What is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

Have you committed the "unforgivable" sin?

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Today will consider the first question from two questions about the Holy Spirit someone asked me recently. Lord willing, we will study the second question in tomorrow’s article.

The question about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit comes from Matthew 12:22-32. Parallel accounts are found in Mark 3:23-30 and Luke 11:14-22; 12:8-10.

Since Matthew provides the most information, we’ll follow that account.

Considering the Passage (Matthew 12:22-32).

Matthew 12 is when the religious leader’s hostility toward Jesus began to be shown in a more public way. In Matthew 9:3, some of them discussed among themselves that Jesus was blaspheming by saying He could forgive sins.

In Matthew 12:1-7, Jesus directly confronted their traditions surrounding the Sabbath Day and told them that they have “condemned the guiltless.” Right after that, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath Day - again demonstrating that their traditions were incompatible with God’s law. At this point, the “Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, how to destroy Him” (Matthew 12:9-14).

The authority of Jesus had come into direct conflict with the authority the Pharisees and religious leaders claimed for themselves. Now, they would attempt to discredit the Lord’s power and authority.

The Crowd’s Question (12:22-23).

Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"

God’s power and authority over the realm of evil was shown through Jesus by His power over this demon-possessed man. The power and authority of Jesus over a demon-possessed man amazed the crowd and caused them to ask among themselves, “Could this be the Son of David?”

By referring to Jesus as the “Son of David,” they are wondering if Jesus is the king God promised who would “build a house for My name” and whose throne God would establish forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16).

In other words, they ask, “Could He be the Messiah?”

The Pharisees’ Accusation (12:24).

Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." 

The Pharisees were not pleased with what the crowds were discussing about Jesus. And so, they attempted to discredit Him and place doubt about Him in the people's minds by accusing Him of having the power of evil behind Him rather than the power of God.

What they have done is significant - they have called good evil. They were following in the footsteps of their forefathers, who did the same thing.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!.. Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 5:20, 24)

Just like the people of Isaiah’s day, the religious leaders were destroying the “vineyard of the Lord (the nation of Israel)” (Isaiah 5:1-7) by their calling “evil good, and good evil.” Later Jesus would condemn them because they prevented the people from entering God’s kingdom (Matthew 23:13).

They had rejected God and despised “the Holy One of Israel.”

The Lord’s Rebuttal (12:25-30).

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Jesus pointed out the foolishness of the Pharisees’ accusation. If He was casting out Satan’s forces of evil using the power of Satan - then Satan is divided against himself, and his kingdom will fall. Division produces weakness, not strength. Also, the Lord asked if He cast out demons by the power of evil, then who did their followers claim to cast demons out by?

Jesus demonstrated how absurd their accusation was, and then He turned the tables on them.

Since it was absurd to think of Him casting out demons by the power of Satan - then by Whose power did He do it? Well - the only other option was by the power of the Spirit of God. And if that was the case, then the kingdom of God had come upon them.

By casting out the forces of Satan, Jesus was “binding the strong man” before entering the house. This was a spiritual conflict between good and evil (Ephesians 6:12), and Jesus demonstrated the power of good over the power of evil.

Those who opposed Jesus were against Him and the power of God, and they would be scattered. This was a reminder of a principle taught throughout the Old Testament.

The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalm 1:4-6)

The Lord’s Warning (12:31-32).

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 

By saying Jesus cast out demons by the devil's power, they were blaspheming Him as the Son of God - as well as the Spirit of God by Whom Jesus cast out the demons (Acts 10:38).

Jesus pointed out that while God will forgive every sin and blasphemy, the blasphemy against the Spirit of God will not be forgiven. Even a word spoken against Jesus - as they had just done - could be forgiven, but to speak against the Holy Spirit would be “unforgivable” in the time which Jesus walked on the earth and in the “age” that came after.

If the people not only rejected his words, but then refused to acknowledge that the Spirit of God was the source of his power, then there was no hope left for them. They had blasphemed the Holy Spirit. - Pope, Truth Commentaries: Matthew, 386

I think “the age to come” refers to the time when Jesus ascended into heaven, and the gospel began to be proclaimed (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-47; Acts 2) - an age we still live in today.

So what did Jesus mean by the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

Wayne Jackson pointed out in his New Testament Commentary that speaking against the Holy Spirit “is an imperfect tense form, which indicates an abiding disposition, a persistent maliciousness. There can be no forgiveness for sustained unbelief” (p. 28).

This would mean that Jesus is warning the Pharisees that if they continue down this road, they will receive no forgiveness for their blasphemy. This fits how Jesus mourned over the religious leaders and the nation before His crucifixion.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'BLESSED is HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' " (Matthew 23:37-39)

There was an abiding, sustained unbelief despite hearing the teaching of Jesus and seeing His many miracles. Some still rejected the Lord even after His resurrection and the gospel was proclaimed to them (Acts 4:8-12; 5:29-32).

Many could and did reject Jesus while he was on earth, but when the Holy Spirit came and testified on him, they accepted Christ. But when the Holy Spirit came and gave the complete will of God, if men rejected this, there was no other evidence to be furnished, no other divine agency to be given, and if they finally rejected the Holy Spirit, there was no forgiveness for them. (Boles, The Gospel According to Matthew, 270)

I think what Jesus is getting at is that there is no forgiveness for those who continue down the path of sustained, abiding unbelief in the Holy Spirit - His power and message (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16).

The Pharisees were very religious people who claimed to serve God - but so long as they continued down this path of hostility toward Jesus and rejecting the source of His power, they would never receive forgiveness from God.

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So, to summarize what we’ve studied:

• The Pharisees were blaspheming Jesus and the Holy Spirit by claiming He receive His power from the evil one when the Holy Spirit was really His source of power.

• The Pharisees were rebelling against Jesus and spreading lies about Him - despite hearing His teaching and seeing the miracles He was doing by the power of the Holy Spirit.

• This was not a one-time thing for them - many of the Pharisees continued down this path.

If you are concerned about following Jesus Christ and obeying Him, that mentality is far from “the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.” Submitting ourselves to God’s Word - the message the Holy Spirit gave (2 Peter 1:20-21) - is at the opposite end of the spectrum of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

The NET Bible Translator Notes on this subject I think prove helpful as well.

This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this sin. Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning.

I hope this has been helpful! I’d be happy to hear your thoughts if you have any!