Some may be tempted to conclude things such as extreme drug use or drunkenness may be the unpardonable sin as the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own." As our Creator, our bodies belong to God and the way we treat them either honors or dishonors Him.

What about prostitution or pornography? Could one of these be the unpardonable sin? Both severely impact the lives of those taking part and beyond. Both work to create lustful appetites. They needlessly open the door to other sins like adultery, rape, pedophilia and the like. The Bible underscores the vanity of such things when it says in 1 John 2:16-17 "For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

Could the unpardonable sin be the creation of materialistic idols? In Exodus 34:14 the Bible says, "for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." The things we worship can take many forms. By narrowly focusing most of our energy upon valued possessions, such as cars, homes and other luxuries, these can become modern day idols, objects of "worship" for many.

The sin most commonly considered unpardonable is suicide. Some view suicide and murder as a similar act-suicide being "self-murder". In the Ten Commandments God says, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). The Bible teaches, apart from personal or national defense, or government enacted punishment (Romans 13:4), only God has the right to take man's life.

Because suicide prevents a person from asking God's forgiveness for the act of suicide, some believe the sin goes without forgiveness. For the true Christian this is not the case. The moment a person truly accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, all their sins-past, present and future are forgiven. John 6:37-40 confirms this when it says, "7 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."

Clearly, the list could go on and on. Things such as hate, murder, greed, gambling, homosexuality, atheism and the like may be offered as potential sins that are unpardonable. When wrestling with this subject, it is important to remember the only thing that counts is what God's Word says about the subject.

In the Gospel of Mark 3:20-30 Jesus clearly identifies the unpardonable sin, thus removing any doubt as to what it might be. In verse 20 He says, "Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind." 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons." 23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. 28 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"-- 30 because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Notice in verses 28-29 Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"-- 30 because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Jesus points out "all sins", that is all without exception, "will be forgiven" at the time a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior, through true faith in Him, (John 3:16; Romans 10:8-9).

The unpardonable sin is witnessed only when someone "blasphemes against the Holy Spirit". This denotes attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit.

Blasphemy is the "act of cursing, slandering, reviling or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God" (Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary). In Mark 3:20-30 we see a group of men referred to as "the scribes" associate the miraculous acts of Christ as a byproduct of the devil himself. The Lord points out that such a denial is so offensive to God it will never be forgiven.

(Other passages related to the subject: Matthew 12:31-32; Luke 12:10; 1 John 5:16)

Some may lead you to believe the unpardonable sin is a sin or sins beyond that which is stated by Jesus in Mark 3:20-30. Do not be misled. Jesus says, "all sins will be forgiven" except blaspheme "against the Holy Spirit", nothing more, nothing less!

Most people will not find themselves guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. However, this does not mean they will not stand guilty before God come judgment. The Bible says, in John 3:16-19 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Jesus Christ shed His blood, died on the cross and rose from the dead to defeat death and sin once and for all. In order to claim His victory, by faith we must embrace His salvation. Rejecting His sacrifice leaves you without hope and forgiveness.