Why is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit unforgivable?

[Anna Therese]

Now I am wondering: Jesus is holy, God is holy, the Holy Spirit is Holy. All three of the Godhead is perfectly sinless and holy. Blasphemy against Jesus is forgivable. Blasphemy against God the Father is forgivable. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. Why?

I believe that God could choose to forgive someone who blasphemed the Holy Spirit but He chooses not to. Why? What's so different about the nature of this sin versus other sins?

Cardinal Manning explains it this way: Our Divine Lord has said, "Every sin and every blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, except the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost; and if any man shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall never be forgiven him in this world nor in the world to come." (Matt. 12:31-32).

A man may speak against Jesus Christ, ay, blaspheme his Lord; and the Holy Spirit, convincing him of sin, may bring him to repentance, may convert him to God, and his soul may be saved; but any man who commits mortal sin and refuses repentance, thereby blasphemes the Holy Ghost, who is the Spirit of Penance, the Spirit of Absolution, the Absolver of the penitent. Such a sinner rejects the whole dispensation of grace; and, therefore, the sin that shall never be forgiven is impenitence. Every sin that men repent of shall be forgiven; but the sin that is not repented of shall never be forgiven, neither in this world nor in the world to come.


The "sin against the Holy Ghost," which "shall never be forgiven," is a sin unto death. This comprises sins that embody a stubborn resistance to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost and His work in the soul, and an open contempt for His gifts. These sins are six: despair of one's salvation, presumption of God's mercy, resisting the known truths of faith, envy of another's spiritual good, obstinacy in sin, and final impenitence. Although no sin is absolutely unpardonable, those who sin against the Holy Ghost stubbornly resist the influence of grace and do not wish to repent. Hence their sin cannot be forgiven them.

 

[NeedyFollower]

I started going to a therapist but that's not going to do anything. I've been in this state since 2010-2011 when I felt the Holy Spirit either leave me or be quenched.

One day when I was doing inappropriate content against clear convictions, I felt something leave me and I have been reprobate ever since but I didn't care much until 8 months ago and I've been trying to repent ever since.

The first will be last and the last will be first ...the publican and the harlots will enter the kingdom of heaven before you ...Brother , it may be that you are a believer who may have "gotten saved" at some point but were not enough of a wicked man in your own mind to truly repent . There are many christians who have gotten sleepy or are currently dead ...Many people "believe " many things so faith and belief while similar , are not exactly the same ..( It was written to BELIEVERS to endeavor for the faith once delivered to the saints . ) I do not believe you have blasphemed the holy ghost but I do encourage you to become a child ..I do not care if you are 70 ..become a child who's only hope is your Father in heaven through His Son our Lord ...drop politics ( republican or democrat or libertarian ) for they corrupt our already corrupted nature and besides ...you can not drink out of two streams and hope for repentance ..the Lord will find you ..he will sweep the house until He does ..He will leave the 99 and carry you on His shoulders and then you will KNOW Him which is different than believing in Him ...and you will be known by Him and LOVE Him ...and it will not be a Roman's road theological position ..it will just happen to be the truth ..you got lost and HE found you . Grace and peace ..( give up worldly attractions too brother..you do not have time for that nonsense and your current lack of faith is keeping others from entering in ..OK ? in the Name of the One who knows every hair on your head .. Be a child ..Not an adult .

 

[Natsumi Lam]

I don't really feel guilty at all. I want to though. All of my efforts to come to God has been intellectual with no feelings attached to it.

I backslid really badly to the point where I suspect I've committed apostasy. I willfully sinned for a long period of time after being saved. To the point where I almost completely forgot about God and Jesus. Then one day the Hebrews 6 passage appeared in my mind and I've been trying to repent ever since.

That is a good sign that you have the heart to repent.

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

Now before starting this discussion I don't want any dumb answers like "Because you've rejected Jesus and that's unforgivable!" No, rejecting Jesus is forgivable because many people have rejected Jesus and then repented of it later and been saved. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a very specific sin that is against the Holy Spirit and it's more than just rejecting Jesus so please keep that simplistic answer out of my thread.

