“Blasphemy” in the Old Testament Jewish Law is to revile or curse God, or the king who was God’s representative. It means intentional indignity towards God or sacred things. The term can be applied to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading what relates to God. It is also attributing some evil to God or denying Him some good that should be attributed to Him. God was clear in giving the Ten Commandments that the Israelites (and we) were/are not to “take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7).
However, in Matthew 12:31, this case of blasphemy is a specific one, called “the blasphemy against the holy spirit.”
It is important to put this text in its context of Jesus’ rebuttal to the Pharisees regarding their accusation that he received his power to heal from Satan. Jesus had just healed a demon-possessed blind and mute man. The people observing this miracle were astonished and wondered if Jesus could actually be the “son of David” (a popular Jewish title for the Messiah, see Matthew 12:22-23). Here the Pharisees had witnessed irrefutable proof that Jesus was working miracles in the power of God’s holy spirit (His power and influence) but instead claimed Jesus was possessed by Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Satan) (Matthew 12:24).
Jesus not only warns his hearers that “He who is not with me is against me,” (12:30), but he goes on to say that anyone who credits the work of God to the devil is in danger of committing the unforgivable sin, that is, blaspheming the holy spirit of God (verse 31).
In order to sin against the holy spirit, one must first possess the holy spirit. Only Jesus had the holy spirit at this time. He received it in full measure from his Father when John the Baptist immersed him at Jordan (John 1:29-34). Later, his disciples would receive a measure of the holy spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven. After Jesus’ baptism, he began his ministry and started performing miracles. His miracles were by the power of the holy spirit that had come upon him at his baptism. The Pharisees – who knew Jesus’ miracles validated his words and ministry (see John 11:45-48) – were attempting to discredit his Messiahship by saying his works were by the devil and not by the holy spirit. Therefore, when the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan, they were blaspheming the holy spirit through which Jesus performed his miracles.
Therefore, Jesus’ pronouncement was not a final judgment on the Pharisees but rather a dire warning. This warning was to apply to his followers seeking a heavenly reward as well as to the world of mankind in “the age to come” (Christ’s 1000-year kingdom on earth).
The Apostle Paul warns followers of Jesus who have received the holy spirit, “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the holy spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” Hebrews 6:4-6.
“It is impossible to renew them again” of Hebrews 6 is only applicable to those Christians who have been called, chosen and received the holy spirit. It is a sin against clear knowledge. If these should completely turn their backs on what they professed and no longer believe, they have essentially rejected the blood of Christ. There is no additional sacrifice of Jesus to justify them again. But this doesn’t apply to most people or even most Christians.
“How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” Hebrews 10:29-31.
Just as the followers of Jesus who possess the holy spirit are being judged now in order to become joint heirs with Christ in heaven, in the age to come (Christ’s peaceable kingdom on earth) the holy spirit will be poured out on all members of the human family (Joel 2:28-29) and they shall be judged after a period of instruction. Those who fail their test will be taken away (Isaiah 65:20) in what the Bible calls “the second death,” from which there is no resurrection. They will simply cease to exist.
We understand “blasphemy of the holy spirit” to have two applications as Jesus indicated in his answer to the Pharisees. The first application is directed to Christians now who have received the holy spirit in full knowledge and who have made a covenant of sacrifice and then knowingly reject Jesus. The second application applies to members of the resurrected human race on earth during the future Millennial Age.
When people harden their hearts and knowingly oppose God’s holy power, those people are in danger of committing the unforgivable sin. That opposition strikes at the very heart of the redemptive work of God through Christ. It strikes at the very nature of Jesus’ ministry of redemption, testimony and teaching. Jesus was ministering in the power of the holy spirit, fulfilling the divine plan of God to provide a sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10). The Pharisees were attributing this to demonic activity. This was a great blasphemy.
Some worry they have committed such a sin that can’t be forgiven, but those who worry about it likely have not committed it. If so, they will make the necessary changes in their life to put them out of such concern.
Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode 1265: “What Sins Can Never Be Forgiven?”
Identifying what unforgivable sins are and their consequences
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
