APOLOGY:
Unfortunately, the address given within the Todays-News Herald newspaper published on October 17, 2025 shows a “404 error” when reached. For that reason, the author of the column by Joy Le Page Smith in Todays-News Herald is providing words of help which will answer the question: “Have I committed the unforgiveable sin?
The following is copied from:
https://www.gotquestions.org/unpardonable-sin.html
“Many people fear they have committed some sin that God cannot or will not forgive, and they feel there is no hope for them, no matter what they do. Satan would like nothing more than to keep people laboring under that misconception. God gives encouragement to the sinner who is convicted of his sin: “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). And the testimony of Paul is proof positive that God can and will save anyone who comes to Him in faith (1 Timothy 1:12–17). If you are suffering under a load of guilt today, rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin. God is waiting with open arms. Jesus’ promise is that “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). Our Lord will never fail. “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2).”
For an understanding of what is unforgiveable, read on:
“According to Jesus, the unpardonable or unforgivable sin is unique. It is the one iniquity that will never be forgiven (“never” is the meaning of “either in this age or in the age to come” in Matthew 12:32). The unforgivable sin is blasphemy (“defiant irreverence”) of the Holy Spirit in the context of the Spirit’s work in the world through Christ. In other words, the particular case of blasphemy seen in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 is unique. The guilty party, a group of Pharisees, had witnessed irrefutable evidence that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they claimed that He was possessed by the prince of demons, Beelzebul (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:30).
The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus Christ (in person, on earth) of being demon-possessed. They had no excuse for such an action. They were not speaking out of ignorance or misunderstanding. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to save Israel. They knew the prophecies were being fulfilled. They saw Jesus’ wonderful works, and they heard His clear presentation of truth. Yet they deliberately chose to deny the truth and slander the Holy Spirit. Standing before the Light of the World, bathed in His glory, they defiantly closed their eyes and became willfully blind. Jesus pronounced that sin to be unforgivable.
The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.”
Note from Joy Le Page Smith. Within the few times I have used ttps://www.gotquestions.org I have found their research and knowledge of Scripture to be solid.
Please excuse the inconvenience using a link provided that no longer serves a good purpose. And, please continue to use my two websites:
Healing-with-Joy.com and Healingwithjoy.blogspot.com (The latter is my newest site., which carries more photographs than my first site.)
May God richly bless you as you read!
So, when someone curses, taking the name of Jesus in vain- that’s forgivable as long as they repent?
What a good question, Chery. Yes. Remember that when a person comes to God it is because the Father draws him or her. A person who is not in a relationship with God, does not know Jesus Christ Lord and Savior may think nothing of cursing God’s name by using it in vain. When we hear a person cursing in that manner we can pray for them silently asking for the Father to draw them into a love relationship which as we know will change that person’s life. That is how we can minister to that person; they will never know, of course. But you may very well meet them in Heaven. Certainly a prayer to be forgiven for that sin against their Creator could set the course for them being drawn to pray asking for Jesus to become their Lord and Savior and to be forgiven for all their sins. Scripture says angels in Heaven rejoice when a soul comes to Him. That life is changed and the person receives the promise of eternal life in Heaven with God. Here is the passage of Scripture that assures us of God being the one who initiates relationship with a person. We cannot do it on our own. Here is the Scripture passage referred to above: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44