My name is Luke and I am an Orthodox Chrisitan. I have struggled with OCD/scrupulosity for several years now and have recently battled fears concerning the "unpardonable sin". However, in my struggle, something miraculous was revealed to me. I spent the following months putting my discovery into words.
I would like to stress that what I have discovered is not new. When I was suffering from these OCD fears, I found that Baptist Minister Billy Graham was the first to find the "key" passages in scripture that unlock this understanding about the blasphemy. I pray you find it enlightening.
Re-read the account of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit recorded in the Gospel of Matthew or Mark. On the surface, it seems that the Lord Jesus is creating an arbitrary law (Mat 12:32). If the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are completely and eternally equal, why would blasphemy against the Son be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit remain unforgiven?
Being completely logical and wise, the Lord does not create arbitrary laws. However, the concept of an unforgivable sin seems to contradict scripture, as we are told explicitly that every sin can be forgiven (1 John 1:5-9):
(5) This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
(6) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
(7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
(8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All scripture is inspired by the logical and flawless Holy Spirit and so there can be no contradiction. The secret to understanding the truth about the unforgivable sin lies in the First Epistle of Saint John (1 John 6:6-13). In this blessed piece of writing, Saint John states:
(6) This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
(7) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
(8) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
(9) If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
(10) He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
(11) And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
(12) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
(13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Saint John explicitly states that one of the Holy Spirit's roles is to bear witness to the Lord Jesus; that he is the Christ and Son of God. He goes on to say that anyone accepting the witness (i.e. believing in the Lord Jesus) has life and those who contradict this witness hath not life. This echoes the words the Lord Jesus spoke at the beginning of his discourse in Matthew when he said:
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad (Mat 12:30).
It is commonly believed that because the Pharisees did blaspheme a miracle performed by the Lord Jesus, they did blaspheme the Holy Spirit. This is incorrect. They are guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because they so incorrectly said that the Lord Jesus has a devil. Their witness of the Son of God was not the true witness given by the Holy Spirit.
The horribly incorrect words of the Pharisees are what prompted the Lord to then say:
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come (Mat 12:32).
Pay close attention to the words the Lord Jesus uses. He does not say Whosoever blasphemes the name of the Holy Spirit. He says Whosoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit. This implies that the Holy Spirit stands for something and whoever would rebel against that is blaspheming.
The Pharisees are guilty of denying the person of the Son of God, mankinds saviour. Through their own horrible testimony, they are denying that Jesus is the Christ, instead calling him some demon-possessed man. They are blaspheming the truth, the truth that is held by the eternal witness, the Holy Spirit. And that truth is that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal Son of God.
And so, when we read the discourse again, we see that whosoever speaks a word against he Son of Man can be forgiven, but whosoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit i.e. whosoever denies that Jesus is the Christ (as the Pharisees did), will not be forgiven.
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be summarised as simply calling the Holy Spirit a liar. Why is it so bad to call the Holy Spirit a liar? Because He was present at the baptism of our Lord (the water), at his death (the blood) and bears an eternal record that the Son of God has indeed come and will forever be mankinds saviour. To deny this fact, as the Pharisees did, means their fates have been sealed. I will say it again, why is it so bad to call the Holy Spirit a liar? Because:
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Incidentally, the entire discourse in the Gospel of Saint Matthew can be summarised by the following verse from the Gospel of Saint John (John 3:18):
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Proof in the Book of Acts:
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit does not make an appearance in the Old Testament. This makes sense, as the blasphemy relates exclusively to the Son of God, and so it is no surprise that we find it first and foremost in the New Testament. However, is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit limited to only that one occurrence in the Gospel of Saint Matthew and Saint Mark? The Book of Acts records something very interesting. Saint Stephen is preaching the Gospel of Jesus in the Synagogue and explicitly says to the unbelieving Pharisees (Acts 7:51):
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
We know that these Pharisees were denying the person of Jesus Christ, so why would Saint Stephan exhort them regarding the Holy Spirit? Simple; he was pleading with the Pharisees to stop resisting what the Holy Spirit witnesses to be true. He was exhorting them to believe in the Son of God.
The only unfailing road to perdition is when one falls away from the faith, i.e. when an individual fails to believe in the Christ. Apostasy is the only way an individual can be deemed unforgiven. However, they are not, nor can they ever be deemed unforgivable. No matter the magnitude or number, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ washes away all sin.
