From these texts of Scripture we learn that all manner of sin is pardonable, save one, the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. There is no crime too great, or sin too deeply dyed to be forgiven, except the one designated in these scriptures. Well might it be asked, What is that sin? It is evident that the Holy Spirit (which is the same as the Holy Ghost) is no more supreme or important than others of the trinity; so therefore why should all blasphemy against the Father or Son be pardonable, and the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit be unpardonable. The answer will be found to lie in the nature and office work of the Holy Spirit, as being different from that of the Father or Son. Of course the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all one; yet they might well be considered as three, when we speak of their respective offices. The Father, the grand author of all good, the Creator of the world, the one who holdeth all things in his control, the designer of the glorious plan of redemption of fallen man. The Son, the one on whom that redemption depended, who only was found worthy to open the book and loose the seals of the divine plan, and thus make salvation possible. The Holy Spirit, the one who, after the Father and Son had [pg 355] perfected their work, was sent to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He it is that strives with men by way of a kind of inherent knowledge, testifying to them of salvation's waters flowing free, and that they should forsake sin and plunge therein. By the Holy Spirit is God's way of manifesting himself to men, convicting them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. True, as Paul says, God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son;” but notice, it is “hath spoken.” The Son has done his part, we have his words on record, and he is at the right hand of the Father; and he has himself said that he would go away, that the Comforter (Holy Spirit) might come. And now we are living in the special dispensation of the Holy Spirit.
The sin against the Holy Ghost, as it is commonly called, is also known as the “unpardonable sin,” and the “sin unto death.” See 1 John 5:16. As we before said, the answer to the question, Why is it unpardonable, lies in the very nature of the Holy Spirit's relationship to man. Are we to suppose that it is some sin too heinous to be forgiven? or that God has decided that this sin is one that bears too heavily against his willingness to forgive? or, in other words, that his great love is not sufficient, were it weighed in the balance with this sin? Nay; that is not the light in which it is to be regarded. This is a sin that is different in its effects from other sins. It is one by which man unprivileges himself to be saved. [pg 356] He disconnects himself, so to speak, from all possible operations or strivings of the Spirit of God with him. He might blaspheme God, or the Son, and it would be the same as any other sin. But he blasphemes the Spirit whenever he takes action against (and casts out, so to speak) that inherent principle in him which tends to draw him to God. By so doing he places himself outside the realm of possibilities, as regards his own salvation: for he severs all possible communication from God to him, unless it be what is manifest by the presentation of awful fear of approaching damnation.
It will be seen that in committing this sin a man by choice wilfully places himself in such a position, in reference to the inner dictations of the Spirit, that the latter is killed or destroyed. He can blaspheme God, and the convictions of the Spirit in him be unaffected, save that continual so doing might lessen them; but when he blasphemes the Spirit—it being so interwoven as to be, in a sense, a part of himself—he involves his own soul, by taking a stand against himself, as it were, thereby unfitting and unqualifying himself to be further affected by the Spirit. He drowns, dissolves, annihilates the inner strivings of the Spirit.
If we examine carefully the quotation from Mark, we see by verse thirty that the reason Christ said what he did about blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was because certain scribes said he had an unclean spirit, [pg 357] and cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Now whether they thereby committed the blasphemy of the Spirit, we do not know; but from Christ's words that followed, a strong inference could be drawn that they did. It was at least a close step to it, and depended on the degree of inherent knowledge they had that Jesus was the Christ. If they did it ignorantly, it was not blasphemy.
In the sixth chapter of the Hebrews, verses four to eight, the apostle speaks of such as have been partakers of the Holy Ghost, and were enlightened, etc., who, if they shall “fall away,” directly disinherit themselves of the privilege of being renewed unto repentance, and “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” By so doing they virtually do violence to the Spirit's convictions to such an extent that they blaspheme the Spirit. We are persuaded that Paul here had no reference to a person being overcome of the devil in some great temptation so as to commit sin, while at the same time the soul protests against sin. That would not be falling away (as here meant) from the love, neither the faith of God. Indeed, it is the very love of God, as well as the Spirit's convictions, that causes such a one to have immediate sorrow for the sin committed, and causes the soul to quickly flee to God again. But what the apostle meant by “falling away” was to forsake the Lord, give up the faith, walk no more in the truth or with God's children, and be content to live [pg 358] in sin. But take notice of the standard which he gives, from which “falling away” may be considered. He says, “those who were once enlightened,” had “tasted of the heavenly gift,” were “partakers of the Holy Ghost,” had “tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come;” if such fall away—forsake the Lord and choose to live in sin—they soon become incapable of being affected by any manifestation of the Spirit or any inducement held out to them—a deplorable, lost condition! bearing only thorns and briers! whose end is to be burned! Now we ask, Who ever saw any one come back to God who was content to remain away from God, after having had the experience described in Heb. 6:4, 5? We have seen some who exactly correspond to the description Paul gives here, but we have never known any such to come back to the truth. May we use this, as the apostle intended it, as a warning against unfaithfulness to God.
