Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost

Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

Luke 12:10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

We begin our study with perhaps the most prevalent fearful Scripture that plagues the minds of believers and unbelievers alike. In these verses from the synoptic Gospels, Jesus warns against a sin that brings terrifying results—blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. It is what many refer to as the unpardonable sin. The sin of blasphemy means to speak or act irreverently towards God or sacred things. It is a sin that has become common place in modern culture as it is frequently seen in movies, situation comedies, and late night talk shows. We are daily bombarded with jokes, obscenities, vile gestures, and a general spirit of irreverence towards everything that is considered religious or sacred; and hardly anyone takes offense at seeing or hearing such displays except the most pious of religious believers. It is indeed a sin that anyone can and does commit more often than realized. It is found among those claiming to be Christian or those with other religious beliefs. It is found in churches and from the pulpits of many professing preachers, priests, and other so-called holy men. With so much impiety to be found in our modern world, it leads us to believe that we indeed are living in the last days.

2 Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

However, in looking more closely at these verses we see that Jesus is talking about more than just irreverence. He further clarifies what He says concerning this sin by saying that “All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme”; and “whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him.” So we see that ordinary blasphemy cannot be the unpardonable sin. If that were not the case, most men, including myself, could have never been saved. What we have to discern therefore, is against whom in particular, and in what sense is this sin so dangerous. We realize, from the truth of Scripture, that God is manifested in three persons. He is revealed in the Bible as being a Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.[1] Although all three are but one God, their functions  are different within the Godhead. If we look simply at the Genesis account of Creation, where all three are seen in their separate offices, the Father—whose will and purpose it was to create the universe—spoke the Word; the Son—who is the Word, and who is the manifestation of  the invisible God—became the vehicle by which all things are made; and the Holy Spirit—the energy or power of God—brought about all that the Father spoke by His Word.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Psalm 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

So we see, that although blasphemy in general is against God, what is so damning to men is when it is against the Holy Spirit in particular. Now, we realize that people do not consciously say or do things that are considered sacrilegious against this Person of the Godhead. Most of the vileness of men is directed either at God the Father or Jesus the Son; but it is in the way in which men unconsciously blaspheme this Person that makes this sin so unforgivable. To understand what we are trying to say, we must look at the whole account or circumstances in which Jesus spoke these words. Jesus had been performing many miracles in the presence of great crowds of people. Among this group of people were many religious men called Pharisees. This sect of Judaism was known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses. They considered themselves to be self-righteous, having no need of someone else to save them. In this account someone is brought to Jesus who is possessed with a devil, and who is also blind and cannot speak. In the sight of all the people He heals this miserable person. When the Pharisees heard about this act of healing they accuse Jesus of performing this miracle by the power of Satan.

Matt 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Phil 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

We have already seen how that the Holy Spirit is the power of God; who brought into being the universe through the will of God and the Word of God. However, He is also the power through which Jesus performed His many miracles. In the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit. It was in the Spirit’s power that He was led to do the Father’s will throughout His life; it was in the Spirit’s power that He overcame Satan; and it was in the Spirit’s power that His miracles were done. Therefore, for the Pharisees to attribute His miracles to the working of Satan was to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. However, that in itself was not the most damnable aspect of their sin.

Matt 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

The question we must ask is—‘What was the purpose behind all the miracles that Jesus performed?’  Was Jesus compassionate about the needs of the people and sought to relieve their suffering?—certainly He was; but that was not the primary purpose behind the doing of them. The reason for any of His miracles was to manifest His glory; and to give credence to His message and the work God gave for Him to do. The miracles were done so that people could not deny who He was or what He said. They were done so that people would have sufficient grounds to trust in Him and His work of salvation. The Pharisees were so determined not to accept His message that they dismissed everything He said and did as coming from someone who was possessed with a devil. What they were doing was damning their own selves to eternal perdition, because nothing would persuade them to trust in what Jesus came to do—save them from their sins. They so hated His message that they not only would not believe in Him, but they fulfilled God’s purpose by having Him crucified.

