1 John 5:16-17 – 16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
What is the sin that leads to death? It is the sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is rejecting the calling of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t any sin forgivable? Well, we know that Jesus said that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a sin that will not be forgiven in our present age or in the age to come. That means in this lifetime or for eternity, there is no forgiveness of that sin. So for those who are prone to misuse Romans 3:23, it is clear that there is a difference in sin (which is a topic unto itself). Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the only sin that will not be forgiven, not ever. What is the sin of Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Well, with much sound reasoning and solid cause, it is often said that this is the sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior. The sin of rejecting the salvation offered by God through Jesus. Since there is only one salvation and that being through Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5, John 3:16-18), to reject the only way to have sin washed away means one remains in sin (1 John 1:5-7). If one does not belong to Jesus, one does not belong to God, and in fact that person has rejected the rule and presence of God in his life, and so God ends up giving that person exactly what the statement of their lives has demanded, to live eternally separated from God (Matthew 25:46, John 5:27-18, Romans 2:5-8, Romans 6:23). That separation is separation from God and His blessings. Those who thusly rebel against God have only one destination, hell. Hell is the destination of those who rebel against and reject God. Heaven is for those who love and follow Jesus (John 14:1-4).
Reading Matthew 12:22-32, what Jesus said is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is saying that the works of the Holy Spirit are the works of the devil. It is not a person who ignorantly says so, perhaps parroting what he has been taught. It is the person who knowingly does so that is being referred to. The Pharisees had all the evidence and the scriptures to know that Jesus was from God. For ungodly reasons they, with purpose and in knowledge, rejected the work of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is God, they were essentially cursing God the Holy Spirit and calling Him a devil. Jesus said that one may speak evil of Him and be forgiven, but to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is sacrilege and unforgiveable. That is what Jesus explained is the unforgiveable sin of Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Back to the common teaching that Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the only one through whom salvation comes (Acts 4:12). Well, we know that scriptures teach that if one does not yield to witness of the Holy Spirit, if one dies outside the blood of Christ, then one does not have eternal life and their eternal life is in hell. So not accepting Jesus as the Savior and Lord is unforgivable because it is only through Jesus that a person may be saved (Ephesians 4:5-6). So rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit, calling it an unworthy thing and not something from God, and that rejection leads to entering into eternity without Jesus, then one has committed a sin that cannot be forgiven. Then one remains in the spiritual death there were physically born into. They were born spiritually dead and by their decisions they shall ever remain in spiritual death.
Therefore the sin that leads to death is the rejecting of Jesus as Lord and Savior. Then we ask, well aren’t we to pray for the lost? Certainly we are! Yet, one may question, then why does it say that we are not to pray for the one who sins the sin that leads to death (spiritual separation from God)? Let’s first consider what prayer we are asked to not pray. The prayer here is not a prayer that is asking the person repent and yield to the Lord. That would be contradictory of loving and praying for the lost. So then what is the answer to what type of prayer it is? Well let’s consider what prayer is one that Jesus never says no to (John 6:37). It is the sincere prayer of a repentant sinner asking Jesus to be His Lord and Savior that Jesus will always answer “Yes!” to. Jesus always grants that prayer! So then, the prayer that that we should pray that will always be answered is the one that is for the repentant person who desires to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. When we agree in prayer with that soul coming to God, asking God to receive that person and give Him eternal life, that prayer is always granted. Praise the Lord!
Now that same prayer, that God would forgive all the sins of a person and give that person eternal life should not be prayed for the unrepentant unbeliever. That prayer is asking God to go against scripture, indeed, against the person and work of Jesus. We are praying against the words of Jesus that say He is the only way, the only truth and the only source of eternal life (John 14:6). God forbid that we should ever utter a prayer in which we place the love for another over our love for Jesus! What an evil act that would be! No, for the unrepentant we don’t pray that God accept their rebellion and forgive them anyway. That prayer will never be granted. What we do pray is that such a person would repent and fall at the feet of Jesus and ask Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. That is what we are to pray for the unrepentant.
Praise our God who always says yes to those who sincerely ask Him to be their Savior and Lord! He, Jesus Christ, is the one we honor and whom we love. In all our deeds and actions we seek to glorify Him. We do not disrespect Him and ask Him to give eternal life to those who reject Him. We do pray that He would receive those who humbly come to Him. That prayer, He joyously grants for all. Praise Jesus who granted that prayer from and for us. Praise our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.