The Unforgiveable Sin

Introduction

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In the late 1930’s Hitler’s empire began expanding rapidly. He intended on making good on his promises to a Germany broken by World War I. Neville Chamberlain, prime minister of Great Britain tried to appease Hitler to avoid another war. In 1938, Chamberlain agreed to hand over land to Hitler without even checking to see if it was okay with the people who dwelled and governed there. Chamberlain said that he had secured, “Peace for our time.” Those are certainly words that did not age well.

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Compromise is never a position of moral high ground. Appeasing evil can never be right. Spiritual compromise can be just as dangerous. We would rather endure the splinters in our backside for sitting the fence than actually hop off and stand our ground. When it comes to religion, is it really so important to take sides?

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Jesus discusses the eternal dangers of opposition and compromise. In the reality of a spiritual battle, which side you are on has eternal significance.

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So turn to Matthew 12 starting in v. 22

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We will see this worked out in a dual-response, a defense, a dividing line, and a day of judgement.

Dual Response (22-25a)

Matthew 12:22–25 ESV

22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them,

Notice that in this passage there are two very different responses to the very same healing. The first made by the crowd is speculation. “Can this be the Son of David?” is clear references to the Messiah. In fact, this is the conclusion that Jesus wanted John the Baptist to make because of his healings. David had a certain mastery over the demonic realm due to the fact that he could rid Saul of the spirit that tormented him. It was claimed that Solomon the Son of David also had this same ability. So, Jesus’s mastery over the demonic realm is clear evidence that he truly is the Messiah.

The Pharisees have a very different response toward the same evidence. While the crowd is speculative the Pharisees are certain. They claim that Jesus is able to do this by Satan, the prince of demons. The name Beelzebul relates to the god of the Philistines, Baal. It was already understood that the ancient gods were real and powerful, yet in reality just demons.

So the attack from the Pharisees has moved beyond anything reasonable. The Pharisees clearly recognize supernatural power. That is undeniable. Furthermore, being so steeped in Old Testament, they know what this must mean. However, they, though face-to-face with the power of God would rather attribute it to Satan.

The text presents them going around to people here and there spreading this vile rumor. But they don’t have to spread it where Jesus can hear them, because Jesus “knows their thoughts” as it says at the beginning of v. 25. Jesus knows not only what they are saying, but he knows the intent of their heart. And certainly, we too know the consequences of someone accused of interacting with the devil to do supernatural things: the death penalty. Anyone committing sorcery would be put to death.

Relevance

The text shows us two very different responses to the same undeniable work of Jesus:

One response is open and curious: “Can this be the Son of David?”

The other is closed and cynical: “He casts out demons by Beelzebul.”

The crowd doesn’t yet have full understanding—but they’re moving toward Jesus. The Pharisees do have understanding—and they’re moving away.

So the divine demand of this portion of the text is this:

When confronted with the undeniable work of God, we must move toward Him in humility, not away in hardened self-protection.

This is a call to honest openness, not full comprehension. Jesus does not rebuke the crowd for their question. He welcomes it. But He exposes the Pharisees for their conclusion—not because they didn’t know enough, but because they refused to bow to what they did know.

And the same line is drawn today.

When you see God at work—when truth convicts you, when grace disrupts your plans, when you witness transformation that can only be explained by the Spirit—you are not allowed to stay neutral.

You will respond. And your response will either move you toward Jesus, or harden you against Him.

There are only two responses. There is no middle.

Lead in

Jesus does not let those accusations hang in the air

Defense

Matthew 12:25–29 ESV

25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Revelation

Jesus gives a three-fold response to the Pharisees accusations, again—knowing their very thoughts. The first is just logical. If Satan is the one casting out the demons, then the demons are possessing people against the command of the demon king, and there would be an all out rebellion in that realm. However, that is clearly not what is going on.

Second, exorcism was not uncommon during Jesus’s day. Josephus, a first-century Jew mentions that Eleazar would use formulas and a ring that was forged with a magic root to cast out demons. Jesus argues in v. 27 that if he is casting out by using demonic power, how much more are those of the Pharisees? The pharisees peers who regularly deal with demons could easily refute the charge they brought to Jesus.

