Have you ever feared you’ve committed the one sin that can never be forgiven?
Few passages in the Bible trouble sensitive believers as much as Jesus’ warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But what does it mean to blaspheme the Spirit, and how does that differ from grieving him, as Paul warns in Ephesians 4? It is a difficult question, which deserves careful handling.
Two Different Matters
The first thing to say is that these are not the same sin. Grieving the Spirit and quenching the Spirit are things a Christian can do. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a unique situation, and it concerns those who reject the truth, not those who belong to Christ.
Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19 deal with the believer’s side of things. A Christian can ignore the Spirit when he is convicting of sin or trying to teach something. That is serious, but it is the kind of failure a believer repents of. Blasphemy is of another order entirely.
The Context of Matthew 12
Jesus’ words come in Matthew 12:32: “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
To understand them, we must read them in context. A demonised man was brought to Jesus, who healed him. The Pharisees, unable to deny that a miracle had happened, implied that Jesus was satanic. It was only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, they said, that he cast out demons.
Jesus answered by exposing the absurdity of the charge. “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself, so how will his kingdom stand?” The accusation does not make sense.
Then Jesus told them what was really happening: “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Here was proof that the king had arrived and was plundering the kingdom of darkness. Jesus then drew the line: Whoever is not with him is against him, and whoever does not gather with him scatters. The Pharisees belonged to the wrong kingdom, and it is in this setting that he spoke of the sin that cannot be forgiven.
“This Age or the Age to Come”
Jesus said that the sin would not be forgiven “either in this age or in the age to come.” The events of Matthew’s Gospel took place under the old covenant. Jesus had not yet been crucified or raised. So “this age” refers to the old covenant era, and “the age to come” refers to the new. In other words, there is no era in which this sin is pardonable.
Identifying the Sin
Jesus promised in John 14–16 that the Spirit would guide his people into all truth and convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. The Spirit’s ministry is to testify to Christ. Blasphemy against the Spirit, then, has to do with that ministry.
It cannot simply be rejecting the news about Jesus. Many people initially rejected Jesus during his earthly ministry, who later came to faith. Even his own family did not believe in him at first, and some later became believers. Paul is the clearest example. He tells Timothy that he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a murderous opponent of the faith, but that he received mercy because he acted ignorantly in unbelief (1 Timothy 1:12–16). Paul sinned grievously, but the Spirit had not yet persuaded him of the truth.
That seems to be the key. The sin occurs when the Spirit has persuaded someone that Jesus is who he says he is, and that person says no. The Pharisees were sinning with open eyes. Jesus had demonstrated that his ministry was empowered by the Spirit of God, and they attributed his work to Satan. It showed how defiant they were. They crossed a line, and there was no forgiveness for them.
This is a tricky passage, and no one knows exactly where the line falls. One interpretation holds that the sin could be committed only while Jesus was physically present on earth, so that no one can commit it today. Most Reformed teachers, however, hold that the sin is possible in every age. It is a matter of crossing the point where God stops calling and stops inviting. Certainly, if someone dies in that condition, there is no forgiveness.
Echoes in Hebrews
Hebrews 6 and 10 speak in similar terms. People can be enlightened by the Spirit, share in his work, and enjoy the outward benefits of the gospel. They can look like part of the community of faith without ever having been regenerated. If such people fall away, the writer says, it is impossible to renew them to repentance. The passage may well be describing something like this.
What It Could Look Like Today
No one in church today is likely to tell the preacher that he is preaching Satan’s words. So what might the sin look like now?
We are not the final judges of this, and we cannot know hearts. But I have at times wondered whether I have encountered people who have committed this sin. Early in mu ministry at Brackenhurst, a man, who had attended faithfully and seemed to enjoy the preaching, came to see me. That Sunday, I had said that, if you do not love God, you are not a Christian. With a smirk, the man said, “I don’t love God.” He told me that I would not see him at church again. He was not angry. He was flippant, and that was what made it frightening. About a year later the man died suddenly. I often wonder whether he had crossed the line.
Most pastors have seen something like it: people who sit under the word year after year, sometimes weeping under it, and then one day walk away for good. I cannot say for sure that they have blasphemed the Spirit, but it could be. There comes a time when someone can sin against grace so persistently that the opportunity is not offered again. As long as a person is alive, there is still hope. After death comes judgement.
A Word to the Worried
It is also vital to say what the sin is not. People have told me that they once used blasphemous language about God, Jesus, or the Spirit, and fear they have committed the unpardonable sin. That is not what Jesus is describing, and neither is taking God’s name in vain in the past. The sin is not a slip of the tongue. It is a settled response to truth the Spirit has made plain: attributing the Spirit’s testimony about Jesus to Satan, and saying, “That is not truth for me.”
Years ago, a young man would often come to me, troubled by this very question. One day, I told him to stop coming to church, go into the world, and sin according to his desires. Shocked, he replied, “I don’t want to do that.” That was the reminder he needed. Christians do not want to live like that.
Some people with sensitive consciences read this passage and are convinced they have committed the sin. If you are worried about it, you have not done it. The Pharisees, one can imagine, simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “I don’t care.”
There is a flip side. Some people come to church out of habit and assume that is enough, yet they show no fruit of the Spirit. They do not find it easy to forgive, love, or give, and they have no hunger for God’s word or for people speaking into their lives. That could suggest something is wrong, and such people should examine themselves.
Grieving Versus Blaspheming
Writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul warns, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (4:30–32).
Since he was writing to a church, it is clear that a Christian can grieve the Spirit, and Paul calls believers not to. The context shows that grieving is chiefly about sin within the body of Christ: how we treat one another. We grieve the Spirit when we mistreat the church. This is not the only way to grieve him, but in this passage it is the main one, and it is striking. The church is the bride of Christ, so grieving the Spirit this way is still connected to Christ and his work.
Quenching the Spirit, in 1 Thessalonians 5:19–20, is related. Paul says, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies.” If the Spirit is at work, be teachable and do not resist him.
Here, then, is the difference. A Christian can grieve and quench the Spirit, and the answer is repentance and forgiveness. Blasphemy is attributing the work of Christ to Satan and rejecting the truth that would save you, and it is a sin of unbelievers.
A Final Word
Be careful with this passage, and do not use it carelessly. There are many true Christians with tender consciences who assume they have committed this sin. My final word is simple: It may feel that way, but if you are worried about it, you are okay.