they commit, no matter how heinous. For any sin to be too "big" or too "bad" for Christ to cover is to do nothing less than state that Christ's death on the cross was insufficient. But thankfully for us, Christ's atoning work IS sufficient to forgive everyone of all their sins. **Added 11/8/13** What was going on is that the Pharisees were accusing Jesus of casting out the demons by the power of Satan. They were denying Christ, who He was, and the authority He possessed - basically they were saying that Christ was not God. The role of the Holy Spirit in this world is to point us towards Christ. That is what He does. So one who denies the power of the Holy Spirit, or who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, also is denying Christ. And that is by default unforgivable. Any person who denies the power of the Holy Spirit, who denies the person, power, and authority of Christ is not someone who is going to ask Christ to forgive them of their sins. Christ's death on the cross was sufficient to cover all our sins. But one must believe that they are sinners, that Christ came to forgive them, and that He can forgive them. Basically, Christ can and does forgive us of all our sins - if we ask it of Him. But for those that don't ask it, they commit the unpardonable sin, and they will spend eternity apart from Christ. So basically, No Christian commits the unpardonable sin, yet all non-Christians do commit the unpardonable sin.
S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
For the born-again child of God, there is no unforgivable sin. The believer's sin was forgiven at the cross, and there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). "God d...
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Ezra King
Matthew 12:31 KJV 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. The unpardonable or unforgivable sin, it is to deliberatly refuse to acknowledge God, to turn your back on him. It is blaintantly refusing the Holy spirit when he is trying to tell you or lead and convict you of your wrong doing. Anyone who has committed such a sin has removed themself from the only force that leads them to repentance, in so doing their hearts are harden, and sin no longer feels sinful and there is no longer a need to ask for forgiveness. And the only sin that the blood of Christ can't wash away is the sin you didn't ask forgiveness for. See also 1 Thes 5:19, Eph 4:30. One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to repentance and convict us of our sins. See also Luke 11:10, Gen. 6:3, Mark 3:28-30, 1 John 5:16, Heb 6:4-9.
Allyse C
A sin which cannot be forgiven is found in Matthew 12:31-32. Also look up Leviticus 24:10-16, which tells us about the seriousness about blasphemy towards God.
Paul Jass
The only "sin" God does not forgive is the "sin" whereas the sinner does not ask for forgiveness and seek repentance. All men "sin" and God will forgive all "sins" if you ask God for forgiveness and seek repentance.
Jason Dalrymple
The only unpardonable sin is grieving the Holy Spirit. And the only reason that it is "unpardonable" is because every time we we reject or go against that his voice (our conscious) that voice gets quieter and quieter until the Holy Spirit can no longer impress us. Remember we have free choice and if we choose to reject god long enough god has to respect that. Not that he will EVER give up on us but rather we by choice can no longer hear his voice. Thank god that he is long suffering and that it takes a lot to become totally numb to his spirits voice!
Joe Murphy
The unforgivable sin is an continuous, ongoing, wilful rejection of God (Holy Spirit). It is not the absence of truth that damns but the despising of truth.
Jennifer Taylor
To put it very simply, there is one, and only one sin that is never forgiven. It is the unpardonable sin which is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is when you claim you are one with the Spirit, but you lie. As I studied this very topic years ago, a scripture came to mind of when Jesus walked the earth and said, I and my Father are one. Now, Jesus was called a blasphemer for claiming He was one with the father, but we know He was not a blasphemer and was/is one with the Father. When a believer first excepts Christ into their heart, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. But according to scripture, their are those that confess Him with their mouth, honor Him with their lips, yet their heart is far from Him. These are the ones who have not accepted Christ in their heart, which in turn means they have not received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet they claim they are one with the Spirit, because they have confessed Him with their mouth, or honored Him with their lips. They are the hypocrite, and for that will never be forgiven. I would like to add that many confuse blasphemy of the Holy Spirit thinking it means they sent the work of Christ at Calvary, or just sent him in general, but I say, in align with scripture, this is not true, for many sent the gospel for years, and finally accept Christ on their death bed, and are forgiven. So you see, the ultimate no no, that God will never forgive, is to claim you are already a child of the One True God, and you have never excepted Him into your heart. God bless
Natalie Mcbroom
In both Mark 3:29 and Luke 12:10 the Greek says βλασφημήσῃ εἰς ἅγιον πνεῦμα. (blaspheme against the Holy Spirit) the word εἰς means in this context "of the mood or inclination, affecting one toward any person or thing; of one's mode of action toward; in a bad sense. Luke 12:10 explains with the word βλασφημήσαντι (he who blasphemes) means "to slander, hence to speak lightly or profanely of sacred things". The word ἀφεθήσεται (will not be forgiven) translates from "to send away, leave alone, permit". The KJV Lexicon at www.biblehub.com makes it sound like anyone who speaks evil or vilifies the sacred (Holy) ghost, life, spirit, mind (Spirit) will be forsaken, laid aside, omitted, suffer, put away, yielded up (not forgiven). So to me it seems like anyone who says that the Holy Spirit is capable of evil, or hints that what comes from the Holy Spirit is evil, given the context of how the Pharisees are saying that Jesus' intents are evil, will not be forgiven. The meaning "suffer" in there is poignant to me. That's what it boils down to, if any man dare to presume and proclaim that the Holy Spirit who is in Jesus could or would make or ask anyone to do something evil is not going to be forgiven and will suffer. It's like saying out loud, God is evil. Perhaps he is trying to explain to them that if they are going to proclaim that he, Jesus, as a person is evil, they will be forgiven, but when he explains that the power and the miracles of the Holy Spirit done through Jesus are not to be blasphemed it is because that in saying so they are committing an unforgivable sin.
