If there is one thing which scares some believers it very well might be the passage where Jesus mentions the unpardonable sin. The unpardonable sin can be found in Luke 12:10; Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-29.
Matthew 12:22-32
22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
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.
32 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. (KJV)
The above is the famous Beelzebub controversy. Jesus' casting out of a demon was attributed by the Pharisees as being done by the power of Satan (Beelzebub). Jesus responded with asking what would seem to be some dumb questions; "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges." Jesus was trying to show the Pharisees how ridiculous their thoughts were.
Jesus preceded to tell them that All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. This is where confusion comes in. If we look at this verse in context we see that it is connected with Jesus' casting out off a demon and the Pharisses attributing it to the work or power of the devil. They were spiritually blind (Mt 15:14; 23:16, 17, 19, 24, 26). The Holy Spirit testifies that Jesus is Christ the Son of God (Jn 15:26; 1 Jn 4:1-3). The Pharisees were denying the testimony of the Spirit and attributing it to the devil.
Now the unpardonable sin is not merely a one time action. The Pharisees, hearts were hard and they repeatedly casted off the works of Jesus as not being of God. Even here they were calling the Spirit of God the spirit of Satan. Once the Pharisees had rejected Jesus as being the Son of God there was no hope for them to receive forgiveness of sins since a person's sins can only be washed away by the blood of Jesus. The same is true for people today who continually reject Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit as not of God.
The unpardonable sin, is not divorce, nor adultery as some prescribe. If you have sinned and are fearful that you have done the unpardonable sin, remember passages like 2P 3:9 and 1 Jn 1:9. If you haven't done as the Pharisees above, then you need not fear that you have done the unpardonable sin.
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