Responding to Ministry Conflict: Unpardonable Sin

What is the unpardonable sin? Many have wrestled with this question, fearing it like some kind of spiritual trap door that dooms the unwary Christian, or using it as an excuse to remain in a pet sin. For others it has been a means of controlling people, or threatening them for not accepting extra-biblical works and teachings as manifestations of the Spirit’s power or new revelation from God. So what’s the answer? Remember that Jesus was addressing religious unbelievers. The Son of God performed a miracle before their eyes, and they called it the work of Satan. We can’t commit this same sin today because Christ was actually demonstrating God’s power in their presence. But there is still a solemn warning here for us to heed. There is no neutrality when it comes to a relationship with Christ. If you are not fully for Him, then you are against Him. It’s one thing to sin because of ignorance about God’s work, and quite another thing to call good evil, and knowingly blaspheme the agent through which God saves and redeems.