Today, we’re tackling a topic that has puzzled, concerned, and intrigued believers for centuries: the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of a sin that is unforgivable, a sin so grave that it stands apart from all others. This is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, mentioned in Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-30, and Luke 12:10. But what exactly does this mean? Why is it unforgivable? How can we understand this in the context of God’s boundless grace and mercy?
Join us as we explore the biblical passages, theological interpretations, and practical implications of this profound topic. We’ll discuss what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is, what it isn’t, and how we can approach this teaching without fear but with a deeper reverence for the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.
So, grab your coffee, open your hearts, and let’s dive into this important discussion.
WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
7 COMMON PERSPECTIVES THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN
- Unrepented sin
- Unconfessed sin
- Suicide
- Willful and intentional sin
- Unforgiveness in your heart
- An attitude that calls evil good and good evil; a lack of reverence
Many will summarize this list and teach that the root of the unforgivable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is unbelief. But according to it’s context, blasphemy of the Holy spirit, is actually Attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.
Let’s dive deeper into this.
To truly understand any topic in the Bible, like the concept of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit or what Jesus meant by it, you need to read it in context—looking at the chapters before and after for a broader perspective.
Matthew 12:31-32 says “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Why did Jesus talk about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? In Matthew 12:22-30, we read about Jesus healing a mute and blind man by casting out a demon. The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the devil. Jesus responded by saying that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. So, in context, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is discrediting miracles, especially exorcisms of evil spirits.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is giving the devil credit for miracles, especially deliverance.
In the Gospel of Mark, we see a similar account. The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of demons, claiming He had an unclean spirit. Jesus responded that Satan would not cast out Satan, and the only reason demons are cast out is that the Holy Spirit is manifesting the kingdom of God. Therefore, Jesus called it blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Mark emphasizes that Jesus warned about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit because they said, “He has an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:30).
In Luke chapters 11 and 12, the same pattern repeats. The Pharisees did not say anything against the Holy Spirit directly; they attributed Jesus’ exorcisms and healings to the devil, which were clearly done by the power of the Holy Spirit. This suggests that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is more about what we say about His works than what we say against Him directly. If you struggle with thoughts or attacks in your mind that say something against the Holy Spirit, here are a few things to help you overcome that battle.
Focus more on the baptism of the Spirit than on the blasphemy of the Spirit. God doesn’t want us to live in fear of sinning against the Spirit. Perfect love casts out all fear. The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to live in you because you’re sinless; when you allow Him to fill you and immerse you (the word baptism means “immersion”), you will sin less. Focus on building your relationship with Him rather than living in fear of sinning against Him. As believers, we can sin against the Holy Spirit by limiting Him, grieving Him, quenching Him, and even resisting Him. The Holy Spirit knew you wouldn’t be perfect when He came to live in you. None of your faults, mistakes, or sins surprise Him. If we repent and turn to Him, intimacy will be restored.
Jesus never told His disciples to live in fear of sinning against the Spirit. Instead, He told them to wait for the baptism—the full infilling of the Spirit. We should do the same. Live with the expectation of the Holy Spirit filling us, not with the fear of disappointing Him.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t come because we are sinless. When we let Him fill us, we sin less.
Resist thoughts of blasphemy by speaking God’s word. The temptation to say something bad about the Holy Spirit can happen to anyone. Being tempted doesn’t mean we have sinned. When we are tempted, we often feel dirty and guilty, but Jesus was tempted and did not sin. He was even tempted to worship the devil. So, being tempted with crazy thoughts doesn’t mean we are sinners; it just means there is a bad devil.
Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus was tempted in every way as we are. Many of our temptations are in the realm of thoughts, but Jesus overcame them by speaking God’s word. The best way to overcome temptations in our thoughts is with our words.
When the devil sends thoughts of blasphemy, verbally respond that you love the Holy Spirit, who is your comforter, guide, and friend. Shut down those thoughts with your words. As a teenager, I would verbally say the opposite when those thoughts came. Let the weak say, “I am strong.” When tempted, speak not what you feel, but what you know and believe.
The way we overcome temptation in our thoughts is with our words.
Avoid speaking against miracles, especially deliverances done by Christian ministers you may not like. There are false miracles, false prophets, and false everything. For everything real, there is a counterfeit. The devil is a copycat; he is a duplicator—God is the creator. We must not fear that. Satan misused the scripture when tempting Jesus, yet Jesus fought back with scripture. Just because magicians performed miracles by magic and demons doesn’t mean Moses needed to retreat to only talking to Pharaoh instead of demonstrating God’s power.
Today, everyone has an opinion about everything. That’s fine, but calling anything and everything that moves heretical or giving the devil credit for miracles and deliverances in other ministries, where you have never been, is borderline blasphemy.
There are miracles done by witch doctors, prophecies by psychics, and a focus on angels and energy by the New Age movement, but that doesn’t mean we should label everything as demonic. The Pharisees did just that. Jesus acted outside their norms, broke their rules and traditions. When they couldn’t discredit the validity of His miracles, they accused Him of having a demon.
Pharisees today are the same—they glorify the Moses of yesterday while crucifying the Christ of today. This attitude grieves the Holy Spirit.
Some men and women of God are flawed. Nevertheless, it doesn’t give us a reason to call them heretics or give Satan credit for what was done through them. A man or woman of God is like a glove—God is the hand. Gloves rip, but the hand remains. Some of the people God used throughout history had numerous problems, like the rubber gloves in your house. Yet, that is the best God had.
We still read the writings of some of these flawed men because God used them despite their shortcomings. Noah got drunk, Moses committed murder, David committed adultery, and Solomon practiced idolatry, but despite their sins, they were still used by the Holy Spirit, and we read about their acts of faith regularly. If you attack miracles, you will not attract miracles because that attitude grieves the Holy Spirit.
If you attack miracles, you will not attract miracles because that attitude grieves the Holy Spirit.
Pharisees honor past revivals but crucify God’s current moves. As a result, they have a form of godliness but deny the power of God.
If you blasphemed the Holy Spirit in ignorance, there is mercy for you. Many people initially looked at deliverances and said it’s fake, it’s demonic, it’s all staged until it happened to them or their child needed deliverance. I have had parents repent for calling our church demonic because their kids later experienced demonic attacks. These families needed help, so we prayed for them. Often, negative comments come from ignorance. We all have said something foolish that wasn’t pleasing to the Holy Spirit. God is more merciful than we think.
Paul rejected Christ and persecuted the church in ignorance and unbelief.
1 Timothy 1:13 says: “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”
Paul was one of those Pharisees who blasphemed, but after encountering Jesus, he realized he had no idea what he was doing. When God’s grace opened his eyes, he repented and put his faith in Jesus. Instead of becoming an apostate, he became an apostle. There is hope for you if you have fallen into the temptation of saying something under the pressure of intrusive thoughts or if you did it in ignorance. I believe God’s grace is bigger than our sin. We must repent, receive His mercy, and go and sin no more.
God’s grace is bigger than our sin.
In summary, all of this teaches us how important the Holy Spirit is. We must walk closely with Him in these last days. That is the only way to walk in the supernatural and avoid grieving Him. It is also the only way to avoid falling into a Pharisee spirit by keeping the fire alive on the altar of our hearts. When you are close to the Spirit, you will not criticize revival because you will be busy creating it.
