The Bible warns us not to attribute to Satan that
which is the work of the Holy Spirit. Pat further
elaborates on this unpardonable sin.
The concept of an unpardonable sin has been a source
of difficulty for many because it seems to go against
the Bible's teachings about grace. We understand that
God's grace forgives every sin, but our Lord mentioned
one sin that cannot be forgiven.
Let us put it in its biblical context. The religious
leaders had come out to hear Him, but they opposed
virtually everything He said. As He was doing miracles
and casting out devils, they said, "This fellow
does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the
ruler of the demons" (Matthew 12:24).
Those people were so blind spiritually that they were
attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.
Not only were they doing this, but they were also
rejecting the Holy Spirit's work in their own lives.
The Holy Spirit was saying, "This is the Son
of God. This is God." And they were saying, "He
is not God! He is Satan's agent." Then Jesus
said, "Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven
men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not
be forgiven men.... Whoever speaks against the Holy
Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this
age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31-32).
Obviously, the unpardonable sin is not merely saying
an unkind thing about the Holy Spirit. The religious
leaders involved had turned totally against the revelation
of God. They were so far into their own wickedness
that they rejected not only Jesus Christ but also
the Holy Spirit. They were saying that good was evil
and evil was good. They called the Spirit of God,
Satan!
They had rejected spiritual understanding and so
could never come to Jesus, the one source of forgiveness.
If a person does not accept Jesus, he cannot have
forgiveness. If he rejects the Holy Spirit and turns
away from Jesus Christ, he can receive no forgiveness.
That is what these so-called "religious leaders"
had done.
If you want to obey God but are concerned that you
may have committed the unpardonable sin, you have
not committed it. If anyone today has committed this
sin, it would be one who is hard-hearted, who has
turned against Jesus, reviled Him, and become so depraved
that He would claim that God's Spirit is Satan.