Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
From Anstey’s Doctrinal Definitions:
Blasphemy is speaking derogatorily of the Persons of the Godhead. This is what the faithless “generation” of Jews (Matt. 12:39, 4239But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: (Matthew 12:39)
42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:42)) did when they saw the Lord. “Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” is the national sin of the Jews who lived at the time when the Lord came (Matt. 12:24-3224But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25And 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: 26And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29Or 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. 30He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31Wherefore 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. 32And 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. (Matthew 12:24‑32)). Mark 3:29-3029But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. (Mark 3:29‑30) tells us specifically what this sin is. It says, “Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” Thus, they attributed the power that worked in the ministry of the Lord Jesus to Satan (Matt. 12:2424But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (Matthew 12:24); Mark 3:2222And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. (Mark 3:22); Luke 11:1515But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. (Luke 11:15)). They said that the Lord Jesus was associated with, and empowered by, Satan’s underworld in His ministry, which is preposterous! This blasphemy against the Holy Spirit brought an unpardonable judgment of “eternal damnation” on the unbelieving portion of the nation (Psa. 69:22-2822Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 23Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. 24Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. 25Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. 26For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. 27Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. 28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalm 69:22‑28)).
Sad to say, there are people today who think that they have committed this sin and by doing so, they have damned themselves, and now there is no hope for them of being saved. They call it, “The Unpardonable Sin.” However, this is a lie of the devil. The Bible does not teach that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is something that an individual commits, but rather is the national sin of Israel. In view of what Scripture says that “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” is (Mark 3:3030Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. (Mark 3:30)), let those who think they have committed the so-called "unpardonable sin" ask themselves, “Is the Lord Jesus Christ truly the Son of God who came from heaven to save sinners?” If their answer is, “Yes,” then that is a clear proof that they haven’t committed the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! What Christian would ever say that the Lord Jesus had “an unclean spirit?” No backsliding Christian harbours the thought that the Lord Jesus came from the underworld to do Satan’s work. It is only something that an apostate person would say. (See Apostasy.) However far away from the Lord a Christian backslider may get in his soul, there is still, somewhere in the deep recesses of his heart, the sincere conviction that the Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven as the Saviour of sinners.
Even if someone today has said derogatory things about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she can still be saved, for Scripture says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from every sin” (1 John 1:77But 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. (1 John 1:7)). C. H. Mackintosh said, “We do not believe that any sinner, in this acceptable year, this day of salvation (Luke 4:17-1917And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:17‑19)), is beyond the reach of the pardoning love of God, and the atoning blood of Jesus.” Paul the Apostle was a “blasphemer” and God saved him! (1 Tim. 1:1313Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13))