Question from a Site Viewer
What I am afraid of is that God is not willing to forgive blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or speaking against the Holy Spirit. That’s my problem. What is the point of believing in Jesus if He said He won’t forgive me? He is not willing. It’s called the unpardonable sin for a reason.
It’s difficult since this really means eternity and I used to know where I was going.
By the way, you are correct on your interpretation of Matthew 12:31. See, the Pharisees thought that Jesus was evil and not of God for personal gain . . . but they blasphemed the Spirit when they accused Him of being possesed by Beelzebub. That’s when Jesus says what He says about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit! So, if you believe in Jesus will He forgive you? I know he died on the cross for all sin except perhaps this one due to the circumstances . . .
Tim’s Answer
God’s character is mercy (Exodus 34:6-7). He has promised not to cast away anyone who will come to Him (John 6:37). He has promised to draw near those who draw near to Him (James 4:8).
As I stated earlier, I am not sure of what sin Jesus had in mind when he speaks of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. But I am confident that whatever sin it is, it does not include the sin of someone who is seeking God. Those who seek God through Jesus Christ demonstrate that the Spirit of God is still at work in their lives. The Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 12:3 that no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle John states in 1 John 4:2 that we know the Spirit of God by those who confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Without the Spirit of God, I do not believe that mankind would ever seek God. The Spirit is the One who convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. Thus, the fact that you still desire to pursue Jesus, that you still confess Him as Lord, and that you are convicted of this sin, all constitute convincing evidence to me that you have not committed the sin Jesus discusses, even if you spoke ill of the Holy Spirit. If you are still confessing that Jesus is Lord and seeking to live life according to that truth, then the Spirit of God is still within you. You have not committed the sin Jesus has in mind.
Even if I thought you had committed the sin Jesus had in mind, my encouragement to you would be to seek Him all the more. There is a little known truth about God. Even when He has pronounced judgment against people, if they will seek Him He will relent of His judgment. God told Israel that He would not listen to them anymore (Judges 10:10-14). Yet, when Israel confessed their sin and turned to follow God, God relented and raised up a deliverer for them (Judges 10:15-16, chapter 11). In Jonah 3:4, God spoke through Jonah that He was going to destroy Nineveh. Yet, the people turned to God on the possibility that God may change His mind (Jonah 3:9). And God relented (Jonah 3:10). Jonah said this was the very character of God, to relent of calamity when people repent and turn to Him (Jonah 4:2-3). God describes Himself just this way in Jeremiah 18:6-10. In Ezekiel 18:27-32, God calls for wicked people to turn from their wickedness and do what is right so that their iniquity will not be their ruin.
So, even if I thought I had committed the forbidden sin, I would still seek God with all my heart. I would not lose heart or give up hope. Because, even if Jesus said that the sin would not be forgiven, I know that God’s heart is open to the brokenhearted and those who seek Him. I know that repeatedly when He has pronounced harsh judgment, He has been willing to turn from such pronouncement if people will seek Him. This is who He is. It is a part and parcel of His very nature, to relent of pronounced judgment when people turn to Him (Joel 2:12-14).
My encouragement to you is to take your sin to God and let Him know that you have sinned against Him, that you acknowledge your sin, and that you commit your life to walk with Him. Then seek to walk with Him. Engage seriously in the work I addressed in the earlier email, including reading, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture, as well as praying, fellowshipping with other Christians, and doing good works. And may the Lord Jesus guide you and give you peace.
tim
Related Articles:
The Unpardonable Sin, Part 1
Blasphemy
Focus on Jesus
I’m really worried I committed blasphemy of the spirit. A while back I watched a movie about demonic possession . Then I had the thought that Jesus might have been possessed but I never believed it; however I may have said it out Loud but not to others. I refuted the thought because I know Jesus is holy and not possessed by the devil. I wasn’t intentionally trying to be blasphemous. It was just a thought I may have spoken to myself not something I tried preaching to others. I never knew about the blasphemy of the spirit until a week ago so I said that stuff in ignorance but I’m really worried about if I committed it or not after reading about the pharisees. I’ve repented and accepted Jesus as my savior but I’m still worried that I may be unforgiven even though Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins.
So could someone please give me input over whether or not that thought was blasphemy of the spirit even though I never meant it.
If you ignorantly say blasphemous stuff without knowing blasphemy is a mortal sin or that blasphemy of the spirit is unforgivable does God still hold that against you or does he forgive me for saying things in ignorance with no intention to actually blasphemize?
Take heart. God is good! He knows what is really in your heart and mind. If someone committed the unpardonable sin, then they would have no desire whatsoever to even try to serve God in any way. The scripture teaches us that Satan is a liar and the truth is not in him. Give all your cares over to Jesus because with him you can’t lose and his word says the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness!
thanks for the text above.
I spent the first years of my life as an atheist,the truth of the bible was never shown to me,instead I was given a misrepresentation of it and did not believe.In the last weeks I have found the truth and believe in Jesus Christ as our saviour.I am now in a predicament.I have been with my partner for years and yet we are not married.Having just found out about God and his true nature I want to walk the path of righteousness,and I want to save my partner from their atheist beliefs.We have sexual intercourse I am sure that if I stop they will leave me (they have said so) and I will not have the chance to save them.What should I do?Am I able to sin in this way temporarily to make sure I can show them to the Lord?I do not want to forsake them!?
You should pray to Jesus, He’ll know what’s best~ Besides, the Holy Spirit is the one that begins the work! Don’t be afraid…
I personally understand what you are going through.