I believe that Hebrews 6, Hebrews 10:26-31, 2 Peters 2:19-22, and the reprobates mentioned in 2 Timothy chapter 3 are examples of people who have blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Basically they sinned to the point where the Holy Spirit departed from them. The bible says there's only one unforgivable sin and it's blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and Hebrews 6 describes an unforgivable sin so I believe this is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It's a sin that ends up being a deep gross offense to the Holy Spirit. I think this can be accomplished by either rejecting Jesus by apostasy or continuous deliberate gross sins while being a Christian clearly convicted by the Holy Spirit.

Now I am wondering: Jesus is holy, God is holy, the Holy Spirit is Holy. All three of the Godhead is perfectly sinless and holy. Blasphemy against Jesus is forgivable. Blasphemy against God the Father is forgivable. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. Why?

I believe that God could choose to forgive someone who blasphemed the Holy Spirit but He chooses not to. Why? What's so different about the nature of this sin versus other sins?

I think Hebrews 6 and the Gospel passage about Jesus and Beelzebub and the passage in Revelation about the mark of the beast are the only ones about sin with no way back.

Any sin can be forgiven because the cross work is enough for any of us. But the Holy Spirit reaches out to us, touches and fills us. It is in this action that we are altered and effected for justification. But when we know Him and reject Him, and all His approaches to our hearts and consciences, and hardened our hearts to Him, then every avenue to justification is lost. You are on your own. God has no more means to reach you. Love is rejected, Jesus' blood, fire of God, the anointing, light, living water, the bread of life, resurrection power. If you know it all and reject it all for maybe adultery, or harden your heart each time He comes, then what can soften your heart again? There is no hope and only the expectation of a fiery end.

All of salvation by faith and grace is closed.

You can know much grace, sin and recover.

The Hebrews in ch 6 ... are in a situation in which if they return to the pharisees, they acknowledge Jesus was a false prophet and deserved to die, and so they would have known the Spirit in full and turned to acknowledge that Jesus deserved to die and would be crucifying him all over.

 

[Invalidusername]

I think Hebrews 6 and the Gospel passage about Jesus and Beelzebub and the passage in Revelation about the mark of the beast are the only ones about sin with no way back.

Any sin can be forgiven because the cross work is enough for any of us. But the Holy Spirit reaches out to us, touches and fills us. It is in this action that we are altered and effected for justification. But when we know Him and reject Him, and all His approaches to our hearts and consciences, and hardened our hearts to Him, then every avenue to justification is lost. You are on your own. God has no more means to reach you. Love is rejected, Jesus' blood, fire of God, the anointing, light, living water, the bread of life, resurrection power. If you know it all and reject it all for maybe adultery, or harden your heart each time He comes, then what can soften your heart again? There is no hope and only the expectation of a fiery end.

All of salvation by faith and grace is closed.

You can know much grace, sin and recover.

The Hebrews in ch 6 ... are in a situation in which if they return to the pharisees, they acknowledge Jesus was a false prophet and deserved to die, and so they would have known the Spirit in full and turned to acknowledge that Jesus deserved to die and would be crucifying him all over.

Is it possible for someone to know that their heart is hardened, want to soften it, but are unable to?

Because I think I am in that situation.

 

[Sabertooth]

Is it possible for someone to know that their heart is hardened, want to soften it, but are unable to?

No.

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

Is it possible for someone to know that their heart is hardened, want to soften it, but are unable to?

Because I think I am in that situation.

I think there are degrees of hardness of heart. You can make a determined effort in hours of prayer, repentance and amendments over days, and recall scriptures and promises and think of what you want to be and what sin leads to... and crunch up your own heart like chewing gum and make it soft. Crunching in determined efforts to obey God's commands. So His promises may motivate you. And your conscience.

