The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

1. The Blasphemyof the Holy Spirit What is the Unpardonable Sin?

2. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit • One of the most popular questions concerning the Holy Spirit • Many want to know if they have committed this sin that will not be forgiven

3. Matthew 12:22-37 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

4. Matthew 12:22-37 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

5. Matthew 12:22-37 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

6. Mark 3:20-30 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan hath rise up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. But no one can enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

7. Mark 3:20-30 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan hath rise up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. But no one can enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

8. Luke 11:14-23 And he was casting out a demon that was dumb. And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the dumb man spake; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. And others, trying him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

9. Luke 11:14-23 And he was casting out a demon that was dumb. And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the dumb man spake; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. And others, trying him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

10. Luke 12:10 And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.

11. Background and Context • Jesus had been falsely accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub • Jesus responded in two ways: • He answered his critics and showed the illogical fallacy of their false charge. • He charged his critics with the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What is this sin?

12. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit • It is not … • Murder (see the Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, 132:26-27) • Suicide • Profanity • Adultery • Backsliding • Delaying obedience until death

13. The Blasphemy of the Holy SpiritMt. 12:31-32; Mk. 3:28-30; Lk. 12:10 • By attributing the powers of Jesus to Satan, the Pharisees had rejected the Holy Spirit’s work – “the finger of God” (Lk. 11:20); they made the Holy Spirit unholy; they called the Holy Spirit unclean (see Mk. 3:30) • Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit to perform miracles (Mt. 12:18; Lk. 4:18; Acts 10:38) and the Holy Spirit came to convict the world of sin by his works (miracles) and by his words (inspiration) – John 16:8-11

14. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit • Their blasphemy constituted a threat to the cause of Christ; it was opposed to the very nature of the Holy Spirit and the purpose of Jesus’ miracles (Jn. 3:2; 5:36; 20:30-31) • Their blasphemy was a vain and desperate attempt to discredit Jesus and the H.S. • Their opposition had been building for some time; a slow hardening of the heart beyond the point of repentance (note Mk. 3:5)

15. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit • To reject the Holy Spirit’s works and words is to reject the only means by which man can be saved • When one blasphemes (lit. to speak hurt; to speak against; slander) and rejects the Holy Spirit, a person, he is left without the means for divine forgiveness; there is no other means for conviction and conversion

16. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit • Rejecting the way of salvation = no hope of salvation “in this world” (OT age) or “in that which is to come” (after Pentecost) • If one rejects Christ, he can be forgiven in time like the Jews or Paul (Acts 26:9; Rom. 11:5,23; 1 Tim. 1:13) • If one rejects the works and words of the Holy Spirit there is nothing left for God to offer

17. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit • Can this sin be committed today? • In one sense, No. Since Jesus & the H.S. are not performing miracles today, we cannot repeat what the Pharisees did • In another sense, Yes. Rejecting the way of salvation revealed by the H.S. = no hope of salvation (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 1 Jn. 5:16-17)

18. Who Can Be Forgiven? • God stands ready to forgive everyone who repents (Neh. 9:17; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9) • All sins repented of will be forgiven (Mt. 12:31; 1 Jn. 1:7) • The un-forgiven sin is the sin of un-repentance! As long as you resist and reject the Holy Spirit you cannot be forgiven (Acts 7:51; Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19)

19. Who Can Be Forgiven? • There are three kinds of sinners in the Bible… • Sinners that are pardoned (forgiven) • Sinners that are pardonable, but un-forgiven (the conditions of forgiveness have not yet been taught or met) • Sinners that are unpardonable (after hearing the conditions of forgiveness they refuse them and blaspheme them)

20. Who Can Be Forgiven? • Are you “Past-Redemption Point”? (a sign on the Niagara River just above the falls) • “Today” is the day to obey (2 Cor. 6:2; Heb. 3:7-8; 4:7)