There seems to be great confusion
on what “Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is today, because there are so many
theories out there and people guess what the Bible teaches. Rather than weigh
you down with many words, I’ll get straight to the heart of the issue.
In Matthew 12:30-32 Jesus says:
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone 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.
In Mark 3:28-29 Jesus says:
“Truly I tell you, people can be
forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of
an eternal sin.”
These passages point to the idea
that there is an unforgivable eternal sin, but what could possibly be that
unforgivable and eternal sin?
Many people think that suicide is
the only unforgivable sin or that cremation is unforgivable or that selling
your soul to Satan is the only unforgivable sin. The problem is, the Bible says
none of this. The Bible does, however, point to only one unforgivable sin, as we have seen above… Blasphemy of the
Holy Spirit. But what does this mean?
First let’s think about the
knowledge of salvation, logically speaking. What is the one thing that keeps us
outside the gates of heaven when we die? Doesn’t every Christian know that not
placing our trust and belief in Christ (see John 14:6; Romans 10:9) is what not
only keeps people out, but lands them in a state of separation from God for
eternity? If one therefore dies, and at the time of his or her death, still
deny Christ, then he or she misses the boat (The boat that they will regret
missing, anyway). So the one thing that keeps people out of heaven is denying
Christ.
Second, what is it that brings people
to a salvific knowledge of Jesus Christ? Jesus says in John 16:7-11:
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth:
it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper
will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes,
he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9
concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness,
because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning
judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
People cannot be saved from
their sins unless they are first convicted of
their sins. This is what the Holy Spirit does. “When He comes, He will
convict the world concerning sin.” It is the work of the Holy Spirit by which a
person becomes saved. It is this work which those who are not saved,
suppress: Romans 1:18 explains, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven
against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness…” This is in total
agreement with the understanding of John 16:8 as shown above. What is this
truth that the wicked suppress? 1 John 5:6-12 explains it well:
This is the one who came by water
and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit who testifies,
because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the
Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept
human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of
God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God
accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a
liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
11 And this is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the
Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is when
one denies the truth which the Holy Spirit reveals: that Christ saves us from
our sins… that in Christ we have life, and that without Him, we do not have
life. One therefore commits the eternal sin, in denying Christ as savior. Jesus
says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father but by me.” In other words, the only way to heaven (Where the Father
dwells) is through Jesus! Denying Him will result in not going to heaven (the
eternal/unforgivable sin).
A few things should also be
mentioned even if only briefly. Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for
the day of redemption.” This verse is talking directly to Christians. It is
saying that grieving the Holy Spirit (which is not an unforgivable sin, but
definitely causes the Holy Spirit grief, as any person can grieve), comes from when we treat our brothers and
sisters in Christ poorly. If one were to read the entire paragraph that verse
30 finds itself in, it would be clear that this discusses the reaction of the
Holy Spirit when brother and sisters in Christ talk about each other corruptly
or do not build up but tear down others. This is very different than blasphemy
of the Holy Spirit. This passage speaks about what happens in the life of a
believer. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
is directed toward those who are unbelievers.
Quenching the Spirit is also often misunderstood. In 1
Thessalonians 5:19-22, we read, “Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat
prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22
reject every kind of evil.” This talks about treating prophecies with contempt.
If someone were to claim that they heard a message from God, we should give
them the benefit of the doubt, and hear what they have to say. At the same
time, we are to test what they say.
In any event, a Christian cannot
blaspheme against the Holy Spirit because they have accepted the truth that the
Holy Spirit convicted and convinced them of, and are therefore, believers in
Jesus.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws
them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” –John 6:44
Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord
© Nace Howell, 2018
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