Matthew 12:22-32, “Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Why is this text a tough text? When reading this passage it’s clear the difficulty comes from v31-32 where Jesus refers to not only blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, but that those who commit such a sin will not be forgiven. This is the famous passage that speaks of the unforgivable sin. And many Christians, upon reading this text, truly struggle. Why? Because they wonder if they’ve committed this particular sin and being unsure what Jesus really means here, the same Christians then grow anxious about their eternal state, fearing that they may be living under some kind of delusion of thinking they’re Christians on their way to heaven when in reality they’re lost on their way to hell.
As for all of these tough texts, there are options of interpretation. So in our time tonight I will give you the options for this passage, make some comments on each one, and then give you some final words on this thorny issue. I want to give you three options tonight, and you might be surprised to hear me say it, but all three options are good options held by godly men and women.
Option 1: Andy Naselli view
This view is represented by an article on The Gospel Coalition website written by Andy Naselli, one of their writers. Though it represents one interpretive option it is a common and popular view among many interpreters. What does this view teach? This view teaches that the unforgivable sin is specifically what the Pharisees did in Matthew 12, attributing Jesus’ miracles to Satan. We see this in v24 of Matthew 12, which says, “But when the Pharisees heard it (referring to the miracle in v22), they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” This view says the Pharisees statement in v24 is a deliberate, conscious choice to reject the Spirit’s clear witness to Jesus in the miracle itself, not just by denying it, but by saying it was Satan who really performed it.
Naselli comments further saying the Pharisees clearly saw undeniable evidence of Jesus’ power in this miracle. And instead of submitting to Him and bowing before Him as they should have done, they declared this was the work of the prince of demons. This wasn’t ignorance, it was willful rejection. A refusal to embrace with their hearts, what their eyes clearly saw. Naselli concludes that their sin is unforgivable because it reveals a final hardened unbelief present in them, which reveals God’s hardening work on those who continually reject Him.
This isn’t a modern view alone, it was originally held by the early Church theologian and preacher Chrysostom. For Chrysostom, any attributing the work of God to Satan is demonic and unforgivable.
Naselli is keen to encourage tender consciences though, by reminding us at the end of his article that those who worry about committing this sin should be encouraged because their worry is evidence that they haven’t. If you have committed this kind of sin, you wouldn’t worry about it. The kind of rejection here is temporary doubt, or a struggle with sin, not even like Peter’s denials here, but a decisive knowing rejection of Christ.
Option 2: John Piper view
This view is represented by John Piper, from many different sources. Over the years he has taught on this passage many times, and written about it in various articles and books. Particularly helpful to discover and trace out his view is his sermon “Beyond Forgiveness: Blasphemy Against the Spirit.”
In this sermon Piper makes the argument that the unforgivable sin is a settled hardened resistance to the Spirit, so deeply entrenched in the soul that the Spirit withdraws His convicting work. Without this work, repentance is truly impossible, and without repentance, forgiveness is impossible as well. In the sermon I just referred to Piper says, “The unforgivable sin … is an act of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power so that we are never able to repent and be forgiven.”
As Naselli did in the first view, Piper also stresses that this sin isn’t just one slip of the tongue or a moment of doubt. It’s a deep, ongoing resistance to God’s Spirit. From this Piper warns us against sin. He says this passage warns us against toying with sin in all possible ways. The longer we resist obedience to the Lord, the more we’ll sin, and the more we sin, the more numb we’ll grow to the things of God. Once we get to that point we’ll refuse to heed the inner conviction of the Spirit which will in turn harden our hearts more toward the Lord and increase sin’s grip on us.
You should know this isn’t just a modern view, it was originally held by the early Church theologian Origen. Though at times Origen interpreted this text in Matthew 12 allegorically, he most often spoke just like Piper speaks here.
Piper also encourages us that if you fear you’ve committed this sin, that very fear is evidence you haven’t. Only a soft heart worries about it, while a hardened heart refuses to worry about much of anything.
At this point you might wonder what the difference between the first two views are. While there are overlapping realities in both these first two interpretive options, the emphasis is different. Naselli believes the unforgivable sin is what the Pharisees did, attributing the work of God to the devil, while Piper believes the unforgivable sin is not so much what the Pharisees did as it is a settled hardened resistance to the Spirit, so hardened in fact that the Spirit withdraws His convicting work. Naselli focuses more on the action of the Pharisees, while Piper focuses more on the heart behind these actions.
Option 3: R.C. Sproul view
This last view is represented by R.C. Sproul. Like Piper he has taught on this many times, but mainly his view is clarified in his book Hard Sayings, chapter 15 titled ‘The Unpardonable Sin.’ There Sproul makes the following argument.
Sproul teaches the unforgivable sin is final, hardened unbelief. It’s not one particular utterance or moment of sin, but a settled refusal to embrace Christ that ends at death. He does what neither of the other options does, when he says clearly that the only sin God will not forgive is refusing His only way of salvation, Jesus Christ, through the Spirit’s testimony. One can sin grievously, but until they physically die, the opportunity to repent is always possible, if God in His sovereignty chooses to save the sinner.
Again, this isn’t a modern view only, it was originally held by Augustine. Like Sproul did our own day, Augustine did in his, emphasizing that the unforgivable sin does not just to apply to the Pharisee’s but applies more broadly, to anyone persisting in sin long enough to die in it without repenting. Others who held views very similar to this are Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin.
Sproul emphasizes, as the others do, that only unbelievers can commit this sin. Believers may sin grievously like David, and many others, or even deny Christ like Peter, and yet they are restored by repentance. Unbelievers, if they remain in their unbelief, will never repent, hence, they will never be forgiven.
Sproul’s large concern here is assurance. He often tells of how he speaks to encourage Christians anxious about this unforgivable sin. He tells them that if they are in Christ, they cannot commit this sin. The Spirit has sealed them and will not let them go. But for unbelievers, however, the danger is real: reject Christ until your dying breath, and forgiveness will no longer be available.
Conclusion:
What have our three interpretive options showed us? First, Andy Naselli anchors the unforgivable sin in the context of Matthew 12, namely, calling Jesus’ Spirit-powered works satanic. Second, John Piper highlights the danger of hardening our hearts until repentance is impossible. And lastly, R.C. Sproul gives pastoral assurance that the only unforgivable sin is dying in unbelief. All three of these views find their origin in theologians from Church history, and all three are truly good options.
Common to all three options is that the unpardonable sin is not a one-time slip or moment of weakness. It is not ordinary doubt, or even serious sins like murder or adultery. It is a settled, willful rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ. And if you fear you’ve committed it, that very fear is proof you haven’t.
So what are we to take away from this tough text in Matthew 12? We can takeaway both warnings and comforts.
First, the warnings:
-Don’t play with sin. It hardens the heart.
-Don’t resist the Spirit. When He convicts, repent quickly.
-Don’t slander the works of God. Speak carefully about what is and what is not the work of the Spirit.
-Don’t presume upon grace. A heart that refuses to repent may one day find repentance impossible.
Second, the comforts:
-Every sin, every failure, every blasphemy, every denial can be forgiven in Christ.
-If you fear you’ve committed this sin, that very fear is proof you haven’t. A tender conscience is the Spirit’s gift.
-The Spirit who drew you to Christ will keep you in Christ until the end.
So let this passage drive us not to despair, but to a deeper trust. Don’t resist the Spirit, run to Christ. Don’t harden your heart, humble it. Don’t doubt God’s mercy, believe it.
Because here’s the good news: the only unforgivable sin is refusing the only forgiver. But to all who come to Him, forgiveness is full, and free, and forever.