John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

John 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

John 10:20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

John 12;37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Howbeit, Jesus also further qualified what He said by warning those who would not believe in Him, that they were “in danger of eternal damnation.” No one is condemned to eternal hell because they have once or twice refused to believe the Spirits testimony concerning Jesus. Many people who originally dismissed Him as a false prophet later came to believe on Jesus and trust Him as their Saviour. In like manner, many people today read in the Bible about the miracles of Jesus, or hear Spirit empowered messages that urge them to come to Christ, but they turn away. That does not mean that God does not continue to draw them to Christ. I myself felt God urging me to accept Christ when I was twelve years old, but resisted until I was nearly twenty-five. The danger comes in willfully and persistently refusing to hear God’s call no matter how powerful the Spirit’s testimony may be. No one is ever promised another day or another chance to believe in Christ. The Spirit’s call today may be the last one many people will ever hear. God is not obligated to save anyone or to call anyone to come to Christ. It is only by His infinite grace that any of us are ever saved; and it is beyond comprehension why He continues to call people who scoff at the Bible, spit on the sacrifice of His Son, and resist the Holy Spirit’s testimony concerning Jesus.

Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Isa 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

Therefore, we have to conclude, that a believer—someone who has trusted in Christ—cannot commit the unpardonable sin. Believers can and do blaspheme God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but not to the point where they are forever damned. Those who have truly believed in the blood atonement of Christ, His death, and resurrection can never be lost. They have been born-again, sealed, indwelt, and sanctified by the same Holy Spirit that drew them to Christ; and nothing and no one can ever separate them from God.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

1 Cor 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Rom 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now, as we have already said, Christians can and do blaspheme the Holy Spirit. They do so by denying or disbelieving the truths that have already been revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. Christians can become discouraged to the point where they no longer believe in God or in the salvation that they experienced in Christ. If I might share an experience of mine to illustrate this point, I believe it might be helpful. Shortly after God saved me, I had an experience involving the church I was attending that left me very discouraged. As I lay in bed that night I indulged in self-pity and said to myself ‘There is nothing to this being saved; it’s all a bunch of malarkey.’ As soon as I had said that it felt as if the wind had left my chest. The presence of God in my life, that had been so real, was now gone. If any man had ever felt like he had been saved and then lost again, it was me. I then wandered in this state of despair for many weeks; and it was not until I truly repented of my disbelief, begged for God’s mercies, and dedicated my life to God, that the Spirit again filled me with His presence and restored to me the joy of my salvation.

Psa 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

However, this experience was not the end of the matter. There were many more times that, through discouragement and despair, I have fallen into unbelief. There have been times in my life, that with my whole heart, I refused to acknowledge God for weeks and months. Although I continued to pray and attend church, I was only doing it as an empty shell of a man. I cursed, reviled, and blasphemed God in everyway I could think of, but God never abandoned me. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—who is the Spirit of truth—only brings misery upon ourselves as believers. Faith is the essential ingredient to the Christian life, and without it we become spiritually dead. It is impossible to be drawn to trust in Christ for salvation if we continue to deny or mock the testimony of the Holy Spirit; and in like manner, as long as we harden our hearts to the witness of the Holy Spirit of those things we know to be true—that God loves; Jesus died for us; and God is working all things for our good—we cannot experience the joys of salvation.

Jer 20:7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Blasphemy is a damning sin to everyone. To the unbeliever who scoffs at, denies, and reviles the God of Heaven, it can mean eternal separation from all goodness, life, and light. To the believer who has come to know and trust in the salvation of God, it also means separation from all goodness, life, and light while we walk this earth. However, for the believer, it is never a cause for us to be in absolute despair. God is always waiting, working, and drawing us back to Himself; but we must yield ourselves to Him, renounce our self-pity and pride, and repent of our unbelief. Those who know the truth must live in the truth.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

2 John 1:4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.