The following lesson was presented on a Sunday evening in response to questions that arose during one of our adult Bible classes. Unlike the full text sermons published on this site, these notes are not a full manuscript of what was said. They are the speaker's notes.
Passages
Matthew 12:31-32 (Larger context: 12:22-37)
31 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32 "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the {age} to come.
Mark 3:28-30 (Larger context: 3:20-30)
28 "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;
29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"--
30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
Luke 12:10
10 "And everyone who will speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him.
Situation
Great miracle had taken place. The blind and dumb man spoke and saw. Multitude was amazed. Pharisees knew they must discredit it or they would lose their following. Accused Jesus of casting out demons by the ruler of the demons. This indicates they recognized the miracle and had to attribute it to some power beyond man. They did not want to attribute the miracle to God, however, because then they would have to admit that Jesus came from God or had the power of God. A clear case of denying the truth in the presence of the facts. (People often do this today.)
Jesus showed them how ridiculous their assertion was. Satan would not wage war on Satan. That done, he explains how his power was superior to that of Satan, the "strong man." "How can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man?"
Then He goes on to indicate how serious it was to reject Him. "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with me scatters."
Explanation
These men, Jesus said, were blaspheming the Spirit. Yet, rereading the passage, we see that they had not actually spoken evil of the Holy Spirit in so many words. Actually, their words were aimed at Jesus (see v. 24: "this man"), not the Holy Spirit. In verse 32, Jesus said that such words spoken against Him could be forgiven.
No, it wasn't what they had said that brought them into so much danger, though what they said was certainly a serious matter. The problem was what they were doing.
The words of J.W. McGarvey are helpful here:
"Blasphemy against the Son may be a temporary sin, for the one who commits it may be subsequently convinced of his error by the testimony of the Holy Spirit and become a believer (I Tim. 1:13). But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is in its nature an eternal sin, for if one rejects the evidence given by the Holy Spirit and ascribes it to Satan, he rejects the only evidence upon which faith can be based; and without faith there is no forgiveness."
These men were rejecting the evidence supplied by the Holy Spirit (see verse 28: "if I cast our demons by the Spirit of God…") To continue to do such would be disasterous for them because, as McGarvey says, they were rejecting the only evidence upon which faith could be based.
Mark adds something to this. Mark 3:29-30 says, "but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin - because they were saying 'He has an unclean spirit.'" Again, the words were uttered against Jesus, but he effect was blasphemy of the Spirit. These men went so far in their rejection of the clear evidence provided by the Spirit that they called God Satan. Their words were indicative of the hardness of their hearts and their willful rejection.
Therefore
When a person sees the clear evidence provided by the Holy Spirit (in this case a real miracle) yet is so against it that he rejects it, he blasphemes the Spirit and cannot be forgiven. The reason he cannot be forgiven is that they do not avail themselves to the forgiveness God offers.
Corroboration from other passages
Two passages in the New Testament speak of a similar result of certain actions.
Hebrews 6:4-6
This passage speaks of one who has fallen away so completely that "it is impossible to renew them again to repentance…" If repentance is an impossibility, then such a person has reached a point where he cannot be forgiven. This is the very same condition as that brought on by blasphemy of the Spirit. Since Jesus said there was only one such sin that can bring about this result, we must of necessity conclude that this passage is referring to the same issue, i.e., in some way, blasphemy of the Spirit (though it is not described that way.)
(A=B, C=B, therefore A=C) The Hebrew writer speaks of a fallen condition for which there can be no forgiveness. Jesus speaks of a blasphemous condition for which there can be no forgiveness. Therefore, to fall so completely that one cannot bring himself to repent is to blaspheme the Spirit.
What does the behavior described in this passage have in common with what the Pharisees were doing in the passages on blasphemy of the Spirit? They had been "made partakers of the Holy Spirit" (v. 4) and had "tasted the good word of God" (v. 5) The word of God is inspired by the Spirit - it is the Spirit's word. These people, like those in the earlier passages, had seen the Spirit's evidence, but has chosen to leave it. They had fallen away. They had rejected the only witness that they were going to get. It was, therefore, "impossible to renew them to repentance."
Hebrews 10:26-29
Notice that those described here have gotten themselves into such a situation that "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin." (v. 26) If the sacrifice for sin is gone, then there can be no forgiveness. This implied impossibility of forgiveness is the very same condition as that brought on by blasphemy of the Spirit.
Again, (A=B, C=B, therefore A=C.) If blasphemy of the Spirit makes it impossible to receive forgiveness and continuing to sin willfully makes it impossible to receive forgiveness, and there is only one sin that makes forgiveness impossible, then blasphemy of the Spirit is the same as continuing to sin willfully after understanding the truth.
Notice that those who "go on sinning willfully" (v. 26) have "insulted the Spirit of grace." This is very similar to Jesus language about blasphemy of the Spirit.
It should be noted here that "go on sinning willfully" has two aspects. The sinning is continuous (i.e., doesn’t stop) and the sinning is willful.
Sporadic failures are not continuous. Times we give in to temptation and sin but do not want to are not willful. The KJV rendering ("if we sin willfully") does not reflect the continuous nature of the sin under discussion.
In order for someone to go on sinning willfully after he has received the knowledge of the truth (i.e., been enlightened by the word of God, the Spirit's work) he must of necessity push out or ignore the evidence of the Spirit that condemns his actions.
Conclusion
We conclude, therefore, that what the Pharisees were doing was suppressing the evidence provided by the Spirit. They continued to do this. It was sin for them to do so. Jesus called this blasphemy of the Spirit. The Hebrew writer called it insulting the Spirit of Grace. One who continually suppresses the truth God sends will not receive saving grace. Thus, he can never be forgiven.
It is therefore very reasonable to say that if a Christian worries that he has blasphemed the Spirit, he probably hasn't. If you are such a person, and you are concerned about this issue, I encourage you to read and accept I John 1:7:
"…but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."
Dave Redick is the Pulpit Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon. He may be reached at dave@preacherstudy.com .
