Perhaps at some point in your life you have asked this worrying question. Many believers have, but if you have ever worried about it, then it is certain that you have not committed the unforgivable sin. How can I be so sure? For a start, you would hardly be reading this article. Concern about committing this sin is a healthy sign. There is, sadly, much misunderstanding over what is meant by the ‘unforgivable sin’.
What did Jesus mean?
The idea of the unforgivable sin first appears during the earthly ministry of Jesus. It is mentioned in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 11. In Mark’s account, we are told that Jesus enters a house where a crowd has gathered. At this point in his ministry, Jesus had something of a celebrity status. There were crowds everywhere, and his own family were increasingly concerned for the pressure on him, and even for his sanity.
He also had many enemies, since most religious leaders of the day saw him as a threat, a blasphemer, and a trouble-maker. On this occasion, they even accuse him of being possessed by Beelzebub (i.e. the Devil), a most serious charge to level against anyone, let alone Christ! They make this claim to explain away the power Jesus had to perform miracles. They attribute Christ’s power to Satan: ‘It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.’
A man who has committed the sin against the Holy Spirit is not concerned about forgiveness; he ridicules the grace of God and forgiveness. - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
