After over 65 years of ministry, we have developed the top 27 questions people ask us so we would like to share these questions each week for our weekly blog and share the answers as a resource for you all to use in your ministry, churches, and family.

Top ? #7 Is There an Unpardonable Sin?

Answer:  There is no sin which is unpardonable.  However, if a person dies having rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit about the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection that person has left this life with his sins unpardoned and will spend eternity separated from God.

There are many people that believe there are certain sins that are so evil that God cannot forgive them.  These are often referred to as unpardonable sins.  While many people believe that there are unpardonable sins, very few agree as to what those sins might be.

In 1 John 5:16-17, we are told that there is a sin that leads to death.  Matthew 12:31 says that the only sin which will not be forgiven is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  Again in John 16: 8-15 the Bible says that the Spirit will convict the world with regard to guilt, sin, righteousness, and judgment.  It also says that the Spirit will guide people into all truth and that he will bring glory to Jesus Christ.

The most important work of the Holy Spirit, therefore, is to guide a person to the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  When a person ignores the testimony of the Spirit and rejects the gospel and dies in that condition of rebellion there is no hope for salvation.  For such an individual his sins are unforgiven.

Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks of those that have had exposure to the work and testimony of the Holy Spirit.  Primarily this refers to the Jews that witnessed the power of the Spirit manifested during and after the day of Pentecost.  These people saw the work of the Spirit firsthand and heard the word of God preached with tremendous power.  While many people accepted the message of the apostles, the majority did not.  When Israel rejected Jesus Christ in the time period of the first seven chapters of the book of Acts God set them aside as a nation and took the gospel to the Gentiles through the Apostle Paul (Acts 13:46).  Because of this national rejection and God’s turning to the gentiles, it was no longer possible for the Jews to receive the special blessings they anticipated based on the prophecies of the Old Testament.  Although individually the Jews could receive eternal life in the same way as the gentiles, through trusting in the death of Christ as the payment for their sins, the Jews as a nation had rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit (committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) and lost the benefits of national blessings i.e. they could not be “brought back to repentance.”  This is the only truly unpardonable sin in the Bible and it refers to the nation of Israel forfeiting its national blessing and place of special honor in God’s program for the world.

Ephesians 1:7 says; “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”  No specific sin is mentioned in the writings of Paul that is beyond the power of Christ’s blood to wash away.  However, in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, we are told that those that do not accept the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction.

Any person who dies having rejected the gospel has forfeited the benefits of Christ’s death for them.  The benefits of the forgiveness of sin are no longer available.

Please read the following verses:  John 1:29; 1 John 2:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-16; Colossians 2:13; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1

if you want to enroll in our Free Bible Correspondence course, just email us your full name, address and we will mail you a copy! dwight@prisonmission.org 

God bless you

Pastor Dwight Anderson