There was recently a movement to proclaim blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit. Those involved
believed that by uttering one simple phrase, found in Matthew 12:30-32, they would
seal up their fate in five seconds, making them unforgivable and doomed to
hell.
The phrase, “I blaspheme the Holy Spirit.”
Thankfully, it just doesn’t work that way.
What they failed to understand was the context of
that verse. In Matthew 12, Jesus addressed Pharisees who just witnessed the
healing of a demon-possessed man and accused Jesus of being friends with the
devil. The Pharisees’ hard hearts kept them from believing a miracle that occurred
right in front of their own eyes. Jesus
said they were guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
To answer what is so unforgiveable about that we
need to know what blasphemy is. Simply, blasphemy is any rejection of God. It
comes in many forms and deeds.
Notice Jesus said that you can be forgiven for any
blasphemy you utter towards Him, but not the Holy Spirit.
So what does the Holy Spirit do? Jesus told us:
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” John 16:8-15
The Holy Spirit’s job is to:
- Convict the world of sin
- Convict the world that it needs righteousness
- Convict the world of a coming judgment
- Guide us into all truth
- Speak for God
- Bring glory to God
- Make Jesus known to us
These are ongoing tasks, not one-time
opportunities. God wants our attention and uses the Holy Spirit to bang on the
door of our hearts constantly. The Pharisees refused God’s invitation, over and
over again.
Jesus was not talking about a one time verbal
assault on God, but an ongoing rejection of the Holy Spirit’s work in their
lives.
If we continue to reject God (blasphemy) over and
over again, there comes a point when we cannot be forgiven. We have crossed the
point of no return. When is that? For most, when we die. For some, like the
Pharisees who had made up their minds and would never change, it could be while
they are alive. Only God would know that.
No sin is unforgivable in the Bible, only the
ongoing rejection of God’s attempts to get your attention and draw you closer
to Him.