Many pastors, early in their ministry, will encounter a troubled, tenderhearted soul who will say, “Pastor, I think I’ve committed the unpardonable sin.” Often, when the pastor asks what specifically that sin is, the person replies, “I’m not sure — but I’m convinced I’ve committed it.” A clear understanding of what this sin truly is would spare many sensitive believers from needless fear and distress.
The nature of the sin that Jesus depicted as unforgivable becomes clear when one applies a central principle of biblical interpretation: reading the passage in its context. In this instance, the broader context — the message of the entire Bible — must be considered. Jesus Himself directs attention to this larger perspective with His statement in Matthew 12:31: “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people … .” In Mark 3:28, the wording is even more emphatic: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter … .”
No Person Is Beyond God’s Mercy
Jesus’s statement expresses a truth consistently affirmed throughout Scripture: No person is beyond redemption, and no sin is too egregious to outweigh God’s boundless grace and mercy — so long as the individual turns to Him in humble faith and repentance.
Two eighth-century B.C. prophets highlight this reassuring message. To the rebellious and idolatrous nation of Israel, God declared: “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). Isaiah’s contemporary echoed this same promise of mercy: “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19).
In the New Testament, when the angel appeared to Joseph to announce the birth of the Messiah, he said of Mary, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). John reinforced this promise, emphasizing that no sin is beyond God’s power to forgive: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
At Pentecost (Acts 2), when Peter’s listeners asked what they should do about their sins, he did not reply, “As long as you haven’t committed one particular sin, you must repent.” Similarly, when the Philippian jailer asked Paul what he needed to do to be saved, Paul did not say, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved — unless you have committed some sin that places you beyond God’s mercy.”
There is forgiveness for David’s adultery, deceit, and murder; for the “many” sins of the woman in Luke 7; for the prodigal son’s wild living; for Peter’s three denials; for Saul’s violent persecution of believers; and even for those who nailed Jesus to the cross.
Grace for the Chief of Sinners
Though all people stand guilty before God, John Newton illustrates this truth vividly. Newton confessed that before his conversion, he had sunk as deeply into sin and rebellion as a person could. He lived a life marked by profanity, immorality, and blasphemy, often taking pleasure in corrupting others.
While at sea, his heart grew increasingly hardened as he worked first as a sailor and later as a captain in the transatlantic slave trade. He further confessed that he had been reckless, cruel, and devoid of conscience — living without any fear of God and at times believing himself to be beyond the reach of mercy.
Yet, when the Holy Spirit did His work, Newton was gloriously saved. His most famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” epitomizes that “God saves to the uttermost all who come to him through Jesus Christ” (Heb. 7:25) and that “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).
To understand the unpardonable sin, one must first recognize that God offers forgiveness even for the most blatant and evil sins. He is a merciful God, and the blood of Christ is entirely sufficient to cover every transgression. Scripture teaches that this forgiveness is granted on the condition of repentance and faith. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prov. 28:13).
He Will in No Wise Be Cast Out
The disciples’ message included the call that “men should repent” (Mark 6:12). Likewise, John’s repeated assurance of forgiveness for “all” sin is immediately followed by the condition on which it depends: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
The Holy Spirit is at work wherever such faith and repentance are found. While the Spirit’s work includes sealing the believer until the day of redemption (Eph. 1), Jesus spoke of a prior work in bringing sinners to salvation: “He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.”
In the same vein, Paul wrote, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). The Bible teaches that when the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and regenerates the heart, and the believer desires to come to Jesus, he will in no wise be cast out.
In Mark 3:28 and Matthew 12:31, Jesus asserted that even the gravest sins can be forgiven when a person turns to Him in faith and repentance, setting the discussion of the unpardonable sin within its broader biblical context. With this truth firmly established, the immediate context will help explain the specific nature of the unpardonable sin described in Mark 3:29 and Matthew 12:32. Next month, I will more specifically identify the sin in question.
— Walter Johnson is a recently retired dean of the College of Christian Studies at North Greenville University, where he taught and served for 32 years.