Articles
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
“Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven...but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come” (Matthew 12:31,32)
When Jesus cast out a demon and restored sight and speech to a blind and mute man, the multitude stood in amazement. The Pharisees stood in opposition to the power of God. They attributed this power of Jesus to Beelzebub, the prince of demons (12:24). Jesus then showed them the logic of such thinking in verses 25-30. At their point of rejecting the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out this demon, Jesus issues his rebuke and condemnation.
The sin of which there was no forgiveness was a deliberate and malicious rejection of the Holy Spirit’s power which comes from a defiant and hostile heart toward God. Add to this hostility the power to remove the demon was attributed to a demon and not unto God. This is the blasphemy.
With this passage often comes the question, “Can a person blaspheme the Holy Spirit today?” Yes they can, but not in the identical way in which these Pharisees did. We do not live in the days of signs, wonders, and powers, neither is Jesus physically present. There are religious people today who are defiant of the Holy Spirit’s revelation and are deceived by their ability to cast out “evil spirits”. But they attribute what they do to God (Matthew 7:21-23), but it is against the Holy Spirit. It is a lie they believe (2 Thessalonians 2:11,12), and they will be judged for believing that lie.
There are three complimentary passages where a person would be considered beyond forgiveness - Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-29; 2 Peter 2:20-22. A thorough examination of these passages shows the consequences of total apostasy brought about by “falling away” and “willful sin” and “crucify the Son of God afresh”. Such a hard-hearted condition will never come to repentance.
If a person today heard and rejected the gospel, he would be a willful unbeliever. If he thought the gospel, Jesus, and God were part of a cult, such a person could hardly be forgiven, because he has cut off an avenue by which faith can be produced. He resists all knowledge of the truth. In a technical sense, he is not blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, but he shows how a similar rejection of God’s power to save - the gospel can lead us outside the realm of grace. It is not the unwillingness of God to extend grace and mercy that causes people to refuse God and be without forgiveness. It is man’s willful rebellion. Such rebellion cuts off all roads to either knowing God or receiving His mercy.
