The Unpardonable Sin

“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” – Matthew 12:31

The complete context of the Unforgivable Sin (the Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) can only be found in Matthew 12:22-45. Based on this passage, it can be defined as:

THE NATIONAL REJECTION BY ISRAEL OF THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS WHILE HE WAS PHYSICALLY PRESENT ON EARTH ON THE GROUNDS OF BEING DEMON-POSSESSED.

From this basic definition, three things can be noted:

1. This sin is unique to the Jewish generation of Jesus’ day and cannot be applied to later Jewish generations. It was to that particular generation that the Messiah came physically, offering to establish the Messianic Kingdom and Himself as their Messianic King. It was also that specific generation that rejected Him.

2. It was a national sin, not an individual sin. It is not a sin that any person could commit today. The Bible makes it very clear that every sin is forgivable to the individual who will come to God through Messiah’s blood; the nature of the sin is irrelevant. When Jesus died on the cross, He did not die just for some kind of sins and not for others; He died for every type of sin.

3. Although this was a national sin and not an individual sin, this is not a sin that some other nation could commit — Jesus was never physically present with any other nation offering Himself as that nation’s Messiah.

Excerpt from MBS068 “The Sins Against the Holy Spirit,” 4-5

Yeshua: The Life of Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective – vol. 2

Volume 2 of Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s study about Yeshua takes us deep into the Second Temple and rabbinic Jewish background that helps to explain this unique first century figure. It is a fascinating journey with many details that illuminate the life of the Messiah of Israel. While one might raise a question here and there, Fruchtenbaum is fair always showing what the discussion at any point is. His full citing of Jewish texts allows the reader to see the direction of the conversation. This book is full of important observations about Jesus in a Jewish context. It is well worth the time of a careful read and will be a handy resource for a long time to come.