P.M. Sermon
Spring Hill, TN
5/20/07 p.m.
Series: “Discovering the Holy Spirit” (Pt. 15)
Text(s): Matthew 12:30-32
Summary: In PART 15, we explore the concept of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit being the unpardonable sin. (Several sources were helpful in this study; for the first point I found Gus Nichols’ Lectures on the Holy Spirit useful and have presented some of his observations here. Also helpful was William Lane’s discussion of Mark 3:28-30 in NICNT).
“Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”
Introduction:
A. No series on the Holy Spirit would be complete without a discussion of the “unpardonable sin” of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
B. This subject is of interest to most Christians; some are curious as to what the Bible teaches on the topic, while others wonder if they have ever committed the sin during their life for which the Bible says that there can be no forgiveness.
C. In this lesson we are going to investigate “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” and our lesson text is found in Matthew 12:30-32.
I. THE SPECIFIC STATEMENT
A. In Matthew 12:31-32, we have a statement of what come have termed the “unpardonable sin”—that is, a sin for which there can be no forgiveness.
B. What specifically is this sin? Notice carefully the text: “…but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
C. Jesus equates “blasphemy against the Spirit” with “speaking against the Holy Spirit” therefore clearly the sin Jesus has in mind here is a sin of the tongue.
D. Therefore the “unpardonable sin” is not murder. Moses murdered an Egyptian (Ex. 2:11-12), the Jews murdered the Son of God (Acts 2:23), Saul murdered Christians (Acts 7:52), yet each of these that accepted God’s terms of salvation were forgiven.
E. Adultery is not the “unpardonable sin” because Jesus offered pardon to a woman caught in this very act (John 8).
F. Paul lists an entire catalogue of sins including fornication, idolatry, adultery, theft, drunkenness, reviling, etc. Yet, Paul says that some of his hearers had been guilty of these acts but were forgiven (1 Cor. 6:9-11). None of these are the unpardonable sin.
G. It is also important to note that blasphemy itself is not the unpardonable sin.
H. The Apostle Paul admits that he had been a “blasphemer” before obeying Christ (1 Tim. 1:13). Yet, Paul did not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, rather he blasphemed Christ.
I. Our current text shows that blasphemy against the Son of Man would be forgiven, but not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
II. THE SPECIFