What is the Unforgivable Sin?

The only unforgivable sin is saying, 'No,' to the Holy Spirit's call to repent and be saved.

Jesus said: "When He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). Before you can be saved, you must experience a sense of guilt about your sinful condition. Jesus said this is the role of the Holy Spirit. It's not my job to make you feel guilty; that's the job of the Holy Spirit. Scary stories may bring fears, and sad stories may bring tears; but only the Spirit of God can bring true conviction of sin.

The word blasphemy means to "speak against." So blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is when a person says, "No," to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In that moment he or she is speaking against the Holy Spirit.

During high school, I worked at a saw mill. My job was pulling lumber off the green chain. I would take the freshly cut lumber that came directly from the saw and stack it according to size. This green lumber was rough and covered with splinters. I wore thick, canvas gloves to guard against splinters, but some of the men had worked there for years. They had developed thick calluses on their hands so they didn't need gloves. Shaking hands with them was like shaking hands with a lobster!

I believe some people have calluses on their hearts. They have heard the gospel message many times and said, "No," so many times that they have hardened their hearts. They are in a dangerous condition where they no longer can sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

In his excellent book The Holy Spirit, Billy Graham gives the best definition of this sin I've ever read. He writes: "The unpardonable sin involves the total and irrevocable rejection of Jesus Christ. It is rejecting, completely and finally, the witness of the Holy Spirit, which declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who alone can save us from our sins. No one has committed the unpardonable who continues to be under the disturbing, convicting and drawing power of the Holy Spirit. When a person has so resisted the Holy Spirit that he strives with him no more, then there is eternal danger" (The Holy Spirit, p. 124).

So the only sin God won't forgive is terminal unbelief. God won't forgive that sin because the person who commits it never will ask God for forgiveness. If you are someone who considers yourself to be an unbeliever, I appeal to you to trust Jesus. Every time you say, "No," makes it easier to say, "No," the next time.

There is more to life than this life. One day we will face eternity. If you consider yourself an unbeliever or you know someone who is an unbeliever, I've written a parable for you.

Once there were unborn twins, Carrie and Larry, inside their mother's womb. One day Carrie says to her twin brother, "Larry, I believe in life after birth. Do you?" Larry replies, "No, I don't believe in life after birth. This is all there is and all there will ever be." Carrie sighs and says, "Not me. I've got to believe there is another place—a place of light and colors, a place where we will have the freedom really to live." Larry says, "Well, go ahead and believe if it makes you feel better, but I don't see any evidence of any other existence than this."

Later, Carrie says, "Larry, I know you won't believe this either, but I have decided that I believe in the existence of a mother who gives us life." Larry scoffs and says, "What are you talking about? Have you ever seen a mother? No. I tell you, this place is all there is, and we've just got to make the best we can of this existence. Why do you want more? I know it's dark and tight, but we've got everything we need right here."

Carrie replies, "Don't you feel those squeezes, and can't you hear those muffled sounds? I know the squeezes are sometimes painful, but I think they're just getting us ready for another kind of living that's much more beautiful than this where we will see our mother face to face."

Finally, Larry was so fed up he didn't even answer; after all, the womb was all there was and all there would be. A few days later they were born, and Larry realized he was wrong. For Carrie, it was even better than she imagined!

Do you believe in life after death, or do you believe this is all there is? Do you not believe because you don't see God? How can you not see God? One day, we will learn there is life after death; and for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, it will be better than we can ever imagine!