We talked about this in Sunday’s sermon from the gospel of Mark. Here is an excerpt from the message:
Jesus said, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:29) Here we come to the unforgivable sin – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. If all other blasphemies can be forgiven, this must be exceptionally bad to be singled out as an eternal sin that is beyond forgiveness.
What exactly is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is only mentioned here and in the parallel accounts of the gospels, so we need to get the context from this particular event. Mark tells us that Jesus said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.” (Mark 3:30)
And so it would appear that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life to Satan. It is the blasphemous belief that Jesus was not empowered by God through the Holy Spirit, but that he was in fact a servant of darkness and received his power from Satan. Such a hardening of the heart towards God’s work in Christ through the Holy Spirit that you would call it the work of Satan is a blasphemy that will not be forgiven. The person who does so is guilty of an eternal sin.
Sometimes people worry that they may have committed the unforgivable sin. But I would say if you are worried about it, then you haven’t done it. If you had truly blasphemed the Holy Spirit, your heart would be so completely hardened against God that you wouldn’t be worrying about whether God could forgive you.
What I would be more concerned about are forgivable sins. You know what’s worse than committing the unforgivable sin? Committing forgivable sins but never turning to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. That’s really sad.
Related posts:
• Can an Atheist Blaspheme the Holy Spirit?
• What’s Worse Than Committing the Unforgivable Sin?
Thank you for this explanation.I have worried over this for years now, because in anger I have said some really terrible things.But after reading your explanation and several others on the Internet tonight I now can rest assured that I have never commited the unforgivable sin.God the Father of Jesus Christ is good and ALL powerful.I some times worry that I have lost His love but I know that this is impossible for He tells us so.
Hi Mitch – I am glad this was helpful to you. It is amazing how forgiving God is. We may have said all sorts of terrible things in the past, we may even have cursed God and blasphemed the name of Jesus, and yet God still stands ready to forgive us in Christ. He is truly full of mercy and loving-kindness.
Wow, thanks a lot for sharing this! I feel your understanding is right on to gods truths on this topic!
LIVE4HIM – Thanks, and all the best.
Hi,
I’d hate to say it, but I think blasphemy of the holy spirit is a 1-time sin of the tongue… Why I believe this to be the case?…because years ago I flew off the handle at God, blaspheming Him, the Son & the Spirit. The result? – I no longer believe…I want to, but I just can’t. I know the Gospel/bible is true, but I just can’t accept it (I know that doesn’t make sense & sounds irrational, but what can I say). My heart is hardened beyond repair I’m afraid.
It is God Himself that grants us a mesure of faith; & it is by grace we have been saved, through FAITH – & if I no longer believe/have faith [even though I want to, but just can't] I can only conclude that the Spirit is no longer striving with me. Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to death (hell).
For example, every time I pray, I just think I’m talking to myself, or to the wall at best (unbelief). I want to believe that there is a God who hears me, & logically I know there is, because there’s no way that evolution is even plausible, let alone possible. But that’s a head knowledge of God; not faith that is coming from the heart.
Before anyone says “well, if you lost your faith that means you never had saving faith to begin with” – let me assure you that I indeed WAS saved, & I had the fruits to prove it. Furthermore, I had [many] answers to prayers – God does not even listen to you if you’re not saved.
However, after cursing the Spirit, calling it evil & screaming for it to get out [of me] & never come back, any faith I had (a gift of God) is gone. I no longer have the capacity to believe God, or believe I can be forgiven.
I think this is 1 of the things “the sin unto death” is [spiritual and physical death). You have full knowledge of the existance of God, & are aware of the consequences of not repenting - but at the same time, it all seems like foolishness, & you are unable to repent.