If you are at church and Jesus blood is sprinkled on your heart but a demon in someone makes them shreak and you are distracted and maybe confused, you may harden your heart to Jesus' powerful blood. He will not force you. And then you heart will be very hard like a resin. But still God will find a way for you. Words of knowledge can come to you or from another and tell you the way. You can learn in all this to focus gently and just "melt" in God's presence. Just let go of tension, confusion, hardness, for it is up to you in the end if you want to soften your own heart and stop being stubborn. Be the opposite of stubborn standing in discernment of God moving. Trust Him. Honour Him. Relax with Him.

In a more powerful move of God, the sheer love of God, of the Father's heart could soften your heart and carry you like it was a river.

My Catholic Charismatic prayer group is regularly the same. The same challenges and often similar gifts of knowledge... and word of wisdom, and you can decide to take it and soften your heart, and go from there. I normally attend a Pentecostal church. You may want to ask for living water, or the anointing and take the Spirit and bear fruit Galatians 5:22.

 

[Sabertooth]

A song with the theme of this thread...

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Is it possible for someone to know that their heart is hardened, want to soften it, but are unable to?

Because I think I am in that situation.

...have you thought about this, IVN? That what you're conceptualizing as 'hardness of heart' might not quite be what Paul the Apostle is referring to when he talks about all of that kind of thing? I mean, you say that you "want it to soften," and I believe you. But in your saying this very thing, then what that tells me is that you're not actually beyond the horizon of hope.

Moreover, you might do yourself a favor by thinking about, turning over in your mind, and analyzing that one thing (i.e. that one sin or maybe two) that you feel is keeping you caught in its steel grasp and contributing to your feelings of aversion toward the Lord. So, instead of focusing on the felt separation between you and the Lord, maybe focus on coming to understand the nature of the sin itself. This is just a suggestion, and its probably one that your counselor can help you untangle a little bit better.

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

Blessed and happy are they that seek after righteousness, they shall be filled. From Jesus' beatitudes. Hebrews 6 has an extraordinary list of graces, Stephen had such an infilling, that he obeyed even to death with a face like an angel. Decades later Hebrews is written and we today cannot have all that. So we also cannot commit that sin.

 

[Invalidusername]

Blessed and happy are they that seek after righteousness, they shall be filled. From Jesus' beatitudes. Hebrews 6 has an extraordinary list of graces, Stephen had such an infilling, that he obeyed even to death with a face like an angel. Decades later Hebrews is written and we today cannot have all that. So we also cannot commit that sin.

I don't think something would be in the Bible if it didn't pertain to us today. God wouldn't put in useless information in the Bible.

I think there are degrees of hardness of heart. You can make a determined effort in hours of prayer, repentance and amendments over days, and recall scriptures and promises and think of what you want to be and what sin leads to... and crunch up your own heart like chewing gum and make it soft. Crunching in determined efforts to obey God's commands. So His promises may motivate you. And your conscience.

If you are at church and Jesus blood is sprinkled on your heart but a demon in someone makes them shreak and you are distracted and maybe confused, you may harden your heart to Jesus' powerful blood. He will not force you. And then you heart will be very hard like a resin. But still God will find a way for you. Words of knowledge can come to you or from another and tell you the way. You can learn in all this to focus gently and just "melt" in God's presence. Just let go of tension, confusion, hardness, for it is up to you in the end if you want to soften your own heart and stop being stubborn. Be the opposite of stubborn standing in discernment of God moving. Trust Him. Honour Him. Relax with Him.

In a more powerful move of God, the sheer love of God, of the Father's heart could soften your heart and carry you like it was a river.

My Catholic Charismatic prayer group is regularly the same. The same challenges and often similar gifts of knowledge... and word of wisdom, and you can decide to take it and soften your heart, and go from there. I normally attend a Pentecostal church. You may want to ask for living water, or the anointing and take the Spirit and bear fruit Galatians 5:22.

I agree with degrees of hardness of hearts. My heart is very hard but not so hard that I've rejected Christ or anything. Just became hardened by sin.

