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Glory · The Holy Spirit
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is what Jesus called the sin that will not be forgiven: seeing the Spirit's clear witness to Christ and calling it the work of the devil. It is not a careless word; it is a settled, final rejection of the only One who can forgive. The very fear that you have committed it is itself strong evidence that you have not.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/what-is-the-unpardonable-sin · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Matthew 12:22-37
As you read: The context of the warning: the Spirit's power is called satanic to Jesus' face.
22Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
23All the multitudes were amazed, and said, “Can this be the son of David?”
24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”
25Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
29Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.
30“He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.
31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
32Whoever 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, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.
33“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
35The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.
36I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
37For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Mark 3:20-30
As you read: Mark gives the saying in its rawest form, with the reason attached: they said He had an unclean spirit.
20The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.”
22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”
23He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.
27But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.
28Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme;
29but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
30—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Hebrews 6:4-12
As you read: Those once enlightened who fall away: why renewal is impossible, and what that means for us.
4For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,
6and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.
7For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;
8but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
9But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.
10For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.
11We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,
12that you won’t be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.
1 John 5:14-21
As you read: John distinguishes a sin that leads to death from a sin that does not.
14This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
15And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.
16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.
17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
18We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him.
19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Jesus healed a demon-possessed man by the Spirit of God, and the Pharisees said, 'This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.' Jesus answered that if He cast out demons by the Spirit, 'the Kingdom of God has come upon you.' The religious leaders were not confused; they could see the Spirit's fingerprint on Jesus, and they named it as the devil.
“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.”Matthew 12:24-28
“The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.” He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?”Mark 3:22-23
“But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.”Matthew 12:28
Jesus said, 'every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.' Speaking against the Son of Man can be forgiven, 'but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.' Mark's version adds the bitter reason: 'because they said, he has an unclean spirit.' The sin is not any insult; it is the determined refusal of the Spirit's testimony that Jesus is Lord.
“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Whoever 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, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.”Matthew 12:31-32
“Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.” —because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.””Mark 3:28-30
Hebrews describes people who were once enlightened and tasted the good word of God, then fell away: 'it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.' A person can only be forgiven through the Christ the Spirit reveals; to blaspheme the Spirit is to insist the witness is a lie, and so to cut oneself off from the only source of cleansing. There remains 'no more a sacrifice for sins,' because the only sacrifice stands rejected.
“For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.”Hebrews 6:4-6
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will he be judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”Hebrews 10:26-29
John writes that there is 'a sin leading to death' and 'a sin not leading to death,' and Stephen's accusers were stiff-necked, always resisting the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's own work is to 'convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment'; to resist Him again and again is to close the door to the only light. A passing doubt, a bitter word, an angry heart: none of these is the unpardonable sin, because none of them is a settled sentence against the Spirit's testimony.
“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.”1 John 5:16-17
““You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.”Acts 7:51
“When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.”John 16:8-11
Those who have finally rejected the Spirit do not agonize over His work; they have stopped caring. The person who fears they have blasphemed the Spirit is, in that very moment, being convicted by the Spirit about sin and righteousness. Hebrews is written to reassure its readers: 'we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation,' and it urges them to press on to the end. The Spirit is still working in you; receive His witness to Christ, and the door is not shut.
“But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this. For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them. We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end, that you won’t be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.”Hebrews 6:9-12
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”1 John 5:13
“When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment;”John 16:8
“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.”1 John 5:16