“Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” – What is it and where is the danger?

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Deutsch

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.

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:

and Mark 3:28-30:

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:

Blasphemy is far more than a slip

That’s a strong 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:

All clear for the worried

Anyone who agonizes over whether he has already blasphemed the Holy Spirit can be reassured at once. Just the fact of worrying about it is evidence that you have not sinned against the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit results in the exclusion of the Holy Spirit. This no longer has an effect on people and so the fallen nature of people comes into full effect. Such a person doesn’t give a damn whether he might have blasphemed the Holy Spirit or not. He does not ask himself this question, since the Holy Spirit represents “evil” for such a person anyway.

Therefore, for a person who believes in the true gospel, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can be excluded. However, if a person falls away from the faith, this danger of completely going astray definitely exists (again).

Blasphemers are no exception

One might get 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 is not even the number of those who openly identify themselves as Satanists. It even says so on their label and everyone can tell what’s in the bottle. Rather, it is the people who 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. 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.

This does not mean that the deceived people are automatically blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, because in their “good faith” good stands for good and evil for evil. Yet the beliefs, practices, ceremonies, and rituals adopted are all contrary to the statutes of God. The consequence would be identical even without 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