“But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin…” (Mark 3:29 NASB95) What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Some Christians worry that they may have committed this sin. This is understandable because of the gravity of Jesus’ words. People wonder, “Have I ever said anything irreverent about the Holy Spirit? Am I lost forever?” Let’s take a closer look at His statement.
What is the background of this warning? You can read the context in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 12. Jesus had just healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. The crowds were amazed at Jesus’ power, but the Pharisees said, “This man casts out demons only by the power of Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” (Matthew 12:24 NASB95). Beelzebul is another name for Satan, as the text makes clear (see Matthew 12:26, for example). Jesus knew what they were thinking in their hearts and said to them, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:23-24 NASB95) After pointing out the absurdity of their claim, Jesus gives the warning that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin.
To blaspheme is to speak evil of someone. It is to denigrate, revile, disrespect, or slander. The Pharisees were blaspheming the Holy Spirit because they were saying His work (casting out demons) is by the power of Satan. This is the unforgivable sin—to attribute the work of the Spirit to Satan. Mark makes this clear when He explains Jesus’ statement by saying, “Because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” (Mark 3:30 NASB95) They were persisting in their blasphemy.
But why is this sin unforgivable? Remember, the work of Jesus was empowered by the Spirit (see Luke 4:18-21). If this is true, and a person continues to attribute the work of the Spirit to Satan, what hope is there for that person? How can they ever come to Christ for forgiveness and salvation if they think Jesus’ work empowered by the devil? As long as someone continues in this blasphemous stance against the Spirit of God, they will never come to Christ, and they will never be able to receive forgiveness from God!
Can someone commit this sin today? Perhaps not exactly in the same way. We have not had opportunity to see Jesus cast out a demon or do any other miracles while He was on earth. But in another sense, remember that it is the Spirit of God who gave us the word of God, which gives us the wisdom that leads to salvation. If someone today engaged in blasphemy against the Spirit by calling Him evil, then that person could not be saved because they would never come to Christ for salvation. However, if you are worried about having committed the unforgivable sin, then rest assured that you have not. The fact that someone would worry about it shows that they do have a repentant heart that does have reverence for the Spirit of God.
—Scott Colvin
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