Blasphemy, the Unforgivable Sin
Blasphemy, the Unforgivable Sin
Mark 3:28–30 (see also Matthew 12:31-32, Luke 12:10)
“Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit; 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.” (NASB 2020)
Here is the passage from Matthew 12:31–32
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” (NASB 2020)
The only sin that cannot be forgiven is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
We know for sure that not all forms of blasphemy are unforgivable because of the passages above. Also, Paul was forgiven for his blasphemy. Acts 9:5, 22:8, and 26:15 make it clear that Saul (Paul) was speaking against Jesus. In 1 Timothy 1:12–14 we read, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was previously a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.” (NASB 2020)
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT Kittle et.al., Eerdmans, 1964) says, “According to Mark 3:28, 29 and parallels any blasphemy can be forgiven, even though it be against the Son of Man (Matthew. 12:32), but not against the Holy Spirit. This can hardly refer to the mere utterance of a formula in which the word πνεῦμα [pneuma - Spirit] appears. It denotes the conscious and wicked rejection of the saving power and grace of God towards man. Only the man who sets himself against forgiveness is excluded from it.”
TDNT also references an ancient Hebrew work called the Damascus Document. In this document, “it is said of the opponents of the new covenant: ‘They desecrate the Holy Spirit, blaspheming with their tongue and opening their mouths against the laws of the divine covenant.’ Here we have the thought, specifically reminiscent of Mark. 3:28, that blasphemy is a transgression against the Holy Spirit, who is here viewed as the divinely given inner purity of men.”
Since you have believed, the Holy Spirit has made you a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17) and come to live in you (John 14:17). You have been placed in Christ (Ephesians 2:6). In Him you now live, and move, and exist (Acts 17:28). Your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
As a believer, you are secure and can never be taken out of God's hand (John 10:28-29). You are not able to commit the unforgivable sin. Getting angry with Father is not unusual. He's a big boy, and He can take it. He loves you amid your tantrum just as much as when you are praising Him for all the world to hear (1 Corinthians 13).
In that passage in Mark, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees. These guys were institutional religion personified. These folks wanted everyone to live by their rules and if they didn't the Pharisees condemned them.
They taught that obedience to the Law was what made people righteous and put them in right standing with God. Jesus pointed this out in John 5:39-40 “You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (NASB 2020)
That's blasphemy against the Holy Spirit because it says that righteousness can be earned. It attributes life to one’s behavior, refusing to agree with God that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the source of Life. It idolatrously puts them in the place of God, claiming they know better than God. It is refusal to accept the gift of God and a determination instead to trust in their own ability to judge good and evil, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden. In this way they set aside the Holy Spirit as the one who provides spiritual rebirth and makes one right, holy, and true.
All who come to Father must come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His gracious gift of righteousness cannot be bought. When people insist on trying to make themselves righteous and refuse to trust that only He can make them righteous, it blasphemes Holy Spirit because it says that He is not the Source. It says that what He says is wrong, and they are right.
The good news is that no one who is in Christ has committed, or can commit, the unforgivable sin. It’s impossible because all who are in Christ are perfectly righteous and holy at the core of their being (their spirit) and Father is well pleased with them. If you are in Christ, the die is cast. You have made your choice to agree with God and be reconciled to Him. You have acknowledged God and accepted the gift of righteousness that Jesus made freely available at His very great expense.
