"Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit"

For the second time in my life, I have had to comfort some poor soul who believed that (s)he had committed the "unpardonable sin" (i.e. "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" Matthew 21:31)  Both times I have had to deal with this, it was an accusation from some highly Charismatic Believer against some other (possibly less) Charismatic Believer when the second Believer had a question about some action or practice.

Okay, there is a short form of this, and a long form.  For those of you who are not interested in either logic or analyzing Scripture, let me save you some time: 
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin that cannot be committed by any Believer.  If you can't stomach that idea, kindly move along.  This isn't the Blog you're looking for.



Still with me?  Good.

Now, generally, I start digging into the original languages a bit to see what word is being translated, but here, I'm saved that effort.  It isn't translated.  The word is pretty much lifted straight from the Greek, where it means "to speak badly against" with the implication that it is God against whom one is speaking.

So, why do I say that it is not a sin that a Believer can commit?  It's actually part and parcel of why it cannot be pardoned.  Let's look at the passage.  I'm using the NETfree Bible, both because it is easy and because it is a good modern translation that doesn't create copyright issues.  However, the analysis that follows doesn't depend on any particular translation:

Matthew 12:22-32
  22 Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus healed him so that he could speak and see.  23 All the crowds were amazed and said, "Could this one be the Son of David?"  24 But when the Pharisees heard this they said, "He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons!"  25 Now when Jesus realized what they were thinking, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.  26 So if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?  27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you. 29 How else can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house.  30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.  31 For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 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.

Okay, let's break this passage down a bit:

• Matthew 12:22 - Jesus performs a miracle that pretty clearly meets the qualifications for being the Messiah. 
• Matthew 12:23 - The crowds recognize this and begin to wonder if Jesus might be the "Son of David" (on of the common terms referring to the Messiah.)
• Matthew 12:24 - The Pharisees present state categorically that the miracle was not wrought by the Messiah.
• Matthew 12:25 - 30 - Jesus gives the Pharisees an earful.
• Matthew 12:31 - Jesus identifies what the Pharisees did as "blasphemy against the Spirit" which will "not be forgiven."

So what is "blasphemy against the Spirit?"  It is attributing the works that testify to the Messiah ship of Jesus to some other source, and thereby denying that Jesus is the Messiah.
You see where this is going, right?

• Statement: The forgiveness of sins (any sins, and all sins) lies in accepting the atoning work of the Messiah,
• Observation: If you deny the evidence for His Messiahship, then you don't accept His atonement.
• Conclusion 1: If you deny the evidence for His Messiahship, you do not accept the forgiveness of sins.
• Conclusion 2: If you deny the evidence for His Messiahship, none of your sins can be forgiven, including denying the evidence for His Messiahship.

Since you cannot simultaneously accept and reject the forgiveness of your sins, no Believer can fall into this trap.

Now there is a second interesting aspect to this, and that is the concept of Blasphemy against the Spirit, specifically.  This is Jesus speaking, the Second Person of the Trinity, speaking about what some dispute is the Third Person of the Trinity.

Now, I'm not going to say that disputing whether there is a Trinity or whether the Holy Spirit is the Third Person in the Trinity is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  I've already argued that Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit isn't possible for believers.

What I am going to say is that if you accept that Jesus' Messiahship includes that he is a part of the Godhead, it is illogical in light of His statement here to conclude that the Spirit isn't.

If denying a proof of His Messiahship is "Blasphemy against the Spirit" (rather than "Blasphemy against the Messiah" or "Blasphemy against the Father") then Jesus is implicitly acknowledging that the Spirit (which had not yet been given to men) is an existing, independent, Entity which can be blasphemed against.

Ergo: If blasphemy in Greek is speaking against God (which is how the word is used here) then either;

• the Spirit is a part of God, or 
• Jesus is badly mistaken in His assessment of the nature of God.

If you accept Jesus as a part of the Godhead, you are on shaky logical ground to argue that the Holy Spirit isn't.