Frank Jamerson
The Bible speaks of different sins against the Holy Spirit, but one of those sins was said to be unforgivable.
First, notice some sins that may be unforgiven but are not unforgivable. Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive their brethren into thinking that they had given the entire price of a piece of land. Peter said: “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” (Acts 5:3). The next verse says that Ananias had not lied to men “but to God.” When he thought he could deceive God and those guided by the Spirit, he lied to Deity. That sin was not forgiven, but it was not called unforgivable.
Stephen accused disobedient Jews of “always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). They resisted by persecuting and killing the prophets and by not keeping the teaching that God gave through them (vs. 52,53). When people today do not like the message that the Holy Spirit has revealed through inspired men, they are not simply rebelling against the word, but also “resisting the Holy Spirit.” This is not un-forgivable, but if they do not change, it will remain unforgiven.
Paul admonished the Ephesians not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). The context indicates that the Spirit could be grieved by sinful living (vs. 25-32). When God’s children live contrary to the instructions of the Holy Spirit, they are grieving Him, but this is not called unforgivable.
The writer of Hebrews said, “if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:26). He calls this “insulting the Spirit of grace” (v. 29). If one turns away from the sacrifice of Christ, there is no other means of forgiveness, but this is not called unforgivable. A person may return through repentance and prayer (Acts 8:22).
Any sin against the Holy Spirit that a person does not turn from will result in condemnation, just as any sin that is committed against Christ will lead to condemnation if one does not turn from it. Jesus said, “anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt. 12:32). These people had seen Jesus cast out a demon, admitted that He did it, but ascribed the power by which He worked to “Beelzebub, the ruler of demons” (v. 24). Mark’s account says, “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation—because they said, He has an unclean spirit” (Mk. 3:29,30). It is doubtful that those who saw Jesus cast out a demon and ascribed the power by which He worked the miracle to the devil could ever be moved to repentance. This is the blasphemy that Jesus said could never be forgiven.
Men today may sin against God, Christ and the Holy Spirit, and if they do not repent they will be lost, but no one today has seen Jesus cast out a demon, therefore cannot commit the unforgivable sin—the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.