10. Blasphemy Against The Spirit

BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE SPIRIT OR THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

I have been requested to speak to you at this time on the subject of "THE UNPARDONABLE SIN." The subject is an interesting one to most people. First of all, many wonder if they may have committed at some time in life what they usually call "the sin against the Holy Ghost." Others simply want to know what the Bible teaches on the subject. But all are interested in any representative discussion of the subject. Like most Bible subjects, what God says concerning this matter is not always faithfully taught and respected. However, the fact that there are many conflicting and popular theories concerning this subject is no proof that what the Bible says on the subject cannot be understood. Of course, no exhaustive study of the subject would be possible in the time allotted.

Any proper study of the subject must begin with the con-text, for Jesus introduces the subject with the word "where-fore," meaning that what he is about to say on the subject is to be said because of what had just been said and done on that occasion. He said, "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 for-given unto men. 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." (Matthew 12:31-32.)

Before noting the context of this passage, let us observe that there is no difference between what is here called "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost," and "speaking against the Holy Ghost."

1. The word "blaspheme" is defined: "To speak impiously or irreverently of (God or sacred things) 2. To speak evil of; abuse. 3. To utter impious words."

It follows, therefore, that this sin is committed with the tongue. Jesus says, "Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him." (Matthew 12:32.) It is not the sin of murder, as bad as that sin is. Moses murdered an Egyptian, and was forgiven. (Exodus 2:11-12.) The Jews on Pentecost were charged with the murder of the Son of God and those who would accept pardon were forgiven. (Acts 2:23; Acts 2:36-41.) Saul of Tarsus was a murderer of Christians. (Acts 7:52; Acts 8:1; Acts 9:1; Acts 26:9-11.) He was an accomplice in the crime, and yet he obtained pardon, as did Moses and others; so murder is not the unpardonable sin. Neither is it adultery, for Jesus offered pardon to a woman guilty of this very sin. (John 8.) Paul mentions a catalogue of sins, such as fornication, idolatry, adultery; theft, drunkenness, reviling, etc., and says some guilty of these sins had been for-given. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11.) Hence, none of these is the unpardonable sin.

And the unpardonable sin is not simply blasphemy; but it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit--it is a certain kind of blasphemy. Paul says he was a "blasphemer" before his conversion. (1 Timothy 1:13.) But he did not blaspheme, or speak against, the Holy Spirit. He believed in and respected the Holy Spirit, and God, the Father; but he blasphemed the name of Jesus, for which sin there was forgiveness offered. Jesus said, "Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speak-eth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him." (Matthew 12:32.) So, in blaspheming Christ, Paul was not guilty of an unpardonable sin. "Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven." (Luke 12:10.)

But what was in the context which gave rise to these statements of the Master? Please remember that Jesus introduced this lesson because of something which had been said and done in the context. Because of those things, he said, "Wherefore I say unto you," and then gave us what he had to say about speaking against the Holy Spirit.

In the context, he had healed a man possessed with a devil, blind and dumb. (Matthew 12:22-23.) No one could deny or in any way gainsay the miracle of healing, which, like his other miracles, confirmed his claim to be the Christ, the Son of God. (John 20:30-31.) But the Pharisees were so prejudiced and determined to destroy his influence over the people that they made the foolish charge that he did the miracle "by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." (Matthew 12:24.) Jesus then demolished their explanation and showed its utter unreasonableness by pointing out the fact that if Satan were casting himself out of people in any such fashion then he was divided against himself and would eventually destroy his own kingdom. Then Jesus explained how he did the miracle. He said, "I cast out devils by the Spirit of God." (Matthew 12:28.) Therefore, their explanation was, in fact, just another way of saying that the "Spirit of God" was "Beelzebub the prince of the devils." Here they actually blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, or spoke against him impiously and irreverently by calling him a devil, and by giving Satan credit for healing the man, which credit was due the Holy Spirit. This was blaspheming the Holy Spirit, or speaking against the Spirit. This was therefore an actual case of committing this sin. This is the one kind of blasphemy that is not pardonable. One may be forgiven of all kinds of blasphemy other than this. "All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith so-ever they shall blaspheme: but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: because they said, He hath an unclean spirit." (Mark 3:28-30.) Yes, "They said, He hath an unclean spirit;" but he actually had the Holy Spirit, and cast out devils by Him. (Matthew 12:28; John 3:34.) Hence, they called the Holy Spirit an unclean spirit. This is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. This is so plain that I do not see how anyone can misunderstand it without expert help to do so.

But many actually deny that this sin is unpardonable, and that there is any such sin. But this, too, is a false interpretation of the passages dealing with the subject. They think this sin is only an unpardoned sin, but that pardon is offered for it. But Jesus said those committing this sin are "in danger of eternal damnation." (Mark 3:29.) The American Standard Version reads: "Is guilty of an eternal sin." It is contrasted with sins that are pardonable. Jesus says, "All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men . . . but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness." (Mark 3:28-29.) This should be final on the point. No one guilty of this sin can ever get forgiveness for it, though there is forgiveness offered for other "sins . . . and blasphemies," other than this one. Yes, Jesus says, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be for-given unto men." (Matthew 12:31.) This being true, there is an unpardonable sin, as well as sins unpardoned.

No sin will be forgiven unconditionally, and without obedience to the terms of forgiveness. There are terms of pardon for the sin of speaking against Christ, and sins other than speaking against the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, "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." (Matthew 12:32.) "This world" was the Jewish age under which Jesus then lived and said this. "The world to come" meant the Christian age which later began on Pentecost, Acts 2. The Greek word for "world" in the passage means world in the sense of an age. Christ died in the end of the world--in the end of the Jew-ish age or world. "But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of him-self." (Hebrews 9:26.) So, this sin against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven in "this world"--this age--the Jewish age, nor "in that (world) to come"--the Christian age that was then to come--was then future. It follows that this sin, therefore, could be committed during the personal ministry of Christ, and was then committed, as we have seen, and could also be committed under the gospel age or dispensation. They could have attributed the works of the Spirit to Satan after Pentecost, the same as before.

When some take the position that "the world to come" means in the life after death, they are accepting the Roman Catholic argument on purgatory. The Catholics argue that it means this life and the next, and that since there will be no forgiveness in the next life for one sin--the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit--there will be pardon extended in the future state for all sins except that one. But, as already pointed out, "this world" meant the Jewish age in which. Jesus was then speaking, and "the world to come" had reference to the Christian age, or dispensation which was then future, but which came afterward on Pentecost. There can be no forgiveness after death. Jesus said if you "die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come." (John 8:21.) Man will be finally rewarded according to "the things done in his body, according to that he bath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10.) The Catholics are wrong about these passages. The Bible does not teach the doctrine of purgatory; but when the wicked go into punishment, it will be "everlasting punishment." (Matthew 25:41; Matthew 25:46.) Just so, any brother who argues that "this world" in the passage under study means merely this life, has already fallen into Catholic hands on the purgatory argument. Therefore, any theory that teaches this sin could not be committed before Pentecost is wrong.

There is a theory which holds that one could not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit before he came on Pentecost and began his work of revealing and confirming the gospel. But Jesus says it could be done "in this world"--"this age" --which was the Jewish age, at the end of which Christ died (Matthew 12:31-32; Hebrews 9:26.) Christ had the Spirit without measure. (John 3:34.) He cast out devils by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 12:28.) And when the Pharisees said he did this by "Beelzebub the prince of the devils" and that he had "an unclean spirit," they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and there was to be no forgiveness for such an awful sin.

Think about it! If their false explanation of the miracles wrought by Jesus had become the commonly-accepted view and explanation, Christ would have failed to prove his Deity and Sonship, and his mission on earth would have been a colossal failure; for his miracles were to confirm his claim to be the Son of God. (John 20:30-31; John 3:1-2.) As long as his enemies could get by with their foolish explanation that he was in league and partnership with the devil and did these things by the power of an "unclean spirit" or a wicked spirit, the purpose and mission of his coming to earth was in danger of being thwarted. So, he nipped their theory in the bud, and pronounced such an awful condemnation on one guilty of such offense as would deter and re-strain men from accepting this new doctrine of the Pharisees. And there is no record of anyone else's ever commit-ting this sin. Furthermore, I doubt that any other human beings have ever been guilty of this sin. It is true, great multitudes are going out into eternity in rebellion against God to be finally and eternally lost; but it is for rejecting and neglecting pardon graciously extended in the gospel while they live, not because they have committed the un-pardonable sin.

