I'm going to disagree with some of the comments here that say that salvation cannot be lost. I believe scripture is very clear that it can be. With that being said, I'm also going to disagree with your comments when you say that you believe you personally are beyond forgiveness. I've been in this situation myself before, feeling very scared by this verse. Let's take a close look at what the scriptures say.

Just a few verses before Hebrews 10:26, we find Hebrews 10:14, which says that the perfect sacrifice of Jesus was sufficient to make us perfect forever in God's sight. How can it now be said that it is possible to outsin the cross of Christ?

Interestingly, this is not the first time a statement like this shows up in the book of Hebrews. If we look back to Hebrews 6:4-6, we see that here again, the writer warns that if one has tasted the goodness of God and shared in the Holy Spirit and then fallen away, it is impossible to bring them back to repentance.

In fact, if we go back even further, we see that even Jesus himself warned of a point beyond forgiveness. Three times, we see Jesus warn that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven (Matthew 12:22-37, Mark 3:20-35, Luke 12:1-12).

Are all of these scriptures referring to the same sin? I believe so because Jesus said this is the only thing that will not be forgiven. It is terrifying that these words of warning of an unforgivable sin are coming from the mouth of the only one who has the authority to forgive sin. What does this mean?

Going back to Hebrews chapter 6 for a moment, there is one very interesting word here that may give some insight to what all this means and that is the word, “repentance” in verse 6. Notice that the text does not say that it is impossible to be brought back to forgiveness, but to repentance. I do not intend to suggest that forgiveness is somehow possible without repentance because that is contrary to what scripture teaches, but the fact that the word, “repentance” is used here instead of “forgiveness” may be a clue of what the meaning is behind these scriptures.

It’s important in seeking to understand what this means that we understand the Holy Spirit’s role in the saving process. Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin...” (John 16:8). Just a few verses later, he said, “When he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Paul said that the message of the cross and of Christ are considered foolishness to those who do not have the mind of the Spirit because these things can only be discerned by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:18 & 2:14). It is the Holy Spirit who works in our hearts to convict our hearts of sin, to draw us to God, to help us understand the things of God, and to lead us to repentance. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, there is no conviction of sin and therefore, there is no repentance and no hope of salvation.

So what does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Many equate the term blasphemy with speaking poorly of someone or something, but while that may be part of it, there may be more to it than that. Numbers 15:30 says, “But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel”. In this particular context, blasphemy is described not as a speaking sin, but as defiant willful sin. Perhaps a better definition of blasphemy is any form of continual deliberate irreverence and rejection.

With this definition in mind, let’s go back to the three gospel accounts and see what we can learn. In context, Jesus said these words to the teachers of the law after they accused him of doing his miracles by the power of demons. Mark 3:30 says “He said this because they were saying ‘he has an impure spirit’”. Many have interpreted this verse to be a definition of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but notice that Jesus never said that these men had committed this unforgivable sin. It’s highly possible that instead of an accusation, this was a warning that they were dangerously close to unforgiveness. Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:28 both contain a statement saying, “Every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven”, which seems to suggest that even this accusation that was being brought against Jesus, in itself, was still forgivable if the people would have turned to repentance. However, as they continued to make these claims and accusations, their hearts were becoming increasingly hardened to the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, by rejecting the very Spirit that could draw them to God and lead them to repentance, they were essentially saying no to the only way to be forgiven.

This is not a one time sin or an accidental sin that is unforgivable, but it appears that this refers to a continual deliberate irreverence toward the Holy Spirit and rejection of the Spirit’s leading to repentance. Eventually, the text in Hebrews 6:4-6 seems to warn that there is a terrifying point where one can be so far gone that it is impossible to be drawn back to repentance and at that point, a person is beyond forgiveness.

Hebrews 10:14 says that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to make us perfect forever in God’s sight, but Hebrews 10:26-31 seems to suggest a point where even the cross no longer applies. How do these two work together? Considering what we have learned, it appears that repentance is what makes the difference. If one is truly repentant of sin, there is no point where God will say, “I’m sorry, but you’ve used up all the grace I have for you. I can’t forgive you this time”. God’s grace to those who fall repeatedly is endless when we turn back to him.

Proverbs 24:16 says, “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again”.

If a person deliberately chooses to go on sinning without repentance, claiming to believe God’s word, but refusing to live by it, eventually, that person’s heart can become so hardened to the work of the Holy Spirit that they no longer can repent. It is at this point where the writer of Hebrews warns that no sacrifice for sins remains. And that is a terrifying place to be. When there is no longer hope of God’s forgiveness, there is no longer hope of any kind for eternity, which is why verse 27 says there is only a fearful expectation of judgement and verse 31 says that at this point, it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Now, why do I not believe you are guilty of this eternal sin? Because you are asking this question. That tells me that you care. You have not intentionally rejected Christ so strongly to the point that you don't want to be saved. It's possible that your conscience is weak and the Holy Spirit's voice is harder to hear, but you have not fully rejected God. My advice to you would be to pray and ask God for more of the Holy Spirit. Tell God you want to care, or...if it feels more honest, tell God you want to want to care. Ask for a deeper conviction of sin and a truly repentant heart. God is able to create a deeper conviction of sin in your heart if you will let him.