The Unpardonable Sin
Preface note: Each of the synoptic gospel passages which discuss the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is provided at the conclusion of this article along with extremely brief observations after each one. (These are portions of Matthew 12, Mark 3 and Luke 10.)
In each of the synoptic Gospels, Jesus warned that anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will be eternally condemned. Because of the seriousness of this warning, many people naturally ask, “What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?” “Have I committed this sin?” Are there people walking around today who have committed this sin? This is my attempt to answer these questions.
My short answer: Nobody that is alive today has committed this sin…yet. But everyone who dies while rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ (having heard and understood it) commits blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29). ἐνυβρίζω is the Greek word for “insulting.”
My short answer suggests that insulting of the Holy Spirit results directly from blaspheming Him. (To blaspheme is to reproach or revile.) But the word used in the synoptic gospel passages is βλασφημία. (The English word “blaspheme” is a direct transliteration of this Greek word.) Since the Greek words are not the same, my short answer is rather shaky if it is based solely on the Hebrews 10:29 passage quoted above. Therefore, I will attempt to sight more reasons for my answer based upon other texts.
First, let me point out that the phrase “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” only occurs in the three synoptic gospel passages sighted here. Let me suggest that none of these passages actually spell out what it means to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. I think many people have assumed that the scribes and Pharisees committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit when they accused Jesus of having a demon. But this conclusion is only conjecture. We don’t really know if they committed this sin based upon the text itself. Jesus’ response to them was, “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” (Mark 3:28-29). Mark indicated in verse 30 that Jesus said this because they had just said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Based upon the text, we might conclude that the Pharisees had blasphemed Jesus (and not the Holy Spirit) when they accused Him of having a demon. After all, they were contending directly with Jesus in this discussion. Their argument was with Him personally. He was the person with whom they were talking. If this conclusion is correct, then these men were not yet eternally condemned. They still had opportunity to repent and believe in Jesus. But I cannot prove this conclusion is correct. Likewise, neither can anyone prove that these Pharisees and scribes had committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The text is not clear enough to say one way or the other.
Because the text does not clearly indicate what it means to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, we must try to look elsewhere for answers. Hebrews 10:29 is definitely one passage that is worthy of consideration. It, and many other passages like it, seem to hold out an offer to repent while we are still alive.
Next, let us consider the Apostle Paul. He had heard the gospel and rejected its claims. He went about persecuting the Church. On the road to Damascus, Jesus asked him, “Why are you persecuting me?” How were Paul’s thoughts and actions different from those of the scribes and Pharisees who accused Jesus of having a demon? By Paul’s rejecting of the gospel claims, was he not guilty of trampling underfoot the Son of God and insulting the Spirit of grace? (As the Hebrews 10:29 verse says.) I suggest that Paul’s actions, thoughts and words were just as insulting to the Holy Spirit as those of the scribes and the Pharisees. Yet, Paul was not eternally condemned. He is now abiding eternally with Jesus.
I would also ask, “What was Jesus trying to do by giving the warning?” We know that he was not saying this just to put the scribes and Pharisees in their place. He did scold them at times for their hypocrisy. But He always showed great patience and mercy when dealing with reprobates. Let me suggest that Jesus warned them because He did not want them to perish.
If the Pharisees and scribes were already eternally condemned, why would He continue to instruct them. After warning them about the consequences of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, He taught, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart[g] brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37).
They were indeed a brood of vipers. But the Apostle Paul was at one time a viper and he considered himself the chief of sinners. Like these scribes and Pharisees, Jesus extended mercy to Paul in spite of his highly insulting ways.
It seems to me that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is something that is accomplished as our final statement in life. In other words, if we go to the grave rejecting the Holy Spirit’s pleadings to repent and believe the Gospel, we do indeed blaspheme Him. This conclusion harmonizes perfectly with the overwhelming plea of Scripture to repent now while we still are alive.
