Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
Mark 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
What Is Blasphemy Of The Holy Spirit
?Blasphemy means to speak against, or to defame.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not unbelief.
In a misguided zeal to put pressure on people to convert some have sought to use fear of never being forgiven, holding over them the threat of their rejection of Christ being blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Nothing in Scripture supports this, and it causes far more mischief than it helps.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not testing or rejection of miraculous claims.
-2 Tim. 3:8. Jannes and Jambres imitated signs of Moses (Ex. 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18).
How Do We Know We Have Not Committed the Unpardonable Sin?
Sometimes people become afraid that they have sinned against the Holy Spirit (sometimes in frustration at their struggle with sin) and start having terrible thoughts in their minds against the Holy Spirit. The more they try to not think the thoughts, the more they think about them. It can become a terrifying experience, and often accompanies depression and severe mental problems.
I would first point out that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit seems to be a very uncommon sin. Because Jesus’ warning was against those who attributed His miracles to Beelzebub, prince of demons, some question whether it could be done today at all.
Even direct speaking against the Holy Spirit does not seem common. We hear all kinds of blasphemy against Christ and the Father but rarely do we hear similar things against the Holy Spirit. It seems that either people instinctively avoid it, or that God, to leave open their opportunity to repent, protects people from falling into it unless, like the Pharisees, they are willfully perverted.
In any case, it is clear that what Jesus spoke of was willful speaking against the Holy Spirit. That is not something done in ignorance or some unwanted thought the devil puts in our mind to accuse us. We are all tempted in many things. Jesus' illustration of temptation to commit fornication is an example of the distinction between temptation and sin of adultery as being when a man looks on a woman to lust after her..." Sin is not when temptation confronts us. "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed" (James 1:14). What happens to us against our will is not sin, and certainly not unpardonable.
Many of us have struggled with the fear that we might have committed the unpardonable sin. The suggestions I give here have been helpful to me, and to others over the years of my ministry.
One of the most helpful things is to focus on the protective love of God for us as His children.
As a child of God, we have protection. God will not desert His children. "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (1Jn 4:4).
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
So, if you want to do God’s will, that is a pretty good indication you have not committed the unpardonable sin. If you had, God would not be moving on your heart.
It is through the Holy Spirit that we receive this love for God.
If we had committed the sin against the Holy Spirit, the Spirit would not be causing us to love God. We simply would not care. The fact that we love God is the very thing that causes so much anxiety at the possibility of being alienated from Him.
Romans 5:5-10 has given me some of the greatest reassurance.
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Notice verses 9 and 10, especially. If God has justified us through the blood of His Son while we were enemies, how much more, being reconciled will He save us by his life! God has His Son invested in our salvation. If we want to be saved, He is going to see that we will be. Our desire to be saved is the evidence that God is working in us. "God gives the increase" (1Cor 3:1).
Now how do we combat these dark thoughts? Look at 1John 4:12-19.
So, show love for others. Do good for others. Doing good does four things to give us reassurance. 1. It makes God a part of us and we become more like God. 2. God is pleased and our prayers are heard and answered (James 5:16). 3. We feel better because we know we are doing good. 4. Others will feel good towards us and will encourage us.
Note that the fear that torments us is cast out by love. Satan is the "accuser of the brethren" (Rev. 12:10). One of his most powerful weapons is to create fear in us by accusing us of unfaithfulness. Since the sin against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable, that is one of the most fear-creating accusations he can make.
It is almost impossible to just say, "I won't think those thoughts" because the very effort to refuse to think them focuses on them. The way to stop thinking about something bad is to think about something good.
Thus, one of the best antidotes to such fear is to increase one's focus on the love for God. "Perfect love casts out fear." (1John 4:18) "Love covers a multitude of sins." (1Peter 4:8)
When the devil starts his accusation, respond by praising the name of God. Pray over and over, saying "I Love you" to the Holy Spirit. Praise the Holy Spirit and thank Him for the word He gives (John 16:13; 2Pet 1:20-21) for His sealing us as the "earnest of our inheritance as God's own possession" (Eph 1:13-14), for His role in making us children of God (Rom 8:14-17; Gal. 4:6), for his intercession on our behalf (Rom 8:26-27), for the fruits He gives (Gal. 5:22-25). The more we praise God the more we drown out the devil's accusations.
Sing praise to God (Eph 5:19, James 5:13)
There is a neat chorus:
"Holy Spirit, I appreciate you.
Holy Spirit, I appreciate you.
You love us, and guide us,
and live right inside us,
Holy Spirit, I appreciate you."
Secondly, God says, "resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)
When the thought came that if I thought something bad about the Holy Spirit, I might be blaspheming him, the more I tried to not think bad things, the stronger the thoughts came back. So, I turned and rebuked the devil. Every thought that came in against the Holy Spirit, I turned around and directed back as an attack at the devil. Amazingly, I received almost instant relief. The old liar beat a fast retreat. He simply did not like having those things dumped back on him!
Such struggles are not uncommon. In Romans 7:15-25 Paul speaks of his struggle with doing that which he would not, and not doing that which he would. His agonized cry is "Who shall deliver me...?" (7:24). That is the very cry that sometimes is torn from our lips in our struggle with sin. Then he declares, "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."
He continues in chapter 8:
Rom 38-39 triumphantly proclaims: 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hallelujah!
Here are some practical things that can help to avoid or deal with the fear of committing the unpardonable sin.
1. Stay away from tempting situations (2Tim 2:22; 1Tim 6:11; 1Cor 6:18; 10:14; 15:33). Yielding to temptation in one area discourages and depresses, making one more vulnerable in other areas. Note the change in Adam and Eve’s feelings about their relationship with God when they fell into sin.
2. When you fail, get things right with God right away. Being away from God is depressing. Adam and Eve hid from God. The longer we are away the more separated we feel and the harder it is to come back.
3. Find someone to confide in and pray with.
4. Of course, Pray for wisdom (James 1:5) to deal with the problem.
5. Get plenty of rest. Failure to get proper rest can upset our physical well being and bring depression. Consider whether you are sleeping properly. Sleep apnea may require help to get proper sleep to feel good.
6. Avoid stressful situations. These upset the body and bring depression.
7. Eat healthy meals. Deficiencies in diet can result in emotional and physical difficulties.
8. Get a medical checkup. For example, diabetes and other medical ailments can cause depression and anxiety feelings. Allergic reactions to food, environment etc. can produce feelings of stress. We need to understand that when we feel bad from one thing, we may incorrectly conclude that something else is the cause.
The doctor may be able to help by providing something to level anxiety feelings. Compulsive disorders are very real to many very fine people. Don't try to be your own doctor any more than your own lawyer. There are very real disorders that can overtake us. Wisdom says that we should get help when we don’t feel right.
A. Ralph Johnson is an elder in the Glen Acres Church of Christ in Seattle, Washington. He may be reached at aralphj@msn.com. More of Ralph's articles may be found in the free section of The Preacher's Study.