31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (kjv)
Imagine. Anyone speaking a word against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Judgement hangs over their head. The lake of fire is waiting for them. They are doomed with no chance to repent.
Think, to speak against the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees in this chapter were doing just that. When the Spirit of God is moving; when miracles are brought forth by the Power; when people are delivered of the enemy, healed of sickness and raised from the dead; to say that those acts are the work of the Devil is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Extend that even further. The televangelist works a miracle or a prophetic word comes from the Spirit through him. Deny that it is the Spirit and you have blasphemed the Spirit. You may say, "but it really wasn't the Spirit of God." Well you better be damn sure it isn't or you are damned. Don't like Pentecostals. Think that falling down in the Spirit stuff is a fraud. Better be absolutely sure because if you are wrong you have condemned yourself to the pit.
How about simply saying "Go away Spirit . . . I don't want you anymore."
I get upset on the occasions where people say something like what I have written above. Yet to read from the chapter this verse comes I can understand why people think it is so easy to blaspheme the Spirit of God. My gosh . . . I don't think anyone would make it through to heaven. I have seen the struggling soul that sits self-condemned because they don't understand what is really meant. To commit the unpardonable sin one has to have intimate knowledge of the Holy Spirit and can easily identify when He moves: to feed, to deliver, to heal, to speak, to raise the dead, and much more.
What is the basis of my statement?
Hebrews 6. 4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
First, the Pharisees, didn't know of the Giving of the Holy Spirit as we know we receive Him today. Yet they did know that the Spirit did fall on people and they would speak prophetic words. They knew of the power of the Spirit for they saw that some have been raised from the dead. Others were delivered and healed. They professed to have an intimate knowledge of the workings of God. Yet when they saw the miracles that Jesus was doing they denied that it was the Spirit at work through him. That is the line they have crossed. Jesus knew that they did understand but they felt threatened and would not have Jesus be their Messiah. They had to deny what their eyes have witnessed.
What about us today? For a person to fall away they would have to:
My friends, there are not very many of us who could say that of themselves. That is a very heady list. I'll say this, those who know the above not only know but live the kingdom. They would have to:
If you have tasted the above items and they are a part of your life, then my friend, you have knowledge of the ways of God and are his friend. You know the truth. And now that you know the truth you can understand what it means to blaspheme the Spirit. You would have to reject everything you know to be true. You would have to consciously turn your back to God. To say you will not have this man, Jesus, to be your Lord. You see at this point . . . the Spirit has revealed to you the fundamental truths. Only now could you reject everything the Spirit has done: through Jesus, through the apostles, through the church and through you!
"You must be crazy," you say, "to think that someone with that kind of knowledge could ever reject the working of the Spirit, to blaspheme the Spirit in this way." Yet that is exactly what you would have to do to commit the unpardonable sin. To know so much and reject it. That is why the scripture says that they cannot be renewed to repentance because they would crucify Jesus all over again and put him to shame.
Please do not think that you have committed the unpardonable sin by turning away from God for a moment or a season. Or that in a moment of grief you say something you shouldn't. To commit the act you have to know the truth as stated above and coldly, with full knowledge, reject what God the Father has done through Jesus the Word by the Spirit of God. Only then have you blasphemed the Spirit of God. Only then is there no more remission of sin.
I hope that this has helped those who struggle under false conviction of having committed that terrible sin. If you feel remorse you can still repent, be accepted and walk with God. Do not let the Devil or your so called "friends" steal away your faith in the one whom you have trusted . . . Jesus.
God bless!
Website administrator: Joseph A Raymond
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada