Have you ever wondered if you’ve lost your salvation? Do you think you have committed a horrible sin that not even God can forgive you? Do you wonder if you had a thought, or said a sentence that will send you to hell? Do you wonder what committing “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” means?
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When we consider blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, two questions come to mind:
For the believer:
Is there a specific sin that would result in a Christian losing their salvation?
For the unbeliever:
Is there a specific sin that would forever keep a person from being saved, no matter what?
In order to understand this more, we need to look at where “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is mentioned in the Bible. This phrase comes from Jesus, in his response to the Pharisees. This kind of blasphemy is found in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 12. Let’s look at it from Matthew’s point of view in chapter 12.
“So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.” Matt 12:31–32
In context, Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees for what they said. Jesus had just healed a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute (v. 22). When the Pharisees heard about it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons” (v. 24). Their wicked comment was an attack on the authority (and ostensibly the purpose) of Jesus.
The Purpose of Jesus
Let’s back up a little earlier in the same chapter. Matthew quotes Isaiah to show that what Jesus was doing was a fulfillment of prophecy. Here is Matthew 12:17-18:
“This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.”
Notice what the Lord said about his Son - “I will put my Spirit upon him.” Jesus was acting on the authority of the Father as he was led by the Spirit. The phrase “he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles” is essentially referring to the fact that the overall mission of Jesus was to bring order and salvation to the world (the Gentiles). This was his greater mission that includes all of us.
Think about this for a moment...
If the greater mission of Jesus was to the whole world (For God so loved the world…” John 3:16), and if his mission was driven by the Spirit, then what role does the Holy Spirit have in relationship to the world? He convicts the world of its sin (John 16:8). And when we are convicted, our right response is to repent and turn to him in belief. Remember how Jesus began his ministry? Even before his calling of the Twelve, Jesus began preaching to the crowds, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt 4:17).
Jesus did many things on earth, but he made it clear that his primary teaching was for us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Mt 16:24). In other words, Jesus was acting on behalf of the Spirit - his authority came from the Father and his purpose came from the Spirit. Jesus offers forgiveness and redemption - but we receive that only by faith and repentance which comes out of a conviction from the Holy Spirit. The good news of the Gospel is God’s grace and forgiveness, which was demonstrated on the cross. The Holy Spirit convicts us about our sins (John 6:8) and we respond in agreement and turn to God in genuine repentance and trust.
That’s how the Gospel works! God’s demonstration of his love, the Spirit's conviction, and our response. Remember, our repentance can only come after being prompted by the Holy Spirit.
But how can I be sure I know what Jesus was talking about?
There are some interesting clues in this passage about what Jesus really meant. Before Jesus made his comments to the Pharisees, it says in verse 25 that he knew their "thoughts." Jesus knew exactly where they were coming from and he addressed their motives. In verse 28, Jesus said, "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." In other words, the kingdom of God had come upon them because they were going against God's Spirit - effectively committing blasphemy by going against the authority and purpose of Jesus.
The Pharisees were hardly responding in repentance. Can you imagine anything more blasphemous than denying the authority of Jesus, rejecting his mission of repentance, and declaring that his authority comes from the prince of demons? Their words were aimed at Jesus, but they were ultimately speaking against the Holy Spirit’s desire for them to seek after God based on the conviction of their own sins.
If you are an unbeliever, the role of the Holy Spirit in your life is to convict you of your sins. That is his job, and no one else - not your Christian friend nor the church. Only the Holy Spirit can convict you. Your appropriate response is to turn from your sins and put your faith in Christ.
The Pharisees actually never mentioned the Holy Spirit in this passage, but Jesus rebuked them because they were speaking against his authority, given to him by the Spirit.
Jesus was implying that if anyone completely and continually rejects the Spirit’s conviction - if there’s no repentance - and if they never follow him, then there is no way God can forgive them. Blasphemy against the Spirit is not a technicality of some past sin we have committed - it is about an ongoing condition of a person who continually rejects God’s purpose. God can’t forgive a person who continually defends their sinful life and keeps rejecting his grace and forgiveness. True freedom is only found in repentance.