But there is another theory which says the unpardonable sin is simply going through life and dying in sin without obeying the gospel. This is a very popular theory, and one of those theories which denies that this sin against the Holy Ghost could be committed before Pentecost. But according to this theory, one dying in disobedience to the gospel would get forgiveness of all his sins except the sin of rejecting the gospel. He would be almost saved, but not quite saved--just lack pardon of one sin! For did not Jesus say: "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men"? (Matthew 12:31.) So, if the unpardonable sin is simply failing to obey the gospel, one can get forgive-ness of all his other sins without obeying the gospel, and if so, then obeying the gospel would not bring remission of sins, as Peter said it would. (Acts 2:38.) Why, a simple fail-ure to obey the gospel would not be any more a blasphemy against the Holy Ghost than it would be of God, or of Christ. For the gospel is called the "gospel of God" and the "gospel of Christ." (Romans 1:1-2; Romans 1:16.) One is obeying Christ in obeying the gospel. (Hebrews 5:9.) And he is disobeying Christ and saying "No" to him when he refuses to obey the gospel. This is as much a sin against Christ as it is against the Holy Ghost. But in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 the sin was directly against the Holy Spirit: it was against the Spirit by which Jesus did his miracles. They called the Holy Spirit "an unclean spirit"--a wicked spirit. (Mark 3:28-30.) Let us here draw a circle on the blackboard to represent Christ, then this small circle in the center of the larger one and let it represent the Holy Spirit by which Jesus did his miracles. Now, did the Pharisees directly speak against Jesus? (Here the speaker draws an arrow so as to point to the larger circle representing Jesus.) No, they did not deny that Jesus wrought the miracle; they admitted it. If they had denied the miracle and claimed that Jesus was only a magician or trickster deceiving the people, they would have been speaking against Christ, and Jesus said there is forgiveness for that sort of sin. But, no, they spoke against the Spirit, saying Jesus did his miracle, but did it by a wicked spirit, the spirit of the devil; and this was speaking directly against the Holy Ghost. (Here speaker drew another arrow to point to letter "S" in the inner and smaller circle representing the Holy Spirit.) This was therefore, speaking "against the Holy Ghost," and was the unpardonable sin.

Furthermore, if merely rejecting the gospel is the unpardonable sin, then if a man ever rejects the gospel invitation one time he is guilty of an unpardonable sin, and could not be forgiven if he were to obey it the next day. This is true unless it be proved that rejecting the gospel one time is not sinful, but that one would have to reject it a whole life-time to be guilty of rejecting it. If it is not a sin to reject the gospel once, how could it be a sin to reject it twice, three times, or for the whole of one's life? If it were not sinful to tell one lie, could one ever tell enough lies for it to become sinful? No, my friends; this sin for which there is no forgiveness could be committed in the Jewish age, before Pentecost, and therefore before the gospel was preached in its fullness. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4.) The failure to obey the gospel would be an unpardoned sin, until it is obeyed; but the same is true of all other sins. But Jesus makes a distinction between sins: some are to be forgiven when the terms of pardon are met, but one sin is not to be forgiven; but, is called "eternal sin."

There is one more theory which I can examine only very briefly at this time, and that is the theory that the Holy Spirit strives with man directly, and if you reject this direct striving and operation, the Spirit may finally go away never to return, leaving one without any impulse to be saved, and therefore lost forever. This theory is built on a false interpretation of Genesis 6:3 where God said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." This was before the flood when men were living eight and nine hundred years. But God said his Spirit would not strive with them "always" or throughout the normal span of life in that era, but the flood would come in one hundred and twenty years destroying the wicked. They would be destroyed in early life! Hence the Spirit would not strive with them eight or nine hundred years, as he had been doing with their fathers. The Spirit was striving with them through Noah, "a preacher of righteousness." (2 Peter 2:5.) The Spirit spoke and strove with men through inspired men. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:21.) The Holy Spirit continued to strive with those before the flood so long as they lived one hundred and twenty years. (Genesis 6:3.) The Spirit does not strive with dead people, and they were all dead in one hundred and twenty years; but the Spirit did not forsake them and cease to strive with. them until the flood came. So long as they lived, the Spirit spoke to them through Noah who preached unto them "righteousness." The Spirit now calls us by the gospel. (2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:12.) The Spirit says, "Come" and he will not cease to say this as long as we live. (Revelation 22:17; Hebrews 9:27.) One who resisted the Spirit yesterday by rejecting his message in the gospel may accept and be saved today. He has not committed an unpardonable sin. Of course, he may harden his heart by continually resisting the Spirit, by rejecting his word; but this also is not the unpardonable sin; it is rather an unpardoned sin. (Hebrews 3:7-8.)

It seems that all sins committed today are pardonable, and that all can be saved, if they will. I have never found a man in the twenty-seven states in which I have preached who was guilty of saying the Holy Spirit by which Jesus wrought his miracles was a wicked spirit, the spirit of Satan. But one might as well be guilty of the "eternal sin" and go to perdition because of it as to go to the same place of "everlasting punishment" guilty of sins which were pardonable and for which forgiveness was offered, but rejected or neglected.