Emeka Nwaojigba
What constitutes the sin against the Holy Ghost? It is willfully attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. For example, suppose that one is a witness of the special work of the Spirit of God. He has convincing evidence that the work is in harmony with the Scriptures, and the Spirit witnesses with his spirit that it is of God. Afterward, however, he falls under temptation; pride, self-sufficiency, or some other evil trait, controls him; and rejecting all the evidence of its divine character, he declares that that which he had before acknowledged to be the power of the Holy Spirit was the power of Satan. It is through the medium of His Spirit that God works upon the human heart; and when men willfully reject the Spirit and declare it to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. By denying the evidence which God has been pleased to give them, they shut out the light which had been shining in their hearts, and as the result they are left in darkness. Thus the words of Christ are verified: “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:23. For a time, persons who have committed this sin may appear to be children of God; but when circumstances arise to develop character and show what manner of spirit they are of, it will be found that they are on the enemy’s ground, standing under his black banner.
Myron Robertson
There are several good answers here, but none are complete. Furthermore, the differing answer only point out that either the scriptures contradict themselves, or our understanding of them is incomplete and even inconsistent. Since I believe the scriptures do not contradict themselves I will argue that man's interpretation of them is the problem. Jesus tells us that he came to fulfill the law. This includes all the laws, not just some of them, and in John 5:46 he tells the religious leaders of his day that Moses wrote of him. All those laws were prophecies of the plan of salvation and are in some way fulfilled by Jesus. Jesus went on to explain that because those leaders did not believe in him they did not believe in Moses as they claimed. It is just as true today as it was then. Since Moses wrote of Jesus, if we do not believe in Moses we also do not believe in Jesus, of whom he wrote. One of the laws Moses wrote when God dictated it to him on the mountain was the Law of Jubilee. This is found in Leviticus 25 along with the most complete statement of the law of redemption to be found anywhere in scripture. This law says all debts (sins) are canceled in the Jubilee whether they have been paid in full or not. In some way this must include blasphemy or Jesus has not fulfilled this law, and his statement in Matthew 5:17 & 18 is a lie. Jesus is not a liar, so again, there is some misunderstanding in our interpretation of Jesus words in Matthew 12:31 & 32 (the key to the misunderstanding is in v. 32 and any who present v 31 without also including v32 are subtracting from scripture. There is no space here to discuss the doctrine of the ages, but this will clear up the matter of not forgiving blasphemy now or in the next age.) We also find Jesus telling us that God will not forgive people if we refuse to forgive them (John 20:23). In Matthew 18 with the parable of the two servants we see that God will not forgive us until our entire debt is paid in full. In this situation it is a matter of our extending mercy. If we show mercy to others (forgive without full repayment) God will show mercy to us. As we study the law we find forgiveness is required if the full debt for our sin has been paid. We also find in the sin offering (portions found in Leviticus 4,5 and 6) that the offering for sin cannot be presented until the entire restitution for the debt has been paid in full. This is the basis for Jesus statement in Matthew 5:23, 24 to leave the gift at the alter and go reconcile ourselves with our brothers before presenting the gift. By the law God cannot forgive us until the debt has been paid in full. So how is Jesus able to forgive us? Jesus paid the debt in full. By the laws of redemption this gives him the right to forgive us. No judge has the power to forgive a person's sins without first making arrangements to pay the penalty for those sins. If a judge redeems the debt of a sinner he is now the only one with the right to forgive (or withhold forgiveness from) a sinner. This can be proven from scripture, but the proof will take more space than is allowed here. My point is that if we take a single verse and build our understanding of forgiveness (or refusal to forgive) around that one verse we will have problems with our understanding of the matter. In the end all sins will be forgiven. The law of Jubilee demands this. Before the Jubilee is declared all sins will have to be repaid in some way, either by the actions of the redeemer, or by our own efforts, which can never repay the full debt owed to God for our sins. In the mean time God himself cannot forgive us if we refuse to forgive others and/or if our victims remain unpaid and unforgiving. This is just how God wrote his law and God keeps and fulfills his own law.
