What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and is this sin unforgivable?
One of the sins mentioned in Scripture that can strike fear into people's hearts is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus spoke of this, the words he used were truly frightening:
“And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but the 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, neither in this age nor in the one to come ”(Matthew 12: 31-32).
What does "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" mean?
These are truly sobering words that shouldn't be taken lightly. However, I believe there are two important questions to ask regarding this topic.
1. What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
2. As a Christian, do you have to worry about committing this sin?
Let's answer these questions and learn more as we go through this very important topic.
In general, the word blasphemy according to Merriam-Webster means "the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God." The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is when you take the true work of the Holy Spirit and speak ill of it, attributing its work to the devil. I don't think this is a one-time thing, but it is a continual rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit, to repeatedly attribute his precious work to Satan himself. When Jesus broached this subject, he was responding to what the Pharisees had actually done earlier in this chapter. Here's what happened:
“Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and Jesus healed him, so that he could speak and see both. All the people were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only through Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons" "(Matthew 12: 22-24).
The Pharisees with their words denied the true work of the Holy Spirit. Even though Jesus was working under the power of the Holy Spirit, the Pharisees gave credit for his work to Beelzebub, which is another name for Satan. In this way they blasphemed the Holy Spirit.
Is it different than taking the name of the Lord in vain or swearing?
Although they may seem similar, there is a difference between taking the Lord's name in vain and blasphemy from the Holy Spirit. Taking the Lord's name in vain is when you don't show due respect for who God is, which is akin to blasphemy.
The difference between the two lies in the heart and the will. Although people who take the Lord's name in vain often do so voluntarily, it usually arose out of their ignorance. In general, they have never had a true revelation of who God is. When someone has a true revelation of who God is, it becomes very difficult to take his name in vain, because he develops a deep reverence for him. Think of the centurion in Matthew 27 when Jesus died. The earthquake occurred and he proclaimed "surely he was the son of God". This revelation created reverence.
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is different because it is not an act of ignorance, it is an act of voluntary defiance. You must choose to blaspheme, slander, and reject the work of the Holy Spirit. Remember the Pharisees we talked about earlier. They saw the miraculous power of God at work because they saw the demon-possessed boy completely healed. The demon was cast out and the boy who was blind and dumb could now see and speak. There was no denying that the power of God was on display.
Despite this, they deliberately decided to attribute that work to Satan. It wasn't an act of ignorance, they knew exactly what they were doing. That is why blaspheming the Holy Spirit must be an act of will, not a passing ignorance. In other words, you can't do it by accident; it is a continuous choice.
Why is this sin "unforgivable"?
In Matthew 12 Jesus says that anyone who commits this sin will not be forgiven. However, knowing that this doesn't really solve the question of why this sin is unforgivable? One could simply say why Jesus said it, but I think there is more to the answer.
To help you understand why you need to recognize how the Holy Spirit works in the heart of an unbeliever. The reason I focus on the unbeliever is because I don't believe a Christian or a true believer can commit this sin, but more on that later. Let's take a look at how the Holy Spirit works and you will understand why the person who commits this sin can never receive forgiveness.
According to John 16: 8-9, one of the main works of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin. Here is what Jesus said:
"When he comes, he will prove that the world is wrong about sin, justice and judgment: about sin, because people don't believe in me."
The "he" Jesus refers to is the Holy Spirit. When a person does not know Jesus as Savior, the main work of the Holy Spirit in that person's heart is to convince him of sin and direct him to Christ with the hope that he will turn to Christ for salvation. John 6:44 says no one comes to Christ unless the Father draws them. The Father draws them through the work of the Holy Spirit. If someone constantly rejects the Holy Spirit and speaks ill of him, attributing his work here to Satan is what is happening: they are rejecting the only one who can convince them of sin and push them towards repentance.
Consider how Matthew 12: 31-32 reads the message in the Bible:
“There is nothing said or said that cannot be forgiven. But if you deliberately persist in your slander against the Spirit of God, you are repudiating the very One who forgives. If you reject the Son of man for a misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit can forgive you, but when you reject the Holy Spirit, you are sawing up the branch you are sitting on, severing with your own perversity any connection with the Forgiving One. "
Let me summarize this for you.
All sins can be forgiven. However, the key to forgiveness is repentance. The key to repentance is belief. The source of the belief is the Holy Spirit. When a person blasphemes, slanders, and rejects the true work of the Holy Spirit, he disconnects his source of belief. When that happens, there is nothing or no one who will move that person to repentance and without repentance there can be no forgiveness. Essentially, the reason they will not be forgiven is because they can never come to the place where they can ask for it, because they have rejected the Holy Spirit. They have cut themselves off from the one who can lead them to repentance. By the way, the person who falls into this sin probably wouldn't even know that he is beyond repentance and forgiveness.
Also remember that this was not a sin limited to Bible times. This still happens today. There are people in our world who blaspheme the Holy Spirit. I don't know if they realize the gravity of their actions and the consequences associated with them, but unfortunately this still continues.
As a Christian, do you have to worry about committing this sin?
Here is some good news. As a Christian, there are many sins that you could fall victim to, in my opinion this is not one of them. Let me tell you why you don't have to worry about this. Jesus made a promise to all his disciples:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever: the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept it, because it neither sees it nor knows it. But you know him, because he lives with you and will be in you ”(John 14: 16-17).
When you gave your life to Christ, God gave you the Holy Spirit to live and abide in your heart. This is a requirement for being a child of God. If the Spirit of God lives in your heart, then the Spirit of God will not deny, slander, or attribute his work to Satan. Earlier, when Jesus was confronting the Pharisees who attributed his work to Satan, Jesus said this:
“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How can his reign resist? "(Matthew 12:26).
The same is true of the Holy Spirit, he is not divided against himself. He will not deny or curse his own work and because he lives in you he will prevent you from doing the same. Therefore, you don't have to worry about committing this sin. I hope this puts the mind and heart at ease.
There will always be a healthy fear of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and there should be. However, if you are in Christ, you don't have to be afraid. However serious and dangerous this sin is, as long as you stay connected to Christ you will be fine. Remember that the Holy Spirit lives in you and will keep you from falling into this sin.
So don't worry about blaspheming, instead focus on building and growing your relationship with Christ as the Holy Spirit helps you do that. If you do, you will never blaspheme the Holy Ghost.