Finally, Jesus gives the plain truth of his unique exorcisms: that the kingdom of God has broken in. Satan’s rule is diminishing, and God’s rule is taking control. The fact that Satan is bound is evidenced by the fact that Jesus can freely take back his captives. On top of all this, the Pharisees have probably thought of the Spirit of God not working since the time of the last prophet. But Chirst working through his Spirit shows, as one commetator puts it,

The Gospel of Matthew 3. The Accusation of Using Demonic Power (12:22–37)

the establishment of God’s kingship in place of that of Satan

Relevance

Jesus dismantals the Pharisee’s accusations with clear logic and theological truth. He shows that their charge is self-defeating. He exposes their blindness to the very kingdom of God around them.

But this defense is not merely and intellectual exercise It reveals a profound reality: God’s kingdom is advancing and Satan’s kingdom is weakening.

The conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees is not theoretical, it is personal and immediate.

We see what this text is saying, but what is it doing? What is it moving us towards?

Lead in

Rejection of God’s rule has serious consequences

Dividing Line

Matthew 12:30–32 ESV

30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Relevance 1 :What is the unforgivable sin?

Not suicide -

Video “I blaspheme the Holy Spirit” -no not that either. . .

Revelation

Jesus plainly states from where his power comes and the fact that he establishes God’s rule. With the statement in v. 30, Jesus does away with any middle ground. There is either for or against.

V. 31 mentions the “unforgivable sin.” Notice the first word of the verse “Therefore.” This word indicates that the context of what the Pharisees did is extremely important in understanding what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is. What is shocking to modern audience of this verse is not what was shocking to the original. Jesus’s original audience were used to hearing that there are sins that are unforgiveable. The Pharisees taught that habitual sins, intentional sins, and particularly heinous sins were unforgiveable. But Jesus insists that all sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people.

Yet there is one thing that is unforgiveable. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What is that?

Matthew Exegesis

the very specific sin of eyewitnesses of Jesus’s miracles or exorcisms ascribing these activities of Jesus’s ministry to the power of Satan rather than to the power of the Holy Spirit

The Gospel of Matthew 3. The Accusation of Using Demonic Power (12:22–37)

It is thus a complete perversion of spiritual values, revealing a decisive choice of the wrong side in the battle between good and evil, between God and Satan

Notice some things about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: It is a knowledgeable choice. This is unlike the video I mentioned in the introduction. The person who blasphemes the Spirit knows what God’s good purposes are and witnesses them.

Second, it is a willful choice. This is not coerced, this is not done simply under peer pressure. This is not something foolish you might do in youth and then never recover from.

Third, it is a final choice. It is a decision that one would never want to do otherwise. No matter how much evidence the Pharisees got that this was of the Spirit of God did not matter.

So let me say to those who are worried they have committed this sin. The very fact that you are worried is evidence that you haven’t. The Pharisees would never be “worried” about committing this sin because they were concerned with destroying Jesus at any cost. As one commentator writes:

Matthew Exegesis

One whose heart is so hard as to blaspheme Jesus in this way would never repent despite any amount of evidence adduced to support Jesus’s claims

In v. 32, Jesus makes a distinction between the Spirit and the Son of Man. It’s probably best to understand this as a distinction of degree rather than the object. People in the context who have spoken against Jesus have done so out of ignorance. There could be confusion in that realm, and it be okay. But the plain and obvious fact that the Spirit is delivering people from Satan’s domain cannot be disputed. Therefore, speaking against him is willful opposition to God. This is a distinction of the degree of opposition rather than the object of opposition.

What Jesus is not trying to frighten those with a tender conscience. He is establishing a clear diving line with no middle ground. The question for you and for me is which side of this line do we find ourselves?

Relevance 2

Let’s step back into the Exodus story for a moment.

The Israelites had been in slavery for over 400 years. God had shown His power through the plagues. He had broken Pharaoh’s grip. He had led His people out by night, guided by a pillar of cloud and fire. They had seen His works. They had experienced His deliverance. They were not ignorant. They knew who had rescued them.

But then they came to the Red Sea.

Behind them? The armies of Egypt, bearing down fast. In front of them? A sea too wide to cross, too deep to wade. They were caught.

And in that moment, many of them wanted to go back.

They said to Moses, “Did you bring us out here to die?” They had seen God’s hand, but still hesitated. They knew what He could do—but still wanted Egypt.

But here’s what Moses didn’t say: He didn’t say, “Well, just hang out by the shoreline and think it over.” He didn’t say, “You can stay here in the sand and wait for the right time.”

