The Unforgivable Sin
Have you ever sat and read through the book of 1 John and found yourself being greatly encouraged? There is no doubt that 1 John offers some wonderful reminders for the believer, such as knowing that we do not need to be ashamed of our pasts because Jesus has forgiven us (1 John 2:28) or that we are over-comers because Jesus overcame the world (1 John 5:4-5). However, after being encouraged and reminded that we lean not on our strength, but on the strength of God; John closes this book with a remark that has confused many.
“16 If anyone sees his brother or sister committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will, for him, give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I am not saying that he should ask about that.”
1 John 5:16
When you read this passage, John clearly states that there is sin that does not lead to death and sin that does lead to death. On the surface level we can take this passage to mean a physical death, but I believe that this verse leans more to describing a spiritual death. If that is the case then it leaves the reader with the big question, what is the sin that can lead to a spiritual death? This then leads the wanderer to question if they have committed that sin that leads to death, and for someone who is not mature in their faith this may cause them to question if they are actually saved or if they have crossed that invisible line.
Thankfully, scripture answers scripture and I believe that Jesus answers this very question for us. The answer can be found in Matthew 12:31-32.
“31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Here we see Jesus distinguishing between two sins, those against he Son of Man and those against the Holy Spirit. We have all been in the situation of speaking against Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Any sinful action that we did, spoke against who God was. This is why Romans 6:23 states, “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Every person falls under the category of this type of sin, the only thing that can correct this course is acceptance of Jesus Christ that we pass from death to life. This is why in Matthew 12:31 Jesus states that any sin against Him will be forgiven, when we accept Jesus’s free gift of salvation all of our past, present, and future sins have been forgiven.
So then it would almost appear that 1 John 5:16 and Matthew 12:31 are almost contradictory. Jesus is stating that all sin against Him will be forgiven while John is stating that there is an unforgivable sin. And this is where Matthew 32 comes in. In this verse Jesus very matter of factory answers what this unforgivable sin is, to speak against the Holy Spirit. But what exactly does this mean? It means that when confronted with our sins, instead of turning to God for forgiveness, an individual deny’s God’s gift of salvation. They wrongly assume that they do not need God and deny any role He has over them. Those who deny God commit the greatest sin there is, they do not reconcile themselves to Him and so they never receive life. They continue in their sin and they die both physically and spiritually.
With this understanding, we see that 1 John 5:16 is not directed towards fellow believers, but for those who are still actively practicing sin and have not received God’s free gift of salvation. For these individuals we need to pray for them and ask that God intercede and do what He needs to in order to bring these individuals to Him.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex