The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

1
The Blasphemyof the Holy Spirit

• What is the Unpardonable Sin?

2
The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

• One of the most popular questions concerning the
  Holy Spirit
• Many want to know if they have committed this sin
  that will not be forgiven

3
Matthew 1222-37

• Then was brought unto him one possessed with a
  demon, blind and dumb and he healed him,
  insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. And all
  the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be
  the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard
  it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons,
  but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. And
  knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every
  kingdom divided against itself is brought to
  desolation and every city or house divided
  against itself shall not stand and if Satan
  casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself
  how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I by
  Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons
  cast them out? therefore shall they be your
  judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out
  demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
  Or how can one enter into the house of the strong
  man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind
  the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
  He that is not with me is against me, and he that
  gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say
  unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be
  forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the
  Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall
  speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be
  forgiven him but whosoever shall speak against
  the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him,
  neither in this world, nor in that which is to
  come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit
  good or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit
  corrupt for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye
  offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil,
  speak good things? for out of the abundance of
  the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man out of
  his good treasure bringeth forth good things and
  the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth
  forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every
  idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
  account thereof in the day of judgment. For by
  thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy
  words thou shalt be condemned.

4
Matthew 1222-37

• Then was brought unto him one possessed with a
  demon, blind and dumb and he healed him,
  insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. And all
  the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be
  the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard
  it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons,
  but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. And
  knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every
  kingdom divided against itself is brought to
  desolation and every city or house divided
  against itself shall not stand and if Satan
  casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself
  how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I by
  Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons
  cast them out? therefore shall they be your
  judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out
  demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
  Or how can one enter into the house of the strong
  man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind
  the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
  He that is not with me is against me, and he that
  gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say
  unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be
  forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the
  Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall
  speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be
  forgiven him but whosoever shall speak
  against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven
  him, neither in this world, nor in that which is
  to come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit
  good or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit
  corrupt for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye
  offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil,
  speak good things? for out of the abundance of
  the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man out of
  his good treasure bringeth forth good things and
  the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth
  forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every
  idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
  account thereof in the day of judgment. For by
  thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy
  words thou shalt be condemned.

5
Matthew 1222-37

• Then was brought unto him one possessed with a
  demon, blind and dumb and he healed him,
  insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. And all
  the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be
  the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard
  it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons,
  but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. And
  knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every
  kingdom divided against itself is brought to
  desolation and every city or house divided
  against itself shall not stand and if Satan
  casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself
  how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I by
  Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons
  cast them out? therefore shall they be your
  judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out
  demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
  Or how can one enter into the house of the strong
  man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind
  the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
  He that is not with me is against me, and he that
  gathereth not with me scattereth. Therefore I say
  unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be
  forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the
  Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall
  speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be
  forgiven him but whosoever shall speak
  against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven
  him, neither in this world, nor in that which is
  to come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit
  good or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit
  corrupt for the tree is known by its fruit. Ye
  offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil,
  speak good things? for out of the abundance of
  the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man out of
  his good treasure bringeth forth good things and
  the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth
  forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every
  idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
  account thereof in the day of judgment. For by
  thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy
  words thou shalt be condemned.

6
Mark 320-30

• And the multitude cometh together again, so that
  they could not so much as eat bread. And when his
  friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on
  him for they said, He is beside himself. And the
  scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He
  hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons
  casteth he out the demons. And he called them
  unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can
  Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided
  against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if
  a house be divided against itself, that house
  will not be able to stand. And if Satan hath rise
  up against himself, and is divided, he cannot
  stand, but hath an end. But no one can enter into
  the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods,
  except he first bind the strong man and then he
  will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All
  their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of
  men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they
  shall blaspheme but whosoever shall blaspheme
  against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness,
  but is guilty of an eternal sin because they
  said, He hath an unclean spirit.

7
Mark 320-30

• And the multitude cometh together again, so that
  they could not so much as eat bread. And when his
  friends heard it, they went out to lay hold on
  him for they said, He is beside himself. And the
  scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He
  hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons
  casteth he out the demons. And he called them
  unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can
  Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided
  against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if
  a house be divided against itself, that house
  will not be able to stand. And if Satan hath rise
  up against himself, and is divided, he cannot
  stand, but hath an end. But no one can enter into
  the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods,
  except he first bind the strong man and then he
  will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All
  their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of
  men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they
  shall blaspheme but whosoever shall blaspheme
  against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness,
  but is guilty of an eternal sin because they
  said, He hath an unclean spirit.