In the Matthew passage, Jesus warns that anyone who is not with Him is against Him and anyone who does not gather with Him scatters. Thus, Jesus judged the scribes and Pharisees as people who are on Satan’s team, fully in league with Satan in opposition to Jesus and His objectives to gather in the elect. Anyone who dies a citizen of Satan’s kingdom is eternally condemned. By giving this warning, Jesus was showing them that they are on the path to hell. This warning can serve to shake them up and cause them to turn in repentance.
In the Luke passage, Jesus warned, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. Next, He warned them about the consequences of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. The consequences were the same for both things. If we deny Jesus before men while we are alive the result is eternal condemnation. Likewise, if we blaspheme the Spirit, the result is eternal condemnation. I suggest they reflect the same rebellious life. So, by saying these things, Jesus was warning the scribes and Pharisees to repent and believe. It does not seem that He was telling them that they were already condemned.
To wrap up, I conclude that blaspheming the Spirit seems to be something we do with our life by continued rejection of His pleadings to us personally. If we refuse Him firm until the day we die, we speak with our very lives even unto death. But if we repent along the way, we show that we did not disrespect Him ultimately. We demonstrate that we do respect Him when we repent. Our repentance prior to death trumps all of our prior words and actions. Of course, this repentance must be genuine or it does not speak at all in our behalf. And if it is genuine, we will endure in our faith, firm to the end of our lives. This glorifies God and shows Him the respect He deserves.
So, I point to Hebrews 10:29 to explain what it means to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).
Just as the author of the book of Hebrews held out hope to all who repent, I therefore hold out hope to all who remain alive and likewise warn people. If you do not want to be eternally condemned through blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, repent and believe the Gospel right now. You don’t know what tomorrow holds. This is the consistent testimony of Scripture.
Jesus’ warning about speaking idle words
Though the just of Jesus’ warning about blaspheming the Holy Spirit seems to deal with the statement we make with our entire life, it does seem to include an element of warning about what we say while we are living. “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). This warning comes right after His warning about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Also, in the Matthew passage, Jesus did say that the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come. These two things combined seem to contradict my general conclusion above. (I admit it.) But I still hold to my conclusion while admitting that there does seem to be this warning that the things we say right now may incur eternal condemnation. In other words, if we fear God, we should be very careful about what comes out of our mouth.
Dealing with the ambiguity
I realize that this article might raise more questions than it answers. So, I now offer my suggestions about how I think God would have us receive the warnings in these passages. I believe these warnings are intended to produce a healthy fear of God in us. As a result, we should fear lest we find ourselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit even by the words that come out of our mouth. But at the same time, I think that God has intentionally built in ambiguity to these warnings about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. If He wanted to, He could have spelled things out with perfect clarity. But He chose not to do so. Because of this, I believe that it is impossible for any single individual human being to know beyond a shadow of a doubt if he has committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It simply cannot be proven based upon these passages. So, while one might wonder if he has committed this sin, he should not assume that he has done so. Rather, he should fear God and follow hard after Jesus Christ. Only an unbeliever will say to himself, “Oh well, I think I committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit so I might as well turn my back on Jesus and live as I please from now on.” On the other hand, if a person fears God, he will only press on harder after Jesus. Because he fears God, he will not ASSUME that he has committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Since He cannot know for sure, he will opt to cling to Jesus and seek to be made increasingly holy. If he observes the Holy Spirit at work in him leading unto an increasingly holy life, he can have assurance that he has not committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. If he was eternally condemned, the Holy Spirit would not be at work in him to produce holy living.
Below are the passages that were referred to by the article above:
Matthew:
Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:24-37)
In Matthew: Blasphemy against Spirit warning immediately follows the Pharisees’ accusation that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Satan.
Matthew adds other elements: Jesus asserts that because He is casting out demons by the Spirit of God, the Kingdom of God has come upon those listening to Him.
Mark:
Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.” 23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. 28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:20-30)
In Mark: Blasphemy against Spirit warning immediately follows Scribe’s accusation that Jesus has a demon and is in league with Satan. The exact reason given, “Because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.”
Luke:
Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. (Luke 12:8-10)
in Luke: Blasphemy against Spirit warning immediately follows the warning that whoever denies Jesus before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Hebrews:
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. 35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:23-39)
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