...have you thought about this, IVN? That what you're conceptualizing as 'hardness of heart' might not quite be what Paul the Apostle is referring to when he talks about all of that kind of thing? I mean, you say that you "want it to soften," and I believe you. But in your saying this very thing, then what that tells me is that you're not actually beyond the horizon of hope.

Moreover, you might do yourself a favor by thinking about, turning over in your mind, and analyzing that one thing (i.e. that one sin or maybe two) that you feel is keeping you caught in its steel grasp and contributing to your feelings of aversion toward the Lord. So, instead of focusing on the felt separation between you and the Lord, maybe focus on coming to understand the nature of the sin itself. This is just a suggestion, and its probably one that your counselor can help you untangle a little bit better.

The problem is my counselor is a secular one but at least she respects my religion. There is no Christian counselors around that I am aware of but my current counselor is at least helping me to analyze my thinking and whether it may or may not be true about myself. Actually been helpful. Although it would be much better to have a Christian counselor.

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

I don't think something would be in the Bible if it didn't pertain to us today. God wouldn't put in useless information in the Bible.



I agree with degrees of hardness of hearts. My heart is very hard but not so hard that I've rejected Christ or anything. Just became hardened by sin.



The problem is my counselor is a secular one but at least she respects my religion. There is no Christian counselors around that I am aware of but my current counselor is at least helping me to analyze my thinking and whether it may or may not be true about myself. Actually been helpful. Although it would be much better to have a Christian counselor.

It is important to pray to God in private and even loudly as your heart desires. Over here I may pray by my ancestors' grave stones. Big open area, lots of crosses and the sobering thought of the brevity of life.

Hebrews 6 pertains to us today, and may out persist Moses' law and the arc of the covenant. But They had the apostles who were fully taught by Jesus and the initiation of Pentecost and it was a powerful time. We can have that again before Christ returns and we call it revival. Many of the saints had revival before and after the Protest 1517. The Moravians, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Evans Roberts, The Charismatic and the Catholic Charismatic renewals, the Toronto Blessing, the Brownsville Revival. But even so, it was not as intense as Pentecost with the 500.

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

I have been studying in my church's bible college and found my head pastor has a very cool spirituality. He has faith and hosts God's presence. And even when young did this, so at his home church prayer meeting, bikies who raided it were so moved by God's presence that 12 of the thirteen of them converted.

He wrote Faith and Moving in the Spirit, Phil Pringle.

 

[Invalidusername]

It is important to pray to God in private and even loudly as your heart desires. Over here I may pray by my ancestors' grave stones. Big open area, lots of crosses and the sobering thought of the brevity of life.

Hebrews 6 pertains to us today, and may out persist Moses' law and the arc of the covenant. But They had the apostles who were fully taught by Jesus and the initiation of Pentecost and it was a powerful time. We can have that again before Christ returns and we call it revival. Many of the saints had revival before and after the Protest 1517. The Moravians, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Evans Roberts, The Charismatic and the Catholic Charismatic renewals, the Toronto Blessing, the Brownsville Revival. But even so, it was not as intense as Pentecost with the 500.

Were those Jews the same people that were there for Pentecost? I thought that those Jews were in Italy so they would've been a different group. Or are you saying they were taught by the Jews who were from the Pentecost?

I sometimes envy the early Christians. They could ask the apostles anything and get a 100% accurate answer. Imagine if Paul was here and then I'd be able to ask him if I could still be saved and get a 100% accurate answer. Nowadays everything is blurry and nobody seems to know the complete truth.

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

Were those Jews the same people that were there for Pentecost? I thought that those Jews were in Italy so they would've been a different group. Or are you saying they were taught by the Jews who were from the Pentecost?

I sometimes envy the early Christians. They could ask the apostles anything and get a 100% accurate answer. Imagine if Paul was here and then I'd be able to ask him if I could still be saved and get a 100% accurate answer. Nowadays everything is blurry and nobody seems to know the complete truth.

