“I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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” (vv. 31–32). – Matthew 12:22–32
We will conclude our study of the hard sayings of Jesus today with a look at what is perhaps the most difficult saying of all for Christian readers of the Gospels. Matthew 12:22–32 tells us about Jesus’ teaching regarding the unforgivable sin, and these words of Christ have troubled many people.
It is not hard to figure out why this saying has caused such concern. After all, we know that our fundamental need as human beings is for God to forgive us and that unless He forgives us, we will spend eternity in hell. The wrath of our Creator is being revealed against all ungodliness, and unless we receive pardon through faith in Christ alone, that wrath will be on us forever (Rom. 1:18–3:20). If there is one sin that God will not forgive, then we want to know what it is so that we can avoid committing it.