Matthew 12:30-50

What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?

Growing up I often heard this referred to as “the unpardonable sin.” Definitely a bad thing, you would want to avoid this at all costs. But what is it? It is unpardonable to say something bad about the Holy Spirit? What about people who don’t really know anything about the Holy Spirit saying something bad about Him? Are they now beyond the reach of salvation?

The context here is one of Jesus being accused of driving our demons by the power of Beelzebub (the prince of demons.) Therefore, I think He is talking about seeing the work of the Holy Spirit and being so hardened that not only can you not recognize His work, but you actually think it is the work of the devil. Not a good place to find one’s self.

Why can we not be forgiven for this when we can be forgiven for blaspheme against the Son and even against the Father? The reason is that the Holy Spirit and His activity in this world and our lives is the agent through which we must come to repentance. In John 6:44 Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” How does the Father draw us to Jesus? In John 16:7-11 Jesus tells us that when the Holy Spirit comes He is the One who makes us aware of sin, and the fact that Jesus is the Righteous One, and that the world’s way is condemned.

Blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is not so much saying something bad about the Third Person of the Trinity as it is rejecting His work. For if we reject His work we cannot be forgiven because we will not find our way to the One whose blood offers forgiveness.