Attachment to Lesson
4
THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
The
account of the unpardonable sin is only found in Matthew and Mark. No other reference is made to it
anywhere in the New Testament.
The
healing of a demoniac. (Matt.
12:22). The King (Christ) had come, preaching that His Kingdom
was at hand and He had been performing miracles as Messianic signs to substantiate
His claims (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 11:4-6). Christ made this claim in 12:28: "But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of
God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.Ó
The
response of the people. (Matt.
12:23). The people were beginning
to wonder whether Christ truly was the Messiah although there were lingering
doubts.
The accusation of the Pharisees (Matt. 12:24): The Pharisees
thought Christ was Satanically controlled and did this miracle in the power of
Beelzebub. The Pharisees thought Christ was devilish and his family
thought him deranged (Mark 3:21).
The
answer of Christ (Matt. 12:25-30).
Christ answers by saying that Satan does not cast out Satan. Division within SatanÕs kingdom is
impossible. Jesus points out that
He did His miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit and that He is Master of
the spirit world. Christ also
points out that in this struggle there is no neutrality. A person is either for Him or against
Him.
It
is not moral debauchery. The
Pharisees, who are the objects of this warning, were not guilty of immoral
actions. They were outwardly moral
persons but hypocritical.
This
is a specific sin because it is marked off by the definite article ÒtheÓ
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
In
Mark 3:28-29, the word hamartema is
used and this usually refers to a specific act of sin and not some immoral act
of a general nature.
It
is a sin of blasphemy (Lev. 24:15-16; Ex. 22:28). By claiming that ChristÕs miracles were done by Beelzebub,
the Pharisees were blaspheming the real author of them, the Holy Spirit.
It
is a sin against the Holy Spirit.
They are rejecting the KingÕs testimony to the King (Matt. 12:28-29).
It
is a sin of refusing the Kingdom and the King (Matt. 12:28; Mark
3:30). The Pharisees claimed
Christ had an Òevil spiritÓ (Mark 3:30).
They refused the King by their accusation that He was in a conspiracy
with the demonic world.
Why is
it Unpardonable?
Man
may misunderstand who Jesus was because His deity and dignity were veiled due
to the incarnation. While sin against Him was blamable, it was pardonable. But
the sin against the Holy Spirit was different because it was the rejection of
works clearly done by the divine power of the Holy Spirit.
This
sin was a deliberate, final refusal of light and it reveals a hardened,
impenitent heart. The Greek word elegon, translated Òthey were sayingÓ in
Mark 3:30, is in the imperfect time indicating continuous action in the
past. They were constantly saying
this—it was a hardened attitude.
In
the Gospel of Matthew, the argument of chapter 12 is pivotal, for the climax of
rejection is reached by the religious leaders to the person and work of
Christ. They had rejected Christ
and now were rejecting the Holy Spirit who lived in Christ and this was
unpardonable.
Who
May Commit the Unpardonable Sin?
There
are indications from the text that the unpardonable sin can only be committed
when the King is personally present in the likeness of man. It is only then that a sin against the
Son of Man could be considered less in significance than the sin against the
Holy Spirit. The incarnation is
the key to this interpretation.
Others
feel that the unpardonable sin can be committed today if a person credits the
works of Christ to Satan rather than to the Holy Spirit, which would involve a
definite, deliberate rejection of clear light. This would invoke the sin of apostasy (Heb. 3:12; 6:4-6; 2
Chron. 36:15-16).
ÒThere is such a thing as sin which is never
forgiven, but those who are the most troubled about it are most unlikely ever to
have committed it.Ó