“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Mark 3:28-30 (ESV)
The unforgivable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What is this sin? Why is it unforgivable? And is this something a believer might be guilty of?
To start with, there is no universal consensus as to what constitutes blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. However, the context of this passage will help us understand what Jesus was talking about here.
Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching, healing, and casting out demons. Some of the scribes from Jerusalem, the Bible teachers, accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Mark 3:22). And Mark’s conclusion, that the scribes were saying Jesus had an unclean spirit, makes it clear that Jesus was responding to that accusation.
Luke tells us that after his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness (Luke 4:1). And after this wilderness time, he returned in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14). It was the Holy Spirit, working through Jesus, that enabled him to heal and cast out demons.
But the scribes said that what the Holy Spirit was enabling Jesus to do was actually being done by Satan. So, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit would seem to be attributing the work of the Spirit to some other source. This can happen, for instance, when someone claims that what the Holy Spirit is doing in my life is merely a human response to circumstances.
What Is Unforgivable?
But there is another way of looking at this. What is the one thing we know of that is unforgivable? Something that would keep a person from experiencing the Lord’s salvation? Is it not a failure to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior?
In John 16:8, Jesus told his disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, he would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. It is this conviction, the drawing of the Holy Spirit, that leads people to repentance and faith in Christ. But not everyone responds to the Spirit. Some deny the power and work of the Spirit. And are guilty of an unforgivable sin.
It is worth noting that Jesus’ words concerning the unforgivable sin were directed toward those who were saying he had an unclean spirit. It was not just a one-time accusation, but rather an ongoing series of accusations.
Is this something a believer in the Lord Jesus could do? I do not believe so. A believer is one who responds to the drawing of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. And they would, in general, recognize the work of the Holy Spirit and not be guilty of attributing it to Satan or human activity (1 Cor. 12:3).
I believe it is safe to say that if you are following Jesus, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not something you would be guilty of. And if you die, having rejected the drawing of the Spirit, you are guilty of this unforgivable sin.
