Forgiveness and Salvation

Last week, I heard a sermon about the unforgivable sin and thought you all might like to hear about it. I am still semi-regularly attending church with my husband who has patiently listened to all my questioning these past few months yet still remains firm in his faith. We go to church together about every other week, and I have to admit that the sermons are becoming more difficult to listen to.

The passage my pastor was speaking on was Matthew 12:31-32, "31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone 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."
Since context is always the scapegoat when trying to find meaning in text like this, lets look at context. Earlier in the passage, Jesus had just cast out a demon from a man who could not speak or see. When the crowds were amazed that the blind and mute man was talking and had his vision restored, they began to wonder if this man was the Messiah they had been looking for. The Pharisees became jealous and whispered amongst themselves that he really must be a demon.

Even in context, this passage is incredibly unclear. What exactly is the definition of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? Why can we blaspheme Jesus and the Father but not the Spirit? Shouldn't they be one and the same? What is even more pressing in my mind is not whether there is an unforgivable sin, but whether or not we need to have all our sins forgiven before we are allowed to enter heaven. This is one issue that every Protestant/Evangelical church I have attended seemed to be very clear on; the only way to heaven is for Jesus to forgive your sins. He'll forgive all of them, but you can't go in without forgiveness. Upon further examination, I'm not sure that's what the Bible teaches.

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" Acts 16:31
"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:10
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—" Eph 2:8

These passages are often used by Christians to demonstrate that we are saved by grace and not works, but what is interesting is they say nothing about forgiveness. If all we need to do to be saved is believe in Jesus, is it really a requirement that we be forgiven too? There certainly are passages that could be used for either side of the argument, but what is interesting is that the other side is never discussed; the point of view that God's forgiveness is very conditional, but even if we don't get it, we could get into heaven anyway.
Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
John 20:22-23 "22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Matt 6:15 "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
1 Cor 3:12-15 "12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."