In Heb. 10:26-29 the apostle makes mention of the same conditions, only in a different way. Here he speaks of sinning wilfully “after that we have received the knowledge of the truth.” Of course, all sin, to be sin, is done more or less wilfully; but the apostle can not have reference to a sin committed on account of a spiritual lack, while the soul meaningly presses on in the race for God. We know that such a sin does not unfit one to become pardoned again, the Holy Spirit is not blasphemed, and therefore the [pg 359] sacrifice (Christ) still remains, to which the soul may flee. To “sin wilfully” here means more, as is unmistakably implied in verses twenty-eight and twenty-nine. He illustrates by one who despised Moses' law, as though he now means one who is despising the law of Christ; and he explains himself in verse twenty-nine, where we see he has reference to one “who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.” Here “sin wilfully” comprehends the blasphemy of the Spirit, and he evidently means, by the term, a wilful turning again to a life of sin, a deliberate giving up of the faith, and choosing sin instead. This is also used as a stimulus to the saints to exhort one another, and neglect not the assembling of themselves together, or the provoking unto love and good works, etc.
From these two places in the Hebrews it might be supposed that to be in an unpardonable condition a person must have once been saved. But the apostle in both places is necessarily addressing saved people, and holds up such a condition as a warning against unfaithfulness. He deals in what is applicable to them. But this does not prove that a man who has never known the way of truth may not also place himself where he is unpardonable.
It is safe and Scriptural to take the stand that a person is pardonable so long as he is capable of being [pg 360] sorry for his sin, for God's sake, or of having a real desire to love and serve God. The promise and privilege is to “whosoever will.” This is as broad as broad can be, and whoever wills can know assuredly that salvation is for him, not withstanding the disputations of the devil to the contrary. In Heb. 12:16, 17 one would infer from the apostle's illustration of Esau that a person can be in a condition where repentance may be earnestly desired, even with tears, yet impossible to be found. But genuine repentance is not implied here. The margin has it, “He [Esau] found no place to change his mind,” instead of “no place for repentance.” A person may commit the unpardonable sin and still desire to change his condition or lot; he may through fear of eternal damnation desire rather the position of a Christian: but he never repents, he can not repent, it is not “in him” to repent, he will not meet the conditions for salvation, and no one can get him to do so. He may bewail his condition and stand in dread of the judgment, from a feeling of selfish protection; he may be sorry for his sins as a criminal may be sorry for his crime when he is sentenced to be punished: but he has no inclination to godly sorrow; in fact, the spirit of the man and the Spirit of God are incompatible; he has placed himself where the Spirit of God can in no way bring itself to bear upon him. Oh, how awful is such a state! But he is not conscious of any awfulness from having offended God; [pg 361] his awfulness proceeds from a sense of his being eternally lost. The only impulses that might draw such a one to seek the Christian state are those of the selfish kind, just as a man may desire salvation from a belief that it would be conducive to his selfish interest. A person will never get an experience of salvation through such motives; and in the case of the one who has committed the blasphemy of the Spirit, he may have such motives, but he can never have the genuine kind, or in other words, be drawn of the Spirit. Such a sin need not be prayed for. 1 John 5:16. It is certainly a sin unto death.
In conclusion we would say that the unpardonable sin is not to be regarded as some particular sin, singled out from all others, as though it were some form of murder, lying, or stealing, more heinous than the rest. But it lies in the nature of the sin committed, as affecting the relationship with the Holy Spirit. A person may have committed a whole list of the blackest crimes, and yet not have committed the unpardonable sin; or vice versa, a person may have a good standing in point of morality, and yet have blasphemed the Spirit, and severed himself from all possibility of repentance. We would say to every despairing soul seeking salvation, that if you are capable of having the least godly sorrow on account of your sin, or a real, inward desire to serve God, you can rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin. If you feel the Spirit of God telling [pg 362] you that you ought to be saved, then salvation is for you. The unpardonable sin deprives a person of the desire to will to love and serve God and obey the truth. So in the language of Scripture we continue to hold out the blessed invitation—“Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Amen.