Heather Willcockson
Yes. There is a sin God cannot forgive. It's the one that is not confessed. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. True? Of couse it's true. It's in the bible. If this is true, is not the converse also true? If we do not confess our sins, he will not forgive our sins. If one is true, the opposite must also be.
Melanie Barnert
So we are all Christians and have confessed are sins and believe Christ died for them, so we are saved by God's grace and have been given His Holy Spirit. God is not going to not forgive us after He saved us. Christians will be judged and rewarded according to what we have done but always forgiven. So it is the unsaved that commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
George Delmindo
The scripture says that it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Paul admitted that he was a blasphemer before he became a christian, and during his christian life he did sin at times. Ananias and his wife committed the unpardonable sin after their conversion. So we christians are not exempted, we can commit the unpardonable sin. Let us understand first how a person becomes a christian. In Romans 8:9, Paul says, "..Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." In other words you are not his (Christ's-christian) if the Holy Spirit is not in you. Now, verse 14," For as many as are led by the spirit of God, They are the sons of God." So a christian becomes a son of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He remains a christian while and only while the Spirit of God is IN him. So no matter how many churches you join or your names written in the church membership book you can never be a christian if the Holy Spirit is not in you. In Acts 2:38, when Peter was asked by the jews how they can be saved, Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Unless a person has repented and is baptized, the Holy Spirit will not dwell in you. Repentance and baptism we can do, but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit God can do. Now, repentance is a change of mind, from the habitual attitude of committing sin, to decide for yourself to sin no more. Baptism is an outward action of the inward faith towards Jesus Christ, in his saving grace, in his death and resurrection. Baptism is symbolic of this as Col 2:12 says,"..buried with him in baptism." The death of Jesus Christ brings forgiveness of our past sins, we are justified - made righteous because our guilty past has been blotted out by his precious blood. Notice Rom 3:25,"whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST, through the forbearance of God."(KJV). A christian do commit sin in his walk with God, but as soon as we realize the mistake, we should ask God for forgiveness at once. In this way, we will not go astray. In John 2:1, John speaking to fellow Christians say,"My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.." We are spiritual babies in Christ the moment we become a christian, but as we go on in life, we have to master sin. Sin is the transgression of the Law (1John3:4). The Law is the 10 Commandments. The Law defines what sin is. Rom 7:7, "What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? God forbid..Nay, I had not known sin, but by the Law: for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, thou shalt not covet." By the Law is the knowledge of sin. Once the Holy Spirit takes residence in you, your human nature which is the sinful nature in man will remain dormant, and the divine nature of God will take place in full control of you. You cannot put a cork in it. The Holy Spirit will bear fruits in you. It is Jesus' righteousness IN you that will help you keep God's Commandments, because you cannot keep it yourself. Now, how can we commit the unpardonable sin? How do we blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? Hebrews 6:4,"For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame."To fall away is to return to sin. Sinning willfully will reject the Holy Spirit
Anthony Clinton
The unpardonable sin is clearly described in the context that it was mentioned in the Scriptures and to travel away from its context has to be error if it is not to confirm it's real meaning. There is no doubt what Jesus taught the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was. It was saying that What the Holy Spirit did was the chief Devil operating. Mark makes that clear but if I was pushing a way to prove my doctrine was irrefutable, like, Once Saved Always Saved, I would have to find a way to make that sin impossible to be committed by a Christian. Which would mean that Christians had free will to commit certain sins but because this sin would exclude them from eternal life and prove Once Saved Always Saved to be a false doctrine, then from that doctrinal stand point it cannot be possible. Because it is possible for a Christian brother to hate his fellow brother we know the Scripture says he would be classified a murderer and it teaches that eternal life does not any longer abide in them. 1Jn_3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. This does not mean that they are not Christians because they hate their brother in fact they could not be a brother if that were true and the scripture would be deemed meaningless. So a Christian can hate a Christian and if he abides in that hatred eternal life no longer abides in Him. 1Jn_3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. But because a person can repent of their hatred for their brother if they choose to do so and be reconciled, this sin can be forgiven and the hateful brother can be restored by repentance. This shows the distinction between a forgivable attitude of sin and an unforgivable action of sin. The moment one says that the obvious Holy Spirit's inspiration is the devil, that person immediately has committed the unpardonable sin. An attitude of unbelief can be repented of this side of the grave and be forgiven as seen in Romans 11:23. The action of Blaspheming the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven. This sin can be committed as can any other sin by Christians. It is very important that we teach what the Bible actually says rather than enlist another person's concept because they may have wanted to foolproof their doctrine. I cannot see any other reasoning for leaving the context of a simple explanation of the sin of the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, especially if they were a 'theologian' to invent another context. Mar 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Mar 3:30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. What else could it mean other than what is plainly mentioned in the text. I feel this is why we need to be careful of cunning intentions to lead us away from truth into error and graciously thank the Holy Spirit for exposing such visible errors.
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