The Unforgivable Sin
Today’s blog is an answer to a question I received from a subscriber. It’s actually a question a get once or twice a year: How do you blaspheme the Holy Spirit?
They’re worried that they may have committed the “unforgivable sin”. Now, there is an unforgivable sin. It’s mentioned several times in the Gospels:
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. -Matthew 12:32
Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. -Luke 12:10
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin. -Mark 3:29
The way this “blaspheme the Holy Spirit” is phrased has led some people to believe that if they say this sentence they are eternally damned. What’s more, some atheists have picked up on this and created a real wacky website encouraging unbelievers to take “The Blasphemy Challenge” and say, “I deny the Holy Spirit” on video.
So, if someone says this is the code now broken? Is the person really eternally damned? Please, don’t think in such absurd terms. It just plays into that unbelieving foolishness. The reality is when you resist the Holy Spirit, continue to resist and give no place for God in your life, guess what, you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit and you will be eternally damned. It’s the same thing as you saying, “I do not believe. I do not want to believe. And I will never believe.” Well, keep that attitude and it becomes unforgivable. Why? Because you resisted the Holy Spirit of God. In resisting you blasphemed and in continuing to blaspheme it becomes the unforgivable sin.
So, you might wonder if you’ve ever done that. Well, if you have just undo it! If you think at some point in time you blasphemed the Holy Spirit understand this: For you to be worried about blaspheming the Holy Spirit tells me that the Holy Spirit is in you! And He’s causing you to be worried in such a way that you want to clear the confusion and erase the past by saying, “Holy Spirit, I yield to you today. And I pray, Lord God, you forgive me of all my past sins and anything I may have done before knowing You”. That’s all you need to do. God removes your sins and casts them as far as the east is from the west. He doesn’t remember them anymore.
Now if you can’t do that then maybe you are resisting the Holy Spirit. But if you can then open your heart to Christ, say “Yes” to Him and you don’t have to worry about this whole blaspheme of the Holy Spirit thing. Choose to continue to walk with God, keep following after Him and you are eternally secure in the fact that your profession of faith has moved God’s heart and with that holy touch you are His forever. Amen?
Blasphemer
I never have liked the notion that it was simply unbelief that was blasphemy. As a matter of fact, that’s not at all what blasphemy means. Doesn’t it have something to do with the context of the Pharisee’s own claims that Christ was demonic?
albert777
Well said Pastor -
Tracy Finch
Hi Bob! First I want to encourage you in what you do. I watch you when it comes in on our local channel WLMB 40.
You present the Gospel in a “how can you possably not accept Christ” manner. As if to say “You wouldn’t wear corn cob in your ear would you?”
I like how you lay this out as well. Perhaps a picture-in-words way could be; If you continue to drown yourself in the foot deep creek you’ll drown. A face down posture in the local stream will exact the expected result! Stand up, be saved!
moose manning
a little sin consciousness coming our way, lets develop some righteousness consciousness, victory consciousness…
a believer cannot lose his salvation.
the armenian doctrine has filled mental institutions and lesft christians in it a bunch of basket cases
Patrick
Thank you! =)
Alan Kass
I believe as the first one to comment. There is a way to in this case lose one’s salvation, now you first receive Christ as your Lord and savior then tell others he’s not from God but from satan. And I do believe we are saved but from what from the wrath to come on earth. But as the bible clearly states not all will enter in.
stephen
technically,according to the scribes,blasphemy involved direct and explicit abuse of the divine name.Jesus here teaches that it also may be the reviling of God by attributing the Spirits work to satan The special circumstances involved in this blasphemy cannot be duplicated today…The Ryrie study bible,KJV
stephen
explanation from Matt.12:31-32
Joan Biernacki
Yours is certainly the popular explanation. I’ve heard it SO many times! I don’t believe it is the right explanation, though.
If blaspheme means to resist, than each redeemed sinner who ever resisted for a time is eternally damned.
Perhaps you think it means to CONTINUE to resist. If that were true, there would be no need to explain it; we are already taught that THAT leads to damnation.
I believe it means exactly what it says…….to speak against
the Holy Spirit..