You may have felt like your sins are too serious or that you have made the same mistake too many times. But no matter how much we have sinned, we can always repent and be forgiven. Some sins may be easier to correct than others, but Jesus Christ has provided for total forgiveness from all sins.
Rev. Graham: Only one sin that can't be forgiven is on God's list — and that is the sin of rejecting Him and refusing His offer of forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. This alone is the unforgivable sin, because it means we are saying that the Holy Spirit's witness about Jesus is a lie (see Luke 12:10).
31:And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32:Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
There is no forgiveness without repentance. God does not forgive unrepentant sinners. He loves them, and that is what He calls us to do, “Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.”
To be forgiven by God means that your sins have been removed, and restoration has taken place. By God's gracious gift of forgiveness through Christ, any wrong you have done is not held against you. God is eager to forgive and provides forgiveness to you through faith in Jesus Christ. It's your choice to receive it.
Repentance is always available, even if you've made the same mistake again. The Lord has said, “As often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me” (Mosiah 26:30).
Therefore, when others ask, “Can a Christian commit the unpardonable sin?” the clearest answer is “no,” because to be a follower of Jesus is to believe and accept the testimony of the Spirit – that Christ is Lord – which is the exact opposite of the Pharisees' response.
Jesus forgives all sin
The Bible teaches that the blood Jesus' shed on the cross covers all sin, including infidelity. “… the blood of Jesus, God's Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). This means that any sin we commit, including infidelity, can be forgiven when we come to Jesus with a repentant heart.
Matthew 18: 21-22 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
ÇMurder, torture and abuse of any human being, but particularly the murder, torture and abuse of children and animals. These are more than unforgivable to me; they are incomprehensible. They violate the most basic dignity of the human person and, as such, deny God in our broken world.
Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
According to the standard list, they are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth, which are contrary to the seven capital virtues.
God's forgiveness and love are unconditional. He loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8) and we cannot earn His love by our good works. We are forgiven based on the perfect work of Jesus Christ. God does, however, require repentance in order to grant forgiveness.
All Sin is not the Same
In fact, the Book of Proverbs (6:16-19) identifies seven things that God hates although there is not any punishment proscribed for those. Scripture clearly indicates that God does view sin differently and that He proscribed a different punishment for sin depending upon its severity.
Leviticus 20:10 threatened that 'the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife … the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death', while Deuteronomy 22:22 thundered, if a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then both of them shall die'.
Does God forgive divorce? Absolutely! Divorce is no less forgivable than any other sin. Forgiveness of all sins is available through faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7).
Spitting on a cross, drawing pictures in the Qur'an, tripping a rabbi — all of these are rude in general, but because they combine a sacred religious person or thing with rude behavior, they're also blasphemous.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not a careless act committed only once in a moment of rage or rebellion, but a calloused attitude over time; a persistent defiance that hardens and calcifies the heart. The Pharisees had been present when Jesus healed the sick. They saw him perform miracles up close and personal.
The sins for which one may be forgiven -- pride, anger, lust, sloth, avarice, gluttony, envy -- are all firmly attached to the objects of this world, but despair seems to bleed out beyond the confines of the immediate ego-centered self and to relate to no desire, to no thing.
Yes, God forgives and relents from punishment for those who truly love God, but there are also times and situations where there may be no turning back. Repentance can come too late after too much damage is done and there is no going back.
When we sin, we feel bad and know it's wrong, but sometimes we do it anyway. Why do we do things we know are wrong? Because of our fallen nature, we are prone to be shortsighted and forgetful. Often we don't see the long-term effects of our choices, or we forget the consequences of choices we've made before.
You can confess your sins directly to God. You do not need to confess to a pastor, priest, or spiritual leader to be forgiven.
All creation sings God's praise, and nothing in creation — including its broken pieces — can remove God's love from us. We are secure in God's unconditional and unending love when we place our faith in Christ. Nothing can keep us from His love.