8
Luke 1114-23

• And he was casting out a demon that was dumb. And
  it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the
  dumb man spake and the multitudes marveled. But
  some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the
  demons casteth he out demons. And others, trying
  him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he,
  knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every
  kingdom divided against itself is brought to
  desolation and a house divided against a house
  falleth. And if Satan also is divided against
  himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye
  say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I
  by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your
  sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your
  judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out
  demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
  When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own
  court, his goods are in peace but when a
  stronger than he shall come upon him, and
  overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor
  wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He
  that is not with me is against me and he that
  gathereth not with me scattereth.

9
Luke 1114-23

• And he was casting out a demon that was dumb. And
  it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the
  dumb man spake and the multitudes marveled. But
  some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the
  demons casteth he out demons. And others, trying
  him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he,
  knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every
  kingdom divided against itself is brought to
  desolation and a house divided against a house
  falleth. And if Satan also is divided against
  himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye
  say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I
  by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your
  sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your
  judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out
  demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
  When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own
  court, his goods are in peace but when a
  stronger than he shall come upon him, and
  overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor
  wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He
  that is not with me is against me and he that
  gathereth not with me scattereth.

10
Luke 1210

• And every one who shall speak a word against the
  Son of man, it shall be forgiven him but unto
  him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it
  shall not be forgiven.

11
Background and Context

• Jesus had been falsely accused of casting out
  demons by the power of Beelzebub
• Jesus responded in two ways
• He answered his critics and showed the illogical
  fallacy of their false charge.
• He charged his critics with the blasphemy of the
  Holy Spirit. What is this sin?

12
The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

• It is not
• Murder (see the Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants,
  13226-27)
• Suicide
• Profanity
• Adultery
• Backsliding
• Delaying obedience until death

13
The Blasphemy of the Holy SpiritMt. 1231-32
Mk. 328-30 Lk. 1210

• By attributing the powers of Jesus to Satan, the
  Pharisees had rejected the Holy Spirits work
  the finger of God (Lk. 1120) they made the
  Holy Spirit unholy they called the Holy Spirit
  unclean (see Mk. 330)
• Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit to
  perform miracles (Mt. 1218 Lk. 418 Acts
  1038) and the Holy Spirit came to convict the
  world of sin by his works (miracles) and by his
  words (inspiration) John 168-11

14
The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

• Their blasphemy constituted a threat to the cause
  of Christ it was opposed to the very nature of
  the Holy Spirit and the purpose of Jesus
  miracles (Jn. 32 536 2030-31)
• Their blasphemy was a vain and desperate attempt
  to discredit Jesus and the H.S.
• Their opposition had been building for some time
  a slow hardening of the heart beyond the point of
  repentance (note Mk. 35)

15
The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

• To reject the Holy Spirits works and words is to
  reject the only means by which man can be saved
• When one blasphemes (lit. to speak hurt to speak
  against slander) and rejects the Holy Spirit, a
  person, he is left without the means for divine
  forgiveness there is no other means for
  conviction and conversion

16
The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

• Rejecting the way of salvation no hope of
  salvation in this world (OT age) or in that
  which is to come (after Pentecost)
• If one rejects Christ, he can be forgiven in time
  like the Jews or Paul (Acts 269 Rom.
  115,23 1 Tim. 113)
• If one rejects the works and words of the Holy
  Spirit there is nothing left for God to offer

17
The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

• Can this sin be committed today?
• In one sense, No. Since Jesus the H.S. are not
  performing miracles today, we cannot repeat what
  the Pharisees did
• In another sense, Yes. Rejecting the way of
  salvation revealed by the H.S. no hope of
  salvation (Heb. 64-6 1026-31 1 Jn. 516-17)

18
Who Can Be Forgiven?

• God stands ready to forgive everyone who repents
  (Neh. 917 1 Tim. 24 2 Pet. 39)
• All sins repented of will be forgiven
  (Mt. 1231 1 Jn. 17)
• The un-forgiven sin is the sin of
  un-repentance! As long as you resist and
  reject the Holy Spirit you cannot be forgiven
  (Acts 751 Eph. 430 1 Thess. 519)

19
Who Can Be Forgiven?

• There are three kinds of sinners in the Bible
• Sinners that are pardoned (forgiven)
• Sinners that are pardonable, but un-forgiven (the
  conditions of forgiveness have not yet been
  taught or met)
• Sinners that are unpardonable (after hearing the
  conditions of forgiveness they refuse them and
  blaspheme them)

20
Who Can Be Forgiven?

• Are you Past-Redemption Point? (a sign on the
  Niagara River just above the falls)
• Today is the day to obey
  (2 Cor. 62 Heb. 37-8 47)