What is the "unpardonable sin"?

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Is there an unpardonable sin in the Bible?  The answer to that question depends on you.  If you are a saved Christian, then no, there is no sin you can commit that is unforgivable.  If there was, then all of the verses that promise us eternal life would be false, because if we committed a sin that was beyond forgiveness our salvation would be conditonal upon our works, which are our actions or our deeds.  Also Jesus promises that we will never perish, and that no man will pluck us out of his hand.

John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and  shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.


These verses promise those that believe on Jesus that they shall not come into condemnation, they shall never perish, and that they have passed from death to life.  If there was anything you could do to lose your salvation, these verses could not be true.  You can twist a lot of scriptures in the Bible, but not these.  If you ever have doubts about your salvation, these are great verses to have memorized.  


The Bible also says that we are justified from all things and that our sins have been removed as far as the east is from the west.

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 

So taking all the above verses into consideration, is there anything a saved person can do to go to hell?  The answer is "no" if we believe the above verses.  So what is the so-called unpardonable sin?  Jesus does say there is a sin that won't be forgiven!  


Matthew 12:22-33 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 
(23) And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
(24) But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 
(25) And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 
(26) And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 
(27) And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 
(28) But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 
(29) Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 
(30) He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 
(31) Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 
(32) And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 
(33) Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

Get the context of what is going on here.  The Pharisees see Jesus casting out devils and accuse him of casting out devils by Beelzebub.  Jesus basically tells them it's ridiculous to think Satan is casting out Satan, and tells them they had just gone too far.  They blasphemed the Holy Ghost, and were never going to be forgiven.  This account is in 3 of the 4 gospels, and the account in Mark makes it clear he said that because they said he had an unclean spirit.  (Mark 3:30)  You can, in fact, go too far and be beyond forgiveness if you are an unsaved person, reject Christ and blaspheme the Holy Ghost.  However, you will also notice that none of the Pharisees repented, that is changed their mind about what they said.  None of  them asked to be forgiven.  This is explained for us in John 12

John 12:37-40 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
(38) That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
(39) Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
(40) He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Notice, that they reached a point in the above passage where they could not believe. This is essentially what the unpardonable sin is. People continue rejecting the gospel, and get to the point where the Spirit no longer strives with them.  This is demonstrated in other places in the Bible. Pharaoh rejected God’s message, and the Bible says that God hardened his heart (Exo. 10:20, Exo. 10:27). Unbelievers reach a certain point where they are no longer able to believe. Pharaoh witnessed great plagues that could not just easily be explained away, yet he still refused to believe God.   

Romans 9:15-18 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  
(16) So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.  
(17) For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.  
(18) Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Notice in the above text that the opposite of God having mercy on someone is hardening the person.  So if you are seeking to be forgiven for some sin you have committed, you are not hardened. If you think you said something blasphemous about the Holy Spirit, yet seek forgiveness, you are not hardened.  

Don't mistakenly read Calvinism into those verses.  God wills to show mercy to everyone (2 Peter 3:9).  But eventually, if you reject the gospel long enough, or blaspheme against the Holy Ghost,  you will no longer be capable of believing the gospel, because God will harden you.  You will not be able to believe the gospel, and will be lost forever. That's what happened to the Pharisees in John 12, and that's what will happen to anyone who rejects Jesus Christ and blasphemes against the Holy Ghost.
[T]he unpardonable sin doesn't change God. If you should want to be saved, He still says, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). It doesn't change the promise, "For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). But if you get to where you don't want to be saved, and you are not interested, and you won't listen to the call of God, that is too bad. You will pass outside the realm of forgiveness and have a hardened heart. You make your choice. Eventually it sticks so that you cannot change it. You don't want to change it. And you don't do it. 

 Source: Dr. John Rice, “The Holy Spirit, our Loving Friend”
The bottom line is, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, you are saved.  If you don't believe, you are not saved.  It's just that simple. 

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Notice it says that those who don't believe are condemned already because they have not believed.  In other words they never believed on the Son of God.  People who have committed the unpardonable sin are not capable of believing on the Son of God, and in most cases aren't too worried about it.  If you are reading this thinking you might have committed the unpardonable sin, if you believe the gospel, you haven't.  If you aren't saved and are worried, get saved now before it's too late.  Someday it will be too late for everyone who does not believe the gospel.  Whether that is when they die, or while they yet live with a hardened heart.  That is why the Bible says NOW is the accepted time.


2Cor. 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 


 
Anyone who comes to Jesus in faith will be saved, regardless of what you have done.
 

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.