A close friend of mine in Louisiana struggled with serious mental illness. Despite his challenges, we met often for coffee. He patiently – very patiently, in fact – taught me what carpentry skills I know. In return, I hoped to offer him some support with his mental health.
One question that haunted him was whether he had committed the “unpardonable sin.” His illness sometimes manifested in angry outbursts directed at God, and he worried these might prevent him from entering heaven after death.
The Bible passage that speaks about an unpardonable sin is recorded in this dialogue between Jesus and the religious authorities.
Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
“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” (Matthew 12.31-32).
The best modern-day understanding of this passage is that the unforgivable sin is one where we don’t ask God for forgiveness. If I refuse to ask God to forgive me, He is left with no other recourse than to not forgive me.
I told that to my friend, and he seemed to get some relief from that.
To fully understand the original meaning of Jesus’ words, we need to consider the historical context.
A debate had just unfolded: religious leaders accused Jesus of casting out demons through the power of the devil itself. Jesus countered that he was freeing people through the Holy Spirit.
In this context, Jesus warns that ascribing the work of the Holy Spirit to the work of the devil is a grave danger.
The Heart of the Matter
Let’s remember that Jesus is still addressing the Pharisees who have accused his activity through the Holy Spirit as coming from the devil.
Jesus points to the inner rot in their soul that causes the words to proceed from their mouths.
“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.
“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
“The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure” (Matthew 12.33-35).
When Isaiah had a vision of God, he felt completely undone because he was a man of unclean lips.
And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6.5)
“Unclean lips” is a poetic way of speaking about speech. Isaiah knew that what was in his heart was connected to his speech, and that was unclean.
God sent a seraph from the altar, representing the sacrifice that was made for human iniquity, to cleanse him from his speech that revealed his inner self.
To avoid making the same mistake as the Pharisees, we must examine our own speech. Do our words reflect a need for God’s presence in our lives?
If our speech reveals a deep need for God’s touch, then let us turn to the cross, the place of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, and ask for His transformative power.
A Very Real Issue
Jesus ends this discussion by warning us that our words matter.
“I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12.36-37).
In his letter, James devotes 12 verses to the destructive nature of speech. He tells the church, “My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so” (James 3.10).
Heeding Jesus’s warning and James’s message is wise. Let’s pray to experience what happened to Isaiah and for a transformative encounter with God.
We can yearn to encounter Him, receive His forgiveness, and experience a deep inner change.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 