Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
“Pentecost,” Rabula Gospels (Illuminated manuscript, cod. Plut. 1, 56, fol. 14v), A.D 586.
Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence.
[This is one of fourteen large miniatures completed by the scribe “Rabbula” at the Syrian Monastery of St. John of Zagba.]
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Question:
In Matthew 12: 31 (and the parallels in Mark 3: 29 and Luke 12: 10) Jesus says: “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” Jesus died that our sins might be forgiven—all of them. So just what is this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that will not be forgiven?
Answer:
The Greek word translated “blasphemy” is βλασφημία (blas-fay-me’-ah). To be accurate, the word is not translated, it is simply transliterated, much as the verb βαπτίζω (bap-tid’-zo, “to dip”) is transliterated as “baptize”—both words are Greek, “Englished.” In classical Greek literature “blasphemy” refers to abusive speech in the intensified sense of personal mockery and ridicule. It may refer to overt speech or simply to one’s attitude.
To understand blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, we must first understand the role of the Holy Spirit in the economy of salvation. Within the triune nature of God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—each “person” plays a unique role. In John 14: 16-17 Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” The Counselor is the παράκλητος (par-ak’-lay-tos), a word etymologically derived from παρά (“alongside”) and κᾰλέo (“to call”); John uses it in his gospel to describe the Holy Spirit: thus, the Holy Spirit is one “called alongside.” The word is rarely used in classical Greek, and only John uses it in the New Testament.
As we noted in our previous blog, the Holy Spirit is “called alongside” humanity for two distinct purposes: 1) in relation to the world, and 2) in relation to the family of God, the Church. In relation to the world, Jesus says: “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16: 8). That is, in regard to the world, the Holy Spirit will create a sense of conviction regarding the reality of sin, the holiness of God, and the inevitable judgment that must follow: if sin is real, and if God is holy, then God must, by his very nature, judge sin. We are all born into a condition of sin, and we cannot take one step toward salvation until we recognize that reality. In relation to the Church, the Holy Spirit has two distinct roles: 1) in regard to the Church as a corporate body, the Holy Spirit is to guide, shape and nurture the Church down through the ages, and 2) in regard to individuals within the Church, the Holy Spirit is to take up residence within us as our Comforter and to provide talents, gifts and abilities to be used in the service of the family of God.
When Jesus speaks of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit he refers to the Holy Spirit’s purpose in relation to the world. In the world the Holy Spirit holds up the mirror of reality so that we might see ourselves as God sees us: fallen, lost and in desperate need of a Savior. If we respond to the Holy Spirit and accept that reality, we have taken our first step toward God forgiving our sin and restoring our rightful place in his creation. Conversely, if we respond to the Holy Spirit by mocking, ridiculing and rejecting his testimony, we stay where we are: lost in a fallen world.
To use an analogy, if I have a fatal illness and my doctor has a medicine that will cure it, the medicine will not help me unless I recognize that I have the illness to begin with, and then accept the cure that my doctor offers. In the same way, we cannot accept the gift of salvation until we recognize that we are in a sinful condition, and that God has the cure. If we reject the Holy Spirit’s testimony regarding sin, righteousness and judgment, then our sin cannot be forgiven—not because God refuses to forgive us—but because we refuse to recognize the condition we are in and accept the cure.
When Jesus says, “blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven,” he is not commenting on God’s failure to respond to us, but on our failure to respond to God.