No—God parted the sea and called them forward. The path was open—but only for a time. The choice was clear: walk through to freedom, or stay and die.

There was no middle ground.

You could go back to slavery. You could go forward to freedom. But you couldn’t stay still.

That’s exactly what Jesus is saying in Matthew 12.

“Whoever is not with me is against me…”

The Pharisees stood at the shoreline. They had seen the miracles. They had heard the teaching. They had witnessed lives set free. But they chose to explain it all away, to call the work of the Spirit the work of Satan.

They didn’t lack evidence—they lacked willingness.

Jesus says: that’s not ignorance. That’s opposition. And that’s why it becomes unforgivable—not because God won’t forgive, but because they won’t turn.

They don’t want the path forward. They just want to stay put—control Jesus, explain Him away, or worse—destroy Him.

But the sea doesn’t stay parted forever. You can’t remain in the middle. You are either with Him or against Him

Lead in

And this made plain in the things that we say

Day of Judgement

Matthew 12:33–37 ESV

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Revelation

Jesus is sentencing the Pharisees to eternal punishment based upon the very words they have spoken. One my question: They are only words, why such a harsh punishment?

Jesus gives the answer with two illustrations that center on the heart of the problem. The two illustrations are tree and treasure. Tree is the first in v. 33. The quality of a fruit is determined by the quality of the tree. The treasure is the second found in v. 35. Bringing forth treasure has to do with bringing something secret into light. In other words the person shows what is secretly very important to them. What their treasure is, is determined by their nature.

The Pharisee’s words are the treasure and fruit in the illustration revealing the intention of the heart. This is reflected by Jesus’s proverbial statement, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Jesus says that our words reveal our treasure. That on the basis of our words we will be judged. The word “careless” in v. 36 is probably better understood as “empty” or “vain.” What the Pharisees did was far from careless or thoughtless, it was carefully devised for a purposeful end. In fact it could be argued that the “careless” or “thoughtless” word would be the one that does not reveal the heart.

Matthew Exegesis

The idea is not that the words were blurted out without careful forethought but that the words are good for nothing, words that should never have been spoken

Relevance

The modern reader will often get caught up in the “unforgiveable sin” and worry about that only. I remember as a kid wondering if I had done this and being a afraid. The unforgiveable sin is not mere compromise, but a willful and knowledgeable alliance with the enemy. If this is not the sin we are in, then what is this text doing?

Imagine driving down a road then seeing a sign that reads, “Danger, Bridge out” What is that sign doing? It’s telling you to turn around now so you don’t wind up swimming in the river.

This is what I think this text is doing. The unforgivable sin is the cliff we will not jump. But only the road of compromise leads to that cliff. The sign is to turn back now.

Spiritual warfare is not just something going on out there, it’s a battle in here every day for who will rule our hearts.

Jesus knows the Pharisees intents at the beginning of the passage. And at the end, he gives us a way we can read our own hearts: through our words. And notice that is what Jesus is focused on, not theology, or even his own authority, but what is at the heart.

And so this is where I think our focus should be as well. And if it were the case that our hearts were unforgiveable we might as well burn our Bibles and turn this building into something else.

Yet that certainly is not the case.

So perhaps we can ponder how this text is applicable to us today.

First, I would say to the unbeliever, the person who is not in Christ: “How can you speak good when you are evil?” This is the question from v. 34. There is an impossibility for you to do goodness or for your heart to treasure it unless you’ve been given a new nature. That new nature is only possible through trusting in Christ. You turn to Christ and trust in him this day and you will have that new nature.

Second, to the believer I would ask in what ways you have compromised. Jesus is not toying with demons and doubts- he’s at war. He says he had bound and plundered the strong man. He says the kingdom of God is advancing. He says he is bringing justice to victory. In this time of war we have to adapt war-time practice. Why?

The sin we tolerate today will rule us tomorrow.

Patterns of comfort, distraction, and self-protection will erode allegiance to Jesus as Lord.

Here is a question you can ask yourself: Where am I spiritually compromising right now—where I’ve convinced myself it’s neutral or wise, but Jesus sees it as resistance?

One of the first things the enemy will want you to compromise on is devotion to God’s word.

Establish a fix time to read it.

Establish a manageable rate you can read.

Read through a book in order.

Meditate on it—so that what God treasures you begin to treasure. And your words reflect your treasure.