Morning Moments

Having concluded our study of James and having dealth with the subject of sin unto death, I would like to now consider the often misunderstood subject of "Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" which Jesus said shall not be forgiven. THIS is THE UNPARDONABLE SIN!

Through the years of my ministry among Baptists, as well as others, I have found even scholars do not wish to deal with the subject objectively or contextually, so it remains a mystery to many and others simply settle on the idea that the "unpardonable sin" is not receiving Jesus Christ. That is neither true to the context nor consistent with the rest of the New Testament.

Let's first look at the texts:

Matthew 12:22. Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 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.

Mark 3:22. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24. And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27. No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28. Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30. Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

Let us first be CLEAR that these are the ONLY two citings in all of Scripture regarding the subject, so ANY conclusions we draw must first be drawn from these texts, and to arrive at a conclusion, we must examine these texts carefully. Let us begin -

1. By whom were these words spoken?
They were spoken by Jesus Christ Himself. There can be no doubt about that.

2. When were these words spoken?
They were spoken during the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus who had not yet established the New Covenant.

3. To whom were they spoken?
According to Matthew He was addressing the Pharisees and according to Mark He was addressing the Scribes, so we can conclude both.

4. What was the occasion of His speaking these words?
Jesus Himself had just healed a man who had been possessed of a demon and was both blind and mute. The people were amazed and the Pharisees and Scribes then accused Jesus of casting out demons by the aurhotiry of Beelzebul, meaning "lord of the flies or lord of the manure pile" referring to Satan. Baal-Zebub was the pagan god of the Philistine city of Ekron.

Now let's consider several things about the text:

1. The crowd was acknowledging that Jesus was the "son of David" which was a term for the Messiah.
2. The Pharisees and Scribes were being threatened because they did not so acknowledge Jesus.
3. Jesus, as Messiah would establish the Eternal Kingdom according to the prophets.
4. Jesus makes it clear that Satan's kingdom of which they accused Him of working would fall.
5. He also states that one is either for Him (Jesus) or against (Him) Jesus. Hence, to be against Him is to be FOR Satan's kingdom, which shall be divided and fall. He spoke this in a parable to them. They did not get it.

NOW - consider:

1. Jesus' disciples cast out demons and healed the sick but were NEVER accused of such a thing.
2. Jesus and Jesus alone faced this accusation and other than these texts about Him personally, there is not one piece of Scripture that refers to the subject. THAT is significant! Why did not ANY of the writers of the epistles mention such an important subject? Because it was only possible for JESUS.
3. No one ever questioned my messiahship - I am NOT, nor yours - you are NOT, nor the disciples - they were NOT! Jesus Messiahship and deity were both denied and His personal life and ministry attributed to the devil! THAT IS THE ISSUE HERE and THAT ALONE is the unpardonable sin.
4. Of course, unbelief is sin, but so is pride, lust, greed, envy, or anything that is not godly. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. It is foolish to say that this "unpardonable sin" is merely a refusal to believe.
5. Jesus said, It shall not be forgiven in this "age" nor in the "age" to come. What was the "age" in which Jesus lived? What "age" is to come? The "age" in which Jesus lived was the "age" or period of time of Messiah early ministry and the "age" to come is the period of time of Messiah's early reign - The Church Age was a mystery hidden, but revealed through Paul.
6. These men were reviling God Himself, not merely men represented God. Hence all manner of blasphemy against the "sons of men" can be forgiven.
7. Jesus was all the "fullness of the Godhead bodily".
8. Those who did this will remain eternally judged and be damned.

Other considerations:

1. This is impossible for a believer who is sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the Day of Redemption. So, if you are a true believer don't fret over it.
2. This is only possible by those who knew the truth but clearly, knowingly, and willfully rejected the truth about Jesus being the Christ. It was only true then and will only be true in the Millennium (the age to come).

I realize that there will be those who challenge this but it is true to context and true to the entire text of Scripture. The world, according to Jesus does not know the Holy Spirit, but these who blasphemed the Holy Spirit KNEW that no man did these works "except God be with him" and Jesus said, "If you can't believe my words, believe my works" and they rejected both.

I pray this brings some clarification to the matter. Even scholars can be bias in Biblical interpretation. Study it honestly for yourself.

BLESSINGS!