Isn’t blasphemy something I say? Will I be denied eternal life if I say the wrong thing?
When we come to this passage, the most important question we should ask is, “What does Jesus actually mean by his words?” Whenever we encounter a difficult verse in the Bible, the safest route is to understand its context and to look to additional passages for the answer. If you take this passage to mean that a person can literally be excluded from eternal life because of what they uttered, then you have the impossible job of proving this with any other biblical evidence. However, the Bible is full of passages that show that a person cannot enter God’s kingdom if he is defiant against the purpose of the Holy Spirit.
Ask yourself this question:
Why did Jesus say that only blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable? Why did he say that blasphemy against the Son is forgivable, but not against the Holy Spirit? Notice that Jesus was very specific in what he said.
In their triune nature, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are completely unified as one God, but three distinct Persons. If Jesus is the same as the Father and the same as the Spirit, then how can "every sin and blasphemy be forgiven", but not blasphemy against the Spirit? How could a single sin against the Spirit be different from all other sins against the Son? Taken literally, does this mean that I can say what I want about Jesus, but I need to watch my words about the Holy Spirit?
Jesus wasn’t saying that the Holy Spirit is really sensitive and that he might get his feelings hurt - and Jesus was certainly not saying that he was any less important than the Spirit. Jesus is implying that blasphemy against the Spirit literally means that an unbeliever takes a stance against the purpose of the Spirit. It’s a rebellion against the Spirit’s conviction.
We interpret blasphemy as mere words, but to the Jew, it meant slander to the extreme. And if our word is our bond, and if our words reveal our heart, then Jesus is saying that extreme slander against the very purpose of the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. The Pharisees were running a smear campaign against the source and purpose of Jesus’ mission and he called them out on it. Continual rejection of Christ is slander against the Spirit because if the heart is opposed to the Spirit’s conviction, then even God is unable to forgive you.
Blasphemy is an extreme offense to the Lord, but the Bible never says our salvation is in peril because of a sentence we uttered. Neither does the Bible ever say that we can lose our salvation.
There is no debate about our eternal security. The Bible is extremely clear on that matter (John 6:37, John 10:27-29, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 2:8, Ephesians 4:30, Philippians 1:6, Jude 24, etc.) There’s not a single example in the Bible of anyone who was once a true, born-again follower of Jesus, but later lost their salvation because of gross sin. Nor is there a single verse in the Bible that teaches a person can be eternally saved on a Monday, but by next Thursday, they’re going to hell. This sort of theology is faulty because if you believe you can lose your salvation, then on some level, you believe your salvation was earned by your own efforts. This theology says that the blood of Jesus only applies to those who don’t sin “too much”. Let me assure you - if it’s possible for you and me to lose our salvation, then I guarantee we would both lose it. You may have even known a person who claimed to be a believer who later in life rejected Jesus - their salvation was probably never genuine. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.” 1 John 2:19
Conclusion
To understand this passage we must lean on many parts of the Bible which talk about our salvation. The more we read the Bible, the more we see God’s overwhelming grace and mercy towards anyone who would call on his name. If there was a technical exclusion to his love and mercy, then it would have been clearly defined elsewhere, especially in the epistles.
Our salvation does not hang by technicalities - it is certainly not up to us to keep it. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:27-29
Blasphemy against the Lord is an extremely grave sin, however, our salvation is not in danger because of a statement we make with our mouths. Ultimately, our very lives do make a statement in response to the Gospel. There can be no middle ground in the response to Jesus. A person can either receive him and walk in him - or allow a sinful life to be against him. A life statement of continual rebellion is blasphemous against the Holy Spirit.
Think about it...
There is one thing worse than what the Pharisees said -- it is to live a life as a statement against the Lord. My prayer is that you will yield to the Spirit of Jesus and be made right with God.
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