Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
Various verses have shown us that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world including both believer and unbeliever.
So, what makes the difference between the believer and the unbeliever?
The unbeliever has rejected Jesus Christ and has rejected the Holy Spirit telling them that Jesus is Lord.
John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This verse sates that God’s judgment can be averted by believing in His Son. Every person is responsible for his or her decision about Christ.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned [judged].
The only means of salvation is to believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross. The believer is under no sentence of condemnation (see also John 5:24; Romans 8:1).
God’s judgment is a natural consequence of unbelief.
The present tense of “is” (underlined above) indicates that the believer is no longer under the judgment of God. Believers are beyond the danger of eternal separation from God.
To believe “in” or into Him is more than giving credence to what someone said. This expression means to have full confidence in Christ, to rely on Him alone for our salvation.
We rely on His sacrifice for our sin to save us eternally. We rely on Him, not on our works, self-righteousness, or religion like Nicodemus did at first.
Only the person who does not believe qualifies for the condemnation from God. The present tense here shows that unbelievers are under the continuing effects of God’s judgment right now. Faith is the means whereby one receives eternal life.
The condemnation here is not that at the end of life but is current to those who know not Christ.
The Greek tense for ‘is’ indicates that those who do not currently believe in Christ already stand under God’s condemnation.
People who do not trust the work of Christ for their salvation stand condemned. They do not have to do anything to be condemned they are condemned from the start by their unbelief in Jesus Christ. God makes it clear that unbelievers are currently in a state of condemnation and not, in this verse, exposed to future condemnation.
This should spur on all believers in our evangelism and witnessing.
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
Mark 3:22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
v28“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Blasphemy is defined as the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things, synonymous with irreverence, insulting and disrespect of God or Christ.
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit means here, calling the Holy Spirit an evil spirit. This is a lie. In the same way the unbeliever do when they persist in their unbelief and are in effect calling the Holy Spirit a liar each time, he tries to tell them that Jesus Christ is Lord. This can go on throughout their life but when they die, their time to be saved has passed and they will not be forgiven for this blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
The Pharisees tried to attribute Jesus’ miracle of casting out demons to the power of some evil spirit rather than the Holy Spirit.
John 16:8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
When the Holy Spirit comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit will show a) the sin is their unbelief in Jesus, b) that Jesus’ death is the only way to God, and c) that judgment on sinners is certain because Satan has been conquered by Jesus’ death.
The Gospel message is Good News for believers with all our sins forgiven but extremely Bad News for those who reject Jesus Christ and by calling the Holy Spirit a liar each time tells them that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Conclusions
There is only one sin the bible says that is unforgivable.
This one sin is ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’ which insults him and calls him a liar when He tells a person that ‘Jesus is Lord.’
All true believers cannot commit this sin by definition.
Only unbelievers can commit the unforgivable sin.
The unbelievers would have every chance in life to believe what the Holy Spirit is saying that Jesus is Lord.
All unbelievers stand already condemned by God that is why we must be urgent to tell them the Good News about Jesus Christ.
Amen
Personal Prayer
Much of this study has been adapted from Roger Price BBS 008
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