It is the Holy Ghost from Jesus Christ that empowers us to overcome evil, and not be harmed by the power of satan. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus held the religious leaders to a high standard. I Thessalonians 5:19 warns against “quenching” the Spirit. The Holy Spirit testified of Jesus’ identity as the promised Messiah. This particular type of blasphemy cannot be duplicated today. Blasphemy against the Spirit was a blatant, slanderous attack against Jesus and his miracles on a continual basis which led to a complete hardening. Clearly, our Lord came in the authority and power of God Himself, for He decisively bound the strong man, Satan (Mark 3:22–27). Jesus explained that any sin or blasphemy, even against He, Himself, could be forgiven. The Pharisees had attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is committed only in the context of an attitude of persistent unbelief and open hostility toward Jesus. The idea of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit includes the removal of any desire to be reconciled to Jesus. Mark 3:28–30 includes one of Jesus’ most difficult sayings, His identification of an “eternal sin” that cannot be forgiven—blasphemy “against the Holy Spirit” (vv. It is a continuous state of publicly insulting or cursing the work of the Holy Spirit which was done in the Person of Christ. Article by: Brian Thompson. The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Matthew 12. The Next 500 Years: 2017 National Conference, Show Me Your Glory: Understanding the Majestic Splendor of God, La Biblia de Estudio de La Reforma, Spanish Edition, Naming Ligonier the Beneficiary of a Bank or Investment Account, Gifts That Provide Income and Tax Benefits. Refusal to acknowledge this obvious testimony of the work of God was blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Many Bible scholars have pondered these questions. Why is it unpardonable? Although Jesus does not specifically define this sin, the context reveals this transgression as the persistent, knowing, verbal attribution of the work of God to Satan. This stubborn and unrepentant attitude — persistent self-hardening — is the chief mark of true blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This is unforgivable. Yes, Jesus said only one sin couldn’t be forgiven, and that was “blasphemy against the Spirit” (Matthew 12:31). 28–30). A: The sin called “Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is mentioned only one time in the Bible, and that was by Jesus. One frequent visitor of our web site (Visitor AT) wishes to find out whether God will forgive him for blasphemy the Holy Spirit while he was neither aware the importance of this offence against God nor he did blasphemy the Holy Spirit … If you deny the Holy Spirit's entrance into your life, to work his sanctification in you, you cannot be cleansed from unrighteousness. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. They were attributing to Satan what they should have attributed to the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:24,28). Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was a specific sin committed by the Pharisees when they accused Jesus of performing miracles and wonders by the power of Satan rather than being filled with the Spirit (Matthew 12:22-32). It is an eternally unforgivable sin. By Exchange in E-Mails . I was pointing out that Martyn Lloyd-Jones, I think in Preaching and Preachers, said that this was what troubled his congregation the most during the course of his ministry. Blasphemy Against the Spirit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit may find expression and come to its culmination in some specific way, but essentially it is a settled attitude of mind and heart. Dr. R.C. But what does it mean to blaspheme the Spirit? Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit. The answer to your question about how does one blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is found in the verses just before Matthew 12:32 and in a verse in the gospel of Mark. Can a true believer, whose salvation is eternally secure in Christ, still be guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the public attributing of the work of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ to Satan. The sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit is essentially the sin of rejecting Christ. Within this context, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can be understood as "a continued and persistently stubborn rejection of the gospel of salvation." Hi Elizabeth, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is more like a set attitude towards the Holy Spirit. In the context, Jesus defined it as, “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin--for they (covenant people) had said, ‘He (Jesus) has an unclean (demonic) spirit’” (Mark 3:29-30; cf. Although we are not in the same position of blaspheming the Holy Spirit in our day, any hardening of our hearts is scary business. ” (Bible, New Testament, Matthew 12:32) In the Third age blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is forgiven along with all sins. By continually rejecting God’s free gift of salvation in Jesus, a sinner sears his conscience (ignores the voice of the Holy Spirit) and stiffens his neck. This was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Some scholars teach that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit refers to the sin of attributing Christ's miracles, wrought by the Holy Spirit, to the power of Satan. Those who are born again receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within them at the moment of salvation. If you’re afraid that you may have offended God without realizing it, your heart is obviously in the right place. In other places in the Gospels, the Pharisees “blasphemed” Jesus. We must realize that the first step in this direction begins with taking Christ and his word lightly. Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:29). How Shall We Live in Light of This Possibility? The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Matthew 12. The unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an act of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that he withdraws forever with his convicting power so that we are never able to repent and be forgiven. Case Study: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Mt 12:31, 32; Mk 3:28-29; Luke 12:10; Mark 3:30 Matthew 12:31 (WEB) 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. And blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. Such blasphemy is unforgivable not because the Lord is unwilling to forgive but because a person guilty of such sin has fully and finally hardened his heart against the grace of God. Such hardness is particularly noteworthy because it came from the resident biblical experts. In this case the blasphemy was a statement by the Pharisees that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub. It is plainly such a state of wilful, determined opposition to God and the Holy Spirit that no efforts will avail to lead to repentance. These religious teachers saw, with their own eyes, the power of God that existed in Christ. I have studied Jesus’ words very carefully, and it simply means this: To deny the Holy Spirit’s witness to Jesus. Jesus said, “I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. For the child of God, it is impossible to commit the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit without entirely rejecting God’s gift of salvation and his forgiveness of sin. “‘Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’—for they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’ ”. For permissions, view our Copyright Policy. It would have cleared things up if he had said, “Whoever says Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. Christ expected them to know the Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament, so well that they could rightly identify God’s work (Matt. Jesus said concerning the Holy Spirit, “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). 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