Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

2022-01-20

There is a passage that talks about “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 12:31; cf. Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10). What is this all about?

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. 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)

The context is that the Pharisees saw Jesus performing miracles, which unmistakably indicate that He is the Son of God. “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you” (Matthew 12:28). If the Spirit clearly shows that Jesus is the Messiah they were looking for, but they reject all that the Spirit says and does concerning Him, there is no hope for them. There is no other Savior out there.

The word of caution here is to take seriously the claims of Christ. At the same time, people have been worried that they have somehow committed this blasphemy. The Spirit’s mission is to point people to Jesus Christ. Trust in Him who died for us; do not dismiss the only path to eternal life. If you have trusted Christ, you have submitted to the Spirit concerning salvation, and have not committed any such blasphemy.