There were the twelve and Bartholomew, the 70, and the 500. The after Pentecost thousands repented from condemning Jesus and communed together, sharing wealth and hearing the apostles, and they were persecuted and to some extent dispersed. But Paul or Timothy wrote them Hebrews.

The Holy Spirit can still teach you, use your understanding of your heart and his grace to reverence him, and expect he is awesome in positive ways.

 

[NeedyFollower]

Were those Jews the same people that were there for Pentecost? I thought that those Jews were in Italy so they would've been a different group. Or are you saying they were taught by the Jews who were from the Pentecost?

I sometimes envy the early Christians. They could ask the apostles anything and get a 100% accurate answer. Imagine if Paul was here and then I'd be able to ask him if I could still be saved and get a 100% accurate answer. Nowadays everything is blurry and nobody seems to know the complete truth.

Hello Brother ...I know what you mean regarding the apostle Paul ..I put a lot of stock in his writings and teachings since he paid a price to be sent by Jesus Christ as our apostle ...As you know , we are told in James to keep ourselves unspotted from the world but frankly we started out spotted by the influences of hollywood , government , multiple forms of Christianity ...I still maintain that when the Lord has found you , you will know and you will love Him more than you ever have ..but do not expect an easy path for that is unscriptual and not realistic ...we do not fight against flesh and blood ...be careful of secular counsels ...and even more careful of religious humanism .it is all about Christ ..by Him , through Him and for Him ...but our salvation is His great joy ..know that my dear brother ..it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the KIngdom....for Christ died for that end ...then you will know Love . Grace and Peace through His name and by His power ...you and I are dead ! Praise God for Jesus !

 

[sunshine456]

Matthew 12:25-36 King James Version (KJV)
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 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.
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

And....

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 King James Version (KJV)
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

By the grace of these two passages from the holy scriptures and true definition of the word synonym the conclusion is verified.

Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and JESUS CHRIST his son forever>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[JohnC2]

Scripture makes a distinction between a “trespass” - the unintentional error; and the intentional, willful commission. Trespass was forgivable because your heart was not intent on committing willful things....

In this case - the specific word used is Blasphemy - which specifically excludes unintentional error...

So then - we must infer that this “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is an intentional action where the blasphemer KNOWS specifically that the Holy Spirit produced the thing in question - and then intentionally and knowingly attributes this action of The Holy Spirit to chaos, demons, or Satan.... or vice versa...

Now... reference John 3.... Only people with The Holy Spirit upon them can conclusively discern that something was actually brought forth through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The rest sort of have to work to take their best guess....

This specific sin is then particularly egregious and horrible. How can someone clothed with The Holy Spirit decide to THEN intentionally call the action which he specifically and correctly discerns to be directly brought forth by The Holy Spirit as caused by Satan?

The only other possible alternative is someone demon possessed where the demon discerns the Spirit and then intentionally blasphemes The Holy Spirit. In this case - the action of blaspheming the Spirit is caused by the demon, not the person.... Thus the demon would not qualify for forgiveness - but the possessed person would be forgiven because the evil spirit committed the blasphemy, not the person....

 

[GoldenKingGaze]

If you fear God's judgement you need balance that with awe of his goodness and mercy.

 

[Khanh]

I got into an agrument with my bf and I said I didnt anything to do with the holy spirit, the holy spirit is evil...bc I wanted to hold onto my anger...my bf made a reference to I wasnt walking in the spirit such as being slow to anger etc...(and at the time I really dont like when he used God on me to shut me up bc I wanted to continue to talk on whatever we were arguing) that's what lead me to say those things. The funny thing about that is, I knew to be very careful about what I said about the holy spirit so I was kinda contemplating which word I said bc I didnt want it to be used against me.. and I made the mistake to choose the word "evil"....and after that, I was very worried and gain false security through the internet of what the unpardonable sin is really all about. Thoughts and advice? Am I doomed or is there still hope?