Troublesome Topic: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit Explained

Two Different Assumptions

The common people were assuming Jesus must have come from God and must be the Messiah because of the obvious work of the Spirit of God through Him. The Pharisees assumed there was no way Jesus was sent by God because He did not agree with them and did not acknowledge their leadership. Therefore they assumed that everything Jesus did that looked like a miracle was actually evidence of His connection to a false god or to evil spirits.

The Jewish Concept of the Holy Spirit

They would have thought of the way God revealed himself to Pharaoh through powerful plagues. This was the spirit of God at work. Likewise they would have thought of how God led them out of Egypt, including the crossing of the Red Sea. They would have recalled God’s provision in the desert where there is barely enough food for a goat, yet they were a population of over 600,000 men and their families. 

Many other examples of the visible activity of God, or the spirit of God at work among men, would have come to mind as well. These would probably have included the crossing of the Jordan, the walls of Jericho falling down, David’s defeat of Goliath, the fire that came down from heaven onto the sacrifice at Mount Carmel, other miracles of Elijah and Elisha, the time Jehoshaphat defeated an enemy army by marching against them with a choir of singers as his front line, God’s protection of Daniel in the lion’s den, the way a hand wrote on the wall during King Belshazzar’s banquet, and the list could go on.

These were the things that were brought to mind by Jesus’ mention of the Holy Spirit. To them the term focused on the visible and obvious activity of God. Some would have also thought of the miracles Jesus had performed in their midst. They were all wondering, “Could this be the Messiah?” They were uncertain about His identity, but they could not deny the hand of God, i.e. the Spirit of God, that was at work through Him.

The Jewish Concept of Unpardonable Sins

Here I will give a summary of the truth I explain more fully in my lesson called Which Sacrifice Was for Deliberate Sins? Basically, the sacrificial system, explained in the Law given through Moses, had no sacrifice which was designed specifically to atone for willful sins committed in full knowledge. There were a handful of sacrifices intended to deal with unintentional sins, and there was one whose secondary purpose was to seek atonement for the sins of the people as a whole, but there was no sacrifice for willful sins. In the old Testament these were called defiant sins, the word “defiant” meaning “with a raised fist.” All a person could do for that type of sin was throw himself on the mercies of God with contrition and repentance. This was a big hole that the sacrificial system of the Law did not even try to fill; it left those sins without a remedy so that people would be looking for a better solution, something more complete. When Jesus died as a sacrifice for all our sins, He proved that His sacrifice is better than the former system.

So the Jews already had the idea of an entire group of sins that were considered unpardonable. In reality, everyone had committed some of these sins; no one could expect to go to heaven by being good enough. The hope of salvation for anyone has always rested solely on the mercies of God.

But Jesus changed things. He became the sacrifice capable of atoning for all sins, even those committed with a fist raised against God. Obviously, atonement and forgiveness were not available while one was still in rebellion against God; repentance had to come first. That was true of those in the Old Testament whose only recourse was to throw themselves on the mercies of God, and it is true for us today as we throw ourselves on the mercies of God based on the redemptive work of Jesus. The statement that every sin could be forgiven, even blasphemy, was a huge change from what they had been used to. Only after His death, resurrection, ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit did His disciples understand why He made such a bold statement.

 Then He goes on to give a couple examples of what He meant.

How Long Will This Sin Go Unforgiven?

I think the intent of Jesus’ words was this: As long as someone is refusing to acknowledge the obvious work of the Spirit of God, he is going the wrong direction; he will suffer eternal punishment unless he changes direction. As long as one can be called a denier of the Holy Spirit’s work, he is an enemy of God, but if he ceases to deny the work of the Spirit of God he can be forgiven.  

The rest of Scripture points toward this being the intent of this passage and its sister passages in Mark and Luke, evidenced by the following points:

1. It agrees with their understanding of the phrases “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit of God” which was simply the supernatural activity of God.

2. It fits the Old Testament understanding of unpardonable sins – as long as one was sinning in defiance, with his fist raised against God, there was no atonement available to cover that sin. However, if he changed his attitude and actions and became a person who no longer sinned defiantly but only unintentionally, there was a mechanism to cover those types of sins. The difference between the Former Covenant and the New Covenant is that the Former Covenant offered no way to retroactively be forgiven of those sins committed in defiance against God, whereas the sacrifice of Jesus is able to do that very thing. 

3. It fits the message of the rest of the New Testament which portrays Jesus as the only efficacious sacrifice. His blood covers our sins. No other sacrifice is needed; His blood is enough. The atonement He offers is usually portrayed as complete. For there to be an exception to the all-encompassing nature of Jesus’ sacrifice, it would have to be explained very well so people know when that line has been crossed. As things stand, even those who try to interpret this passage literally are not able to give a clear explanation of what that looks like. They try, but usually someone is able to give an example of someone who appears to have crossed that line, but later repented and returned to God. Therefore, the line, if any exists, is a blurry one at best. Either the rest of the New Testament must be explained with a qualifying statement, or these passages must be explained by saying the context indicates that it does not mean what it sounds like it means. There are various times when we must say that about some passage in the Bible. We should not feel threatened by that or allow it to hinder our faith, rather it is an indication that life is complex, and the Bible contains a matching degree of complexity.

4. The life of Saul of Tarsus, later called Paul, appears to be a good example of someone who denied the work of the Holy Spirit and resisted everything God was doing, but later was forgiven and used mightily for God’s kingdom. The phrase “blasphemy against the Spirit” is not used to directly describe Paul, but his actions fit the definition of such blasphemy consisting of someone refusing to give God and His Holy Spirit credit for things that are obviously the work of God.

5. It fits God’s constant offer of forgiveness if there is repentance. Throughout the Bible, forgiveness is always contingent upon repentance, even in passages where repentance is not specifically mentioned. The corresponding passage in Mark first says that any sin and blasphemy is forgiven, then it goes on to say that one type of blasphemy is not forgiven. First of all, the statement that every kind of sin or blasphemy is forgiven (think forgivable) was a new concept for the Jews. The sacrificial system that was part of the Law had a big hole in it because it did not offer any atonement for sins done deliberately or in defiance. This statement was a big deal. Then Jesus started telling them that there was yet one sin or type of sin that was outside the reach of even the forgiveness that would be offered in the next era. It seems like a contradiction. I believe Jesus said it the way He did to make his point with great emphasis, but He was not changing the forgiving nature of God.

There are many examples of partial punishments found in Revelation. A partial punishment which leaves some people alive can be seen as a warning, and thus a chance for repentance for those that still have life. Actually, the book of Revelation mentions repentance a number of times, indicating that the opportunity of repentance is granted. People will be punished if they refuse to repent despite the multiple opportunities given them to do so.

6. There are times when the Bible does not mean what it seems to mean, and sometimes that is true of the word “forever.” The Hebrew word often rendered “forever” actually means “long duration, or a long time.” The Greek word often translated “forever” means “age, or for as long as an entire age,” in contrast to a brief lifespan within an age. Sometimes we see this word used in a compound form which is rendered “for ever and ever” but literally means “through the ages of the ages,” or for a very, very long time. So we see that the very words used in the original languages are vague, not specific as we had hoped. God told David that his son would build a temple for God and “his throne will be established forever” (I Chron 17:14). It sounds like everything God was saying would be fulfilled literally. It sounds like God was talking about a physical son (or descendants) sitting on a physical throne. David’s dynasty did last a long time, but it did not last forever. So now we realize that God switched gears part way through and started talking about Jesus, whose reign will never end. In Exodus 21:6 we read that when a slave chose to become a bond-slave for life, his ear was pierced and he served his master “forever,” although it obviously means “for life, or permanently.” When Solomon built the temple God said his eye would be on that place “permanently/forever” (II Chron 7:16). But God caused the first temple to be destroyed by the Babylonians, and the second temple to be destroyed by the Romans. What gives? We must realize that there are times the Bible does not mean what it seems to mean at first glance; it requires additional study.

7. The final evidence I can offer is what Jesus said immediately after this in the Matthew passage and in the last chapter of Revelation. See below.

Why Was it Acceptable to Doubt the Identity of Jesus?

It was possible to have unanswered questions about who Jesus was and still be headed toward God. He didn’t act like the Messiah they had always expected, so the tendency of many people was to wait and see what happened. Yet the miracles He performed were obviously the work of the Holy Spirit. That should not be denied. But once again, it was possible for someone to see the miracles and attribute them to the Spirit of God but still wonder what that meant about Jesus – “Is he a prophet, or is He the Messiah?  Who is he? Will the Messiah be a man like Moses or David or Elijah? Or will He be different?” You can see that the people asking these questions did not deny the working of God.

The Emphasis is on Current Condition

The fruit is the evidence that proves the condition of the tree. The tree bears fruit that corresponds with its degree of health. It can be caused to be good by the presence of such things as minerals, water, light, and the absence of malignant bugs, chemicals, and other contaminants. This means that the condition of a tree can be changed from good to bad or from bad to good.

Punishment or reward will be given according to spiritual condition, but one’s spiritual condition can be changed. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage each other every day while it is called ‘today’ so that none of you might become hard and stubborn due to sin’s deceitfulness.” The idea being conveyed by “today” is that we still have opportunity to repent and change our spiritual condition.

This reminds me of Revelation 22:11 which says:

Until That Final Moment Arrives There Is Opportunity to Repent

The message of the New Testament is that the blood of Jesus is enough to cover all sins and that we are still, as of this moment, living in the time called “today” in which we have the opportunity to repent. We do not know what the next second or even millisecond will hold, but up till this moment right now, we are extended one more opportunity to repent and change our spiritual condition. But there will come a time when, as Revelation 22:11 says, the filthy will remain filthy, and the righteous will remain righteous. The opportunity to repent will have passed.

Conclusion:

Based on the points made above, I am convinced that this passage and its sister passages, indicate that as long as one is headed in a certain direction there is no forgiveness for him. However, if he changes direction, forgiveness is offered. Jesus said this because the Pharisees and other religious leaders were attributing His miracles to other spiritual powers rather than to the Spirit of God. They were headed in the wrong direction which is dangerous.