(John 8:48-59)
The sins and the evils that the leaders of the Jews made against Jesus in his day were almost incomprehensible. But the worst of all sins was committed during this conversation.
What is the worst sin that can be committed? Murder? Rape? Adultery? No, the worst sin that can be committed and the only one that will not be forgiven was defined by Jesus Christ himself. And it is not a sin against another person but against the Holy Spirit.
The Worst Sin of All
Jesus Christ defined the greatest sin of all in Matthew 12:31-32 saying,
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the worst sin of all and the only one that will not be forgiven. As Jesus said, a person may blaspheme Jesus Christ himself and still be forgiven, and we know how much Jesus gave up for mankind, but any person that blasphemes the Holy Spirit would never be forgiven. There is no going back for someone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit of God.
What is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Back in John 8:48-49 we see exactly what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is. It says,
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Despite all of the wonders, headings and miracles Jesus did the leaders of the Jews accused Him of having a demon. In essence they were saying that all the works Jesus did we’re being done by the power of the devil rather than the power of God through the Holy Spirit.
This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. calling the Holy Spirit demonic is the ultimate blasphemy and the only sin that is unforgivable. Committing this sin means the door will be shut and the key thrown away. No one who commits this sin will be forgiven.
Do You or Should You Worry About This?
I know of many people who worry about this matter. They worry that they have committed the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Should they be concerned? Well…it depends.
Those who deliberately and knowingly call the Holy Spirit or His works demonic will be lost forever. But where it may have been done unknowingly or unwittingly I do not believe The Lord would be so rigid as to condemn a person when they did not know the difference.
There were many sins committed which Jesus forgave in compassion. Consider the woman caught in adultery as an example. She had committed a sin that was punishable by death, and there was no question she had done the crime. But Jesus saw fit not to condemn but to show compassion on the condition that she did not sin again. She came to a place of understanding and knowing that if it did happen again there would be no comeback and no avenue for repentance.
Consider also the teaching in Luke 12:47-48 which says,
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
A person who does the wrong thing without knowing still deserves to be punished, but their punishment will be less than someone who knowingly and deliberately does the wrong thing.
Now I must stress that this is just my opinion, but I do not believe that The Lord would hold it against a person if they unknowingly and unwittingly were to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. There are probably many people who have done this prior to coming to The Lord and learning about his ways and I am sure that their errors prior to coming to a knowledge of the truth will not be held against them. It is those who deliberately and knowingly blaspheme the Holy Spirit who will be shut out forever.
This is also discussed by the writer of Hebrews who said in Hebrews 6:4-8,
4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
As we see here, it is those who have learned, understood and known the truth who then turn and commit blasphemy and apostasy that are condemned with no avenue of return. They should have known better and they turned away to seek and speak evil. Their end is destruction and the reason is that they knew what was right and turned away from it.
And even those rulers in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus who condemned Him saying he had a demon may still have had hope. For Peter said in Acts 3:17, “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.” Those rulers as well as the people acted in ignorance for they did not know the truth. So they too had opportunity to repent and return.
So should you be afraid and think, “Did I blaspheme the spirit unwittingly?” I don’t believe that anyone who did so when they knew no different need be worried, but if they are then take it to The Lord and pray about it.
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Hi! I’m John, the owner, author, and editor of this site. Over the past 50+ years as a Christian I have been teaching, preaching and writing about the Bible to help Christians gain a deeper insight into the scriptures that are easily understood. I also answer specific Bible related questions, so feel free to contact me.
