Many people worry that they may have inadvertently committed “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” A sin that can no longer be forgiven. But the troubled can be reassured. The ever-present danger of such blasphemers lurks elsewhere.
Inhalt / Content
- 1 This blasphemy cannot be forgiven
- 2 The Bible describes “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”
- 3 The consequence lasts forever
- 4 Jesus Christ himself warned against blasphemy
- 5 Blasphemy didn’t happen that easily
- 6 Blasphemy is far more than a slip
- 7 All clear for the worried
- 8 Blasphemers are no exception
- 9 The blasphemers as modern Pharisees
This blasphemy cannot be forgiven
The “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”, or also the “sin against the Holy Spirit”, is an offense described in only a few places in the Bible, which has caused many believers to rack their brains. It can be frightening and terrifying to read that at no time, no place, will this transgression ever be forgiven. Already the thought arises whether this blasphemy of the Holy Spirit may have already happened without knowing it. Those who are aware of the consequences of even a single unforgiven sin send hot and cold chills down their spines.
The Bible describes “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is described in two places in Scripture.
Matthew 12:31-32:
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. 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.
and Mark 3:28-30:
Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
The consequence lasts forever
The consequence of this offense according to Matthew’s Gospel can still be interpreted by subtle Bible interpreters as a temporary “sanction”. In the basic text, the word “aion” stands for “world time”. This can either be interpreted as a very long but limited period of time, or as eternity. But the statement according to the Gospel of Mark leaves no room for maneuver here. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has an eternal consequence. It is also evident here that the term “eternal judgment” does not mean an endless court hearing, but rather a court sentence with an everlasting consequence. cThis statement is also significant for the well-known thesis of a “eternal burning hell“.
Jesus Christ himself warned against blasphemy
What the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit actually is, emerges from the action context of this statement. This was explained by the Savior Himself. A demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus Christ. He was mute and blind. Jesus Christ healed this man and also cast out the demon from him. While the crowd stood around in amazement and wondered whether Jesus was not a descendant of David, the Pharisees present began the “brawling”.
“This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” (Matthew 12:24), so the Pharisees to Jesus’ work of salvation. With that, the Pharisees implied nothing other than that Jesus Christ got His power from Satan. Because of this, Jesus also responded with the warning that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit could no longer be forgiven.
Blasphemy didn’t happen that easily
In this context, the importance of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit also becomes apparent. At that time, the Pharisees were highly respected among the people, even untouchable preachers of “the faith”. They presented themselves to the public as godly servants of God and impeccable in all matters. In their mind, however, was only the exercise of power and self-enrichment. They interpreted the scriptures as they saw fit, changed them in the pronouncement and also added tons of their own rules. Their hearts were already so hardened that they would not allow the Holy Spirit a chance to enter. A Pharisee was “hypocrisy personified”.
Jesus Christ knew the true nature of the Pharisees and convicted them in no uncertain terms, John 8:44:
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Blasphemy is far more than a slip
Jesus Christ’s condemnation of the Pharisees is a powerful statement. However, this also shows that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not a one-time verbal slip or an error recognized later. There is already a fundamentally established belief or conviction here. The Pharisees did not believe in the good in Jesus Christ, but called Him a descendant of evil. For the scholars, the teachings or promptings of Satan and his demons were characteristics of good. This is not an unknown phenomenon, as an urgent warning is already given in c:
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
All clear for the worried
Anyone who agonizes over whether they have already blasphemed the Holy Spirit can immediately be reassured. The very fact of worrying about it is evidence of not having blasphemed the Holy Spirit.
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, as well as the stubborn refusal to obey the warning voice of the Spirit, will one day slam the opened door forever and ever. The Holy Spirit leaves the person, stops His efforts and leaves the person to his own heart and thus also to the influences of the great adversary. Man’s fallen nature comes into its own. Such a person does not care at all whether he may have blasphemed the Holy Spirit or not. This question does not arise for him because the Holy Spirit already represents “evil” for such a person.
For a person who believes in the true gospel, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can therefore be excluded. However, if a person falls away from the faith, this danger of complete aberration certainly exists (again).
Blasphemers are no exception
One might have the impression that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a rare phenomenon. But the size of this group, who wholeheartedly call good evil and evil good, should not be underestimated. This doesn’t even include the number of people who openly identify themselves as Satanists in a corresponding community. Their orientation is even stated on the label used and everyone can see what is in the bottle. Rather, danger lurks where people do not reveal their occultism to the public.
The blasphemers as modern Pharisees
It becomes particularly dangerous when the blasphemers, abandoned by the Holy Spirit, present themselves as a spiritual elite in Christian garb. In this sense, these are the Pharisees of modern times. The own idolatry handed down from ancient times is wrapped in a Christian garment. People are directly misled by this. These modern Pharisees are very aware of their own position, and they also worship the adversary directly. But mankind is deceived. But humanity is deceived because Satan disguises himself as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
This means that the people who are deceived are not automatically blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, because in their “good faith” the good stands for good and the bad for evil, and the most important thing: the Holy Spirit still works for these people. But the adopted beliefs, practices, ceremonies and rituals all contradict God’s statutes. Whoever holds on and resists the warning voice of the Spirit of God will one day have fulfilled the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Unrecognized and therefore unrepented sins inevitably lead to death. How far this delusion, even direct blindness of the affected people can go, can be seen from the “open and cheeky” presented pagan symbols of these modern Pharisee on every occasion, without the slightest doubt or questioning. In the truest sense of the word devilish.
Bible verses from King James Version