I pray this has helped ease your fears. To lead us into ignorance is a snare of the devil. Do not be fooled. The Lord Jesus Christ and incarnate Son of God forgives all sin. God bless.
I would like to stress that what I have discovered is not new. When I was suffering from these OCD fears, I found that Baptist Minister Billy Graham was the first to find the "key" passages in scripture that unlock this understanding about the blasphemy. I pray you find it enlightening.
Re-read the account of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit recorded in the Gospel of Matthew or Mark. On the surface, it seems that the Lord Jesus is creating an arbitrary law (Mat 12:32). If the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are completely and eternally equal, why would blasphemy against the Son be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit remain unforgiven?
Being completely logical and wise, the Lord does not create arbitrary laws. However, the concept of an unforgivable sin seems to contradict scripture, as we are told explicitly that every sin can be forgiven (1 John 1:5-9):
(5) This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
(6) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
(7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
(8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All scripture is inspired by the logical and flawless Holy Spirit and so there can be no contradiction. The secret to understanding the truth about the unforgivable sin lies in the First Epistle of Saint John (1 John 6:6-13). In this blessed piece of writing, Saint John states:
(6) This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
(7) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
(8) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
(9) If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
(10) He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
(11) And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
(12) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
(13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Saint John explicitly states that one of the Holy Spirit's roles is to bear witness to the Lord Jesus; that he is the Christ and Son of God. He goes on to say that anyone accepting the witness (i.e. believing in the Lord Jesus) has life and those who contradict this witness hath not life. This echoes the words the Lord Jesus spoke at the beginning of his discourse in Matthew when he said:
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad (Mat 12:30).
It is commonly believed that because the Pharisees did blaspheme a miracle performed by the Lord Jesus, they did blaspheme the Holy Spirit. This is incorrect. They are guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because they so incorrectly said that the Lord Jesus has a devil. Their witness of the Son of God was not the true witness given by the Holy Spirit.
The horribly incorrect words of the Pharisees are what prompted the Lord to then say:
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come (Mat 12:32).
Pay close attention to the words the Lord Jesus uses. He does not say Whosoever blasphemes the name of the Holy Spirit. He says Whosoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit. This implies that the Holy Spirit stands for something and whoever would rebel against that is blaspheming.
The Pharisees are guilty of denying the person of the Son of God, mankinds saviour. Through their own horrible testimony, they are denying that Jesus is the Christ, instead calling him some demon-possessed man. They are blaspheming the truth, the truth that is held by the eternal witness, the Holy Spirit. And that truth is that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal Son of God.
And so, when we read the discourse again, we see that whosoever speaks a word against he Son of Man can be forgiven, but whosoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit i.e. whosoever denies that Jesus is the Christ (as the Pharisees did), will not be forgiven.
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be summarised as simply calling the Holy Spirit a liar. Why is it so bad to call the Holy Spirit a liar? Because He was present at the baptism of our Lord (the water), at his death (the blood) and bears an eternal record that the Son of God has indeed come and will forever be mankinds saviour. To deny this fact, as the Pharisees did, means their fates have been sealed. I will say it again, why is it so bad to call the Holy Spirit a liar? Because:
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Incidentally, the entire discourse in the Gospel of Saint Matthew can be summarised by the following verse from the Gospel of Saint John (John 3:18):
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Proof in the Book of Acts:
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit does not make an appearance in the Old Testament. This makes sense, as the blasphemy relates exclusively to the Son of God, and so it is no surprise that we find it first and foremost in the New Testament. However, is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit limited to only that one occurrence in the Gospel of Saint Matthew and Saint Mark? The Book of Acts records something very interesting. Saint Stephen is preaching the Gospel of Jesus in the Synagogue and explicitly says to the unbelieving Pharisees (Acts 7:51):
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
We know that these Pharisees were denying the person of Jesus Christ, so why would Saint Stephan exhort them regarding the Holy Spirit? Simple; he was pleading with the Pharisees to stop resisting what the Holy Spirit witnesses to be true. He was exhorting them to believe in the Son of God.
The only unfailing road to perdition is when one falls away from the faith, i.e. when an individual fails to believe in the Christ. Apostasy is the only way an individual can be deemed unforgiven. However, they are not, nor can they ever be deemed unforgivable. No matter the magnitude or number, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ washes away all sin.
I pray this has helped ease your fears. To lead us into ignorance is a snare of the devil. Do not be fooled. The Lord Jesus Christ and incarnate Son of God forgives all sin. God bless.
