The Unpardonable Sin, Holy Spirit, and God

"And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31-32 NIV).

Reading this Bible passage reminds me of my teenage years when I began reading the Bible. During this time, I remember saying to myself, "Christianity is a great life philosophy, if it wasn't for the unpardonable sin." The unpardonable sin caused me great concern.

When I first read about the unpardonable sin in the New International Version of the Bible, I interpreted the unpardonable sin as speaking or thinking negatively about the Holy Spirit. And I believed that speaking or thinking negatively about the Holy Spirit guaranteed the doer of this act an eternity in hell.

Looking back at this event, my interpretation of the unpardonable sin seems rather silly. My interpretation is silly if you think about it rationally.

Ask yourself the following questions: "Why would an all-powerful, all-knowing, and omnipresent God forgive humans of mass murder, serial rape, torture, burning down villages, inciting riots, and so forth, if humans merely repent -- but not forgive humans for calling the Holy Spirit a bad name? Why would an otherwise good person burn in hell for merely calling the Holy Spirit a bad name, whereas someone who committed mass murder on the level of Adolf Hitler could be forgiven and enter heaven?"

According to my past interpretation of the unpardonable sin, mass murder is okay, but name-calling isn't. According to my past interpretation, God is insane and unjust.

Pondering this, my past interpretation of the unpardonable sin must be wrong. And it is.

As I got older, I talked with pastors and read many theological writings regarding the unpardonable sin. My research led me to one conclusion.

To commit the unpardonable sin, you must permanently turn your back on God or more specifically on God's active power the Holy Spirit. By permanently turning your back on God, you cannot receive God's forgiveness for any sins that you may have committed. By permanently turning your back on God, you cannot receive any guidance or wisdom from God. He cannot help you at all. You are forever lost. This puts you in a hopeless situation. This is the unpardonable sin.

The unpardonable sin is NOT name-calling!