I have been doing prison ministry for over thirty years in one degree or another.  I have also been a Justice of the Peace for eleven years and so have connected with the justice system and with those who are most affected by it. I have a burden to help people discover real freedom who have made big mistakes in their lives and have found themselves trapped in a life of addictions or other hurtful habits. Note these wonderful verses from John 8:32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  John 8:36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.  One inmate told me recently that he does want to be free from here, speaking of prison, but also free from here, pointing to himself.  I told him that only Christ can do that through faith and that he had come to the right place to find it, referring to the Bible study he was planning to attend.   

It takes a good degree of courage for an inmate to attend a chapel service.  When we arrive to do ministry in the prisons, a call is made over the loudspeaker system that chapel is starting in 5 minutes.  The inmates who intend to come have to stand up in the midst of their fellow inmates, make their way to the exit and to the chapel.  They are often ridiculed for doing so but they learn one of the first lessons of Biblical Christianity which is: if you follow Christ you will be persecuted in one way or another.  However, once these men experience the blessing, the goodness of grace and forgiveness, they demonstrate a higher degree of Christianity then what I observe in most churches.  

I have occasionally heard a statement from an inmate saying, “I think I have committed the unpardonable sin or they will ask me what is the unpardonable sin?  Many of them suffer from guilt and the consequences of bad mistakes or serious sins they have committed in their past.  Most often their mistakes or crimes were committed when they were drunk or high on drugs or both.  I want to share what the Bible teaches about the unpardonable sin because I think many people, not just those in prison, wonder if they have committed the unpardonable sin. 

Matthew 12:31: Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 

Matthew 12:32: And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.  

Luke 12:10: And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemes against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

First of all, the scriptures above were a lesson given to the religious enemies and people during the time that Jesus was on earth ministering Bible truth to his generation.  They continually accused him that his miracles were done with Satanic power.  They refused to acknowledge the power of the Holy Spirit and the message of truth associated with the one doing the miracle. His rebuke was: If you reject or blaspheme the Holy Spirit who is trying to reveal truth to you, then you will suffer the consequences of rejecting the truth. 

Secondly, we must acknowledge what the purpose or ministry of the Holy Spirit on earth is.  Jesus explained the ministry of the Holy Spirit to his disciples in the upper room the night before he died on the cross:  

John 16:7: Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient [necessary] for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 

Verses 8-11 explain what the purpose of the Holy Spirit is in the world.

John 16:8: And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 

John 16:9: Of sin, because they believe not on me; 

John 16:10: Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more; 

John 16:11: Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

The Holy Spirit reveals to mankind their personal sin and judgement to come.  He reveals the righteousness of Christ that we all need.  Through his work on the cross, he reveals the judgment to Satan and the judgment to every individual in the future.  There is a personal judgment coming when every knee shall bow to Christ as judge: Romans 14:11: For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. We either bow to him now as Saviour or after we die as our judge. Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  If a person rejects these convictions or reproofs given by the Holy Spirit, they are blaspheming the work of the Holy Spirit; there is no forgiveness for that sin.   

Again, in Matthew 12:31, we read these serious words: All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men

Whatever sin you have committed can be forgiven if you have accepted the forgiveness God offers you through the sacrifice of His Son. If you reject the truth of the Word of God then you essentially are blaspheming the work of the Holy Spirit.  

I knew a man in prison who was doing three life sentences for three murders.  He passed away in prison after serving many years but he had accepted the message of forgiveness offered in the gospel. He showed evidence of his new life in Christ.  He was faithful to attend every Bible study and worked diligently on Bible courses so he could learn more and become a stronger better inmate Christian. He told me one time that if he would ever get out of prison he wanted to warn youth not to get involved in drugs and gangs but instead learn about Christianity.  You see, this man was raised in a foster home.  He never knew his birth mother until after he became a Christian.  He spoke of his bitterness and anger with so many things until he was saved.  That’s when God changed everything!  He was sorry for his sins of murder and, I believe, tried to write letters of apology to those whom it affected.  He experienced the forgiveness of sins of the worst kind and will be in heaven.  Why? Because he accepted the message of the gospel and did not reject or blaspheme the message the Holy Spirit was revealing to him.  A guard in the prison at the time of his conversion told me, “If that guy can change then anyone can change! He’s a bad dude.”  The man changed into a great example of what the grace of God can do for any person who will trust and follow Christ by faith. 

My question for you is: Have you blasphemed the reproving, convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit?  Through this pamphlet he has revealed to you that Jesus Christ is a Saviour and wants to save you from your sins. Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:19: Now we know the law [the Bible] declares:.. that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Every man, woman and child is born in sin and lives in a sinful state until they are born again or come to Christ for salvation. 

You may not have committed murder but you have committed sins, some bad and some maybe not so bad. But sin is sin and must be confessed as sin and repented of to be saved.  We all like to think of ourselves as good people or not as bad as the next guy but that is not how the Bible addresses our sinfulness.  God wants us to see ourselves as sinners in need of a Saviour.  The gospel message is that Christ died for our sins, was buried and three days later rose again, then sent the Holy Spirit into the world to reveal to sinful mankind that Christ died for us and will save us from our sins. If you reject the salvation message of this tract, then you are committing blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and you cannot be forgiven.  That is the only unpardonable sin. 

Every person who has eternal life is  because they have been born a second time through the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a gift given to every born again believer in the New Testament age.  If you reject the work of the Holy Spirit you reject the vital agent of your new birth and thus receive the consequences of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which is eternity without God in a place of separation from God in hell.  However, even the unforgiveable sin can be forgiven if you repent of the sin of rejection and rebellion and receive the offer of the gift of eternal life God offers and wants you to have. Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death (which means separation from God for ever); but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord(which means life with God forever).  You can have this gift if you repent, change your mind and receive the message of grace and forgiveness offered to you now.  If you reject it you have committed the unpardonable sin and there is no hope for you after this life on earth.   

The content of this article is solely the personal opinions of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Prince Albert Shopper.