57. All Sins Forgiven
Matthew 12:31, 32Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Hoy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 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.
Mark 3:28, 29Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
The main gist and most important aspect of this promise is that “all sins shall be forgiven.”Even blasphemy against the Son of Man or any kind of blasphemy will be forgiven. Blasphemy, cursing, swearing, taking the Lord’s name in vain may be forgiven, and this promise should be remembered.
However, an exception is made in regard to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. If all other sins are forgiven except this one, it is natural to ask, “Why?” The standard answer is that this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is on purpose, intentional, deliberate, and it is done with full awareness of the consequences, that is, he will never have forgiveness and he is in danger of eternal damnation. This blasphemer knows exactly what he is doing and what it means and he does it anyway. If one ever wonders whether he has committed this sin then he can be sure that he has not.
I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit calls me by the Gospel. I cannot accept Christ without the Holy Spirit, He does in me what I cannot do: believe the Gospel. Without the Holy Spirit, I cannot and I will not believe in Christ nor receive the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, if I should knowingly reject, resist and deny this work of the Holy Spirit there is no other means by which I can believe or be saved. No one else, including myself, can help me if I blaspheme the only Helper. The Holy Spirit struggles with our resistant and recalcitrant soul until it surrenders and believes; and He will not cease striving. But should I willfully, purposely and knowingly blaspheme Him and turn Him away then He will say, “OK, I will now cease striving to bring you to faith.” For this reason, the blasphemer has no forgiveness and has no way to find forgiveness. He is forever lost and condemned and he knows it. This knowing and intentional blasphemy against the Holy Spirit does not seem common (I personally do not know of anyone who has done this), but though improbable, it is possible. The flip side of this lone negative is the positive: you can be sure your sins are forgiven.
The promise remains: all sins shall be forgiven. The Holy Spirit assures that message to the heart and no one or nothing can take that peaceful assurance away.