If you play around with God, & sin willfully [as I have], thinking that you can repent at any time – don’t be surprised if God harden’s your heart…
And yes, I have prayed (and continue to pray) for repentance & faith – but the doubts & unbelief continues. I want to believe that if you are wiling & want to repent, that God would step in & give some kind of assurance that He hears me. When I backslid in the past & came back to the Lord I always KNEW that everything was alright; He did something every time to make it clear to me. However, now, none of this is happening; I’m just plagued with depression & fear. Faith is not a feeling, but being comforted by the Holy Spirit is… Being led or empowered by the Spirit is also a feeling – and I don’t have any of that. Again, nothing but fear and depression. Only now do I realize how short life is. Think about it, I mean how would you feel if you knew you were going to hell, & there was nothing that could be done about it?… This is what it feels like to not have the Hand of God upon your life & heart.
I truly wish I was wrong about my theory about what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but my life experience with regard to this is what it is.
Ralf – Thank you for sharing so openly about your situation. I have taken some time to think through a response. Your story certainly gives one pause and makes us think seriously about this sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. That is a good thing. Let me share my thoughts for what they are worth about your situation.
Do I believe that a person can blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Yes. Do I believe that a person who has blasphemed the Holy Spirit is permanently hardened against God and will not be forgiven? Yes. Do I believe that you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit? No. I believe in a fit of rage you said some terrible things to and about God, terrible sinful things, but things that can be forgiven through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for you.
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.” (Mark 3:28) The only exception he made was for the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. You said some terrible things about God and the Holy Spirit, even calling the Holy Spirit evil, but you did not attribute the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life to Satan like the Pharisees did. And so you did not blaspheme the Spirit the way Jesus talked about it.
The other reason I believe you have not committed the unforgivable sin is that you are still bothered by it and seeking God. I do not believe a person whose heart has been hardened beyond forgiveness would be seeking God the way you are.
Rather, I believe Satan (the great accuser) is using your past sin to hold you back spiritually. I pray that God will open your eyes to the truth of his love for you in Christ and his all-sufficient grace so that you may know and receive God’s willing forgiveness for your sins.
God bless you, brother. Keep on praying for repentance and faith. Ask God to help you in your unbelief. Hold on to the words of Christ who said: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (John 6:37)
Ray, thank you for your response.
I agree with you, except for 1 thing – in this fit of rage (or whatever iyt was), I did attribute the works of God to satan – I remember screaming at the top of my lungs: “the resurrection was done in the power of the devil, not you God – You’re a joke!” “I HATE you, get OUT – I denounce you!” I went on to say [still screaming]: “I invite the devil into my life, I serve the devil, & am a child of the devil”. For this, I don’t know if there is forgiveness, but I hope so… I could have stopped at any point, and in fact, I had a gentle voice inside my head, saying: “stop, stop stop” – but the more I heard that voice, the more I went on & the more enraged I became. Only after I have calmed down, did I stop & think: “oh my, what have I done…” That day has been haunting me ever since. I don’t know what came over me that day, all I know is that I regret it & take it back.
I want to repent & believe, but given my present state I don’t think God will allow it.
It doesn’t help that the same week this happened I received a vision (weather it was from God or not I don’t know). But I was in church, praying & seeking Him – when all of sudden I found myself standing before a blinding light [I was very afraid!], & all of a sudden I was set on fire.
Ralf – Hang in there, keep seeking God, make sure you are part of a good church and Christian fellowship group, and I believe you will find yourself back on track with God again. Blessings, Ray
Hi, all. You’re not alone there. I’ve felt horrible in my mind, that I could have done it, and not known about it. But I’m convinced now, that it is NOT something you can do accidentally, without knowing about it. It’s not an accidental slip of the tongue, or some kind of magic words, or some random thought that appears in your mind.
It’s a condition that one gradually gets into. One never feels any remorse or concern about it, if one truly had done it. It is a very advanced state of spiritual rejection. It cannot happen at the snap of your fingers. And you’re obviously concerned about it right there, which alone shows you are nowhere near that sin.
Jay – Thanks for sharing your testimony about this.