Anyone who is not with Me, is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters. Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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, either in this age or in the one to come.
Matthew 12:30-32 HCSB
We like to believe that we can always turn to God for forgiveness and that no matter what horrible thing we have done, God will forgive us. 1 John 1:19 tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But we see in our scripture passage that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. So let’s be sure we all know what we are talking about here. It is truly a matter of life and death for each and every one of us.
Is there a sin from which we cannot be forgiven? Yes, our scripture passage tells us that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. But, you may say, we are told that God is faithful to forgive our sins. We are told in Psalm 103:12 that He not only forgives our sin, but removes it as far as the east is from the west. So, how can it be that there is any sin we can commit from which we can never be forgiven. Well, I’ve told you many times before that I am a simple person with a simple mind, so that’s the only way I can explain it. In order to fully explain it may take more than one blog, so here goes.
To get a good understanding of what was going on, I think we need to truly understand who the Pharisees were. They were a group of Jewish religious leaders that believed in strictly obeying the law. They prayed, they tithed, and they knew the scriptures like we know our ABC’s. So what is wrong with that you say? Well they were also hypocritical, self-righteous, and the foremost prosecutors of Jesus. They wanted to destroy Jesus. Matthew 12:14 tells us that after Jesus had healed a man with a withered hand they went out and conspired to destroy Him.
Now of course, Jesus knew what they were doing, after all He is fully God. So, he withdrew and continued to heal many telling them not to tell anyone. He came upon a man possessed by a demon which had rendered him blind and mute. Jesus drove out the demon enabling the man to see and speak. When the Pharisees heard this, they accused Jesus of driving out demons through Satan. How crazy is this? Satan wants people to be oppressed and possessed. What sense would it make to drive a demon out with Satan’s help? Jesus confronted them on this and then He issued a warning. This is where our scripture passage picks up in verses 30-32. Jesus warns them that anyone who is not with Him is against Him. But He also warns them that there is a sin that is unforgivable and this is the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Now here it is important to recognize that Jesus is practicing what he preached. Even though these men were conspiring to destroy Him, He knew that it was the devil working through them. He knew that it was a spiritual attack. He didn’t want these men to suffer eternal damnation, so he gives them a very stern warning.
Where the Pharisees really messed up was attributing the work of God to Satan. Now note that Jesus does not tell them that they cannot be forgiven, but He warns them that this is an unforgivable sin. He tells them that any blasphemy and sin shall be forgiven, but that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He tells them that they can speak against Him and it can be forgiven, but that anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.
Now once again, He is not telling them that oppose Him that they can never be forgiven, but He is warning them that when they speak against the Holy Spirit they are committing an unforgivable sin. When I was a child and I worked hard enough to get a spanking I understood not to commit the same offense again. A stern warning from my dad would stop me in my tracks and get me on the right path. A warning shot is usually sufficient to remove someone causing trouble. Jesus is issuing a stern warning to the Pharisees to let them know that they are headed down a path that they will seriously regret taking and that by the time they regret it, it will be too late.
Tomorrow we will look deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and look a bit more at why we should never reject or blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Have a great day!