Old Testament saints (8)
We have been looking at salvation with particular reference to Old Testament saints. In the final part of our study we are going to look at blasphemy against the Spirit.
'And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.' (Matthew 12:31–32)
'I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.' (Mark 3:28–29)
'And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.' (Luke 12:10)
In this study we've looked at some of the basic requirements for salvation—the things, the Bible says, a person must have, be and do in order to be saved. In this final part we are going to look at the one thing a person must not do.
An eternal sin
Jesus made it quite clear, in three of the Gospels, that blasphemy against the Spirit is an unforgivable sin. And as man's salvation depends upon his sins being forgiven, a person who blasphemes the Holy Spirit cannot be saved.
In Mark 3:29 Jesus said that those who blaspheme the Spirit are guilty of an eternal sin. The Greek word used (aionios) means 'eternal, everlasting, forever'. It's used in Romans 16:26 to describe the eternal existence of God.
That means that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven as long as God exists. That thought makes me fear God.
Jesus said that the words he spoke were not his own, they came from the Father who sent him (John 14:24). God has decreed that there is one sin that even his Son's blood cannot atone for, and that is blasphemy against the Spirit. But why is it so?
The Bible doesn't tell us why, it just states the fact. But surely God wouldn't do such a thing without reason.
I believe that blasphemy against the Spirit is an unforgivable sin because of the importance of the Holy Spirit to man's salvation. And that is not to detract from our Lord's death on the cross, which is the centre of our faith (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Jesus died so we can live; without his death there would be no salvation. But without the Holy Spirit we couldn't be saved either.
The ministry of the Spirit
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, particularly because men do not believe in him (John 16:8–9).
Our conscience tells us we've done wrong, but the Holy Spirit convicts us of our wrongs. He makes us feel guilty before God and shows us that we need a Saviour. He then gives us the faith to believe in Jesus. Salvation is a divine act; it's the moving of God upon man by his Spirit.
At conversion the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us: we become temples of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). He then begins to transform us into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
That transformation leads us to righteousness, righteousness to holiness, and holiness to eternal life (Romans 6:19,22), which is why Galatians 6:8 says that it's from the Spirit we reap eternal life.
Let's look at the Holy Spirit's ministry in more detail:
The Holy Spirit gives us understanding of spiritual truth (John 16:13a).
He encourages us when we feel discouraged (Acts 9:31).
He gives us the boldness to confess Christ in the face of persecution and death (Acts 4:29–31; Acts 7:54–60).
He is our Counsellor (John 14:16a). The Greek word is parakletos: 'someone who comforts and helps'.
He is the one who is constantly with us (John 14:16b), and fellowships with us (2 Corinthians 13:14).
He is the one who gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7–11) and enables us to pray to our heavenly Father in languages we haven't learned (Acts 2:4).
He leads us in prayer so we can intercede for the saints in accordance with God's will (Romans 8:26–27).
He brings us messages from Jesus (John 16:13b–15) and directs the affairs of the Church (Acts 13:2–3).
And that is only a fraction of what the Holy Spirit does in us, through us and for us.
Because of that I believe the Father has said: 'People can blaspheme me, and I will forgive them; they can blaspheme my Son, and I will forgive them; but if they blaspheme my Spirit I will never forgive them.'
The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity moving on earth today. He is God in action, glorifying Jesus and bringing man to salvation.
Can Christians blaspheme the Spirit?
Can Christians blaspheme the Holy Spirit? I believe they can. A Christian is capable of committing any sin and I don't think our Lord would have spent time warning his disciples about something that would be irrelevant to them. But at this point we should consider what blasphemy against the Spirit entails.
The Greek word translated 'blaspheme' in the Gospels, and elsewhere in the New Testament, is blasphemeo. It means 'to insult, to slander, to curse'. It involves the use of the spoken word.
In Matthew 12:32 Jesus said: 'Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.'
Is a Christian likely to speak a word against the Holy Spirit? Not if they live according to the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Paul said that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will say, 'Jesus be cursed (1 Corinthians 12:3).' In the same way, no one speaking by the Holy Spirit will blaspheme the Spirit. That is obvious.
However, there is another way in which Christians can blaspheme the Spirit. It concerns not what we say, but what we do.
Insulting the Spirit of grace
Hebrews 10:26–27 says that if we deliberately keep on sinning after we've received the knowledge of the truth—i.e. after we've been born again and know how God wants us to live—then no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
It goes on to say that those who do so have trampled the Son of God underfoot, they have treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and have insulted the Spirit of grace (v29).
You will remember that 'to blaspheme' means 'to insult'. To deliberately keep on sinning while the Holy Spirit is trying to transform us into the likeness of Christ, is an insult to him and an affront to God. Those who do that make themselves enemies of God and will be consumed by the flames of hell.
But could this happen to Christians? It most certainly could: the Letter to the Hebrews was written to Christians.
There are some Christians who deliberately do wrong, reasoning to themselves that because God is a forgiving God, he will forgive them if they repent afterwards. They say: 'I know I shouldn't do this, but…. God will forgive me if I confess it to him (1 John 1:9).'
But you cannot treat God like that. You cannot use his mercy and forgiveness as a licence for you to sin. Those who do so are dicing with death. God will only tolerate that sort of behaviour for so long. They are insulting the Spirit of grace—which is blasphemy.
The permanence of hell
I said earlier that the Greek word aionios is used in the Bible, not only to describe the eternal nature of God, but also the permanence of blasphemy against the Spirit. Jesus said it's an aionios sin—a sin that will last forever.
It's interesting to note that the same word is used to describe eternal life and eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46): both will last forever. That means that those who go to hell will suffer for as long as God exists; it will never end. I find that the most shocking truth in the Bible.
No wonder Jesus told us to fear him who has the power to throw us into hell (Luke 12:4–5), and to be radical with the things that cause us to sin, lest we suffer the worm that will never die and the fire that will never be quenched (Mark 9:43–48).
Some Christians believe that if, at some stage in their life, they have received Jesus Christ as their saviour and Lord, they are safe, eternally secure and will dwell with him forever. I've endeavoured, through the parts of this study, to show that salvation is not as simple as that.
Ignorance is no defence in law and will be no defence on the Day of Judgement. It is better to find out what God requires of us now, and live our lives accordingly, than to remain in ignorance and find ourselves in hell.
I tell you there will be no way out; there will be no second chance; there is no purgatory. Hell will last as long as heaven; eternal punishment as long as eternal life.
Read the Bible for yourself
On one occasion Jesus said: 'You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures… (Matthew 22:29)'. He also said: 'Have you never read in the Scriptures… (Matthew 21:42)?'
Do we read the Bible ourselves or do we rely on others to tell us what it says? They could be wrong.
The Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians because, even though they received Paul's message with eagerness, they examined the Scriptures daily to see if what he was saying was true (Acts 17:11).
The Bible is God's handbook for salvation; it shows us how to be saved. Read it for yourself, study it, believe it and obey it. God has given us his Spirit so we can do that.
Final comment
I've illustrated the parts of this study with examples of Old Testament saints who demonstrated some of the requirements necessary for salvation.
Are there any examples of Old Testament saints who blasphemed the Holy Spirit? Surprisingly, there are none. Let's hope that also will be the case with God's New Testament saints.
Lord, we need your grace.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all (2 Corinthians 13:14). Amen.
Michael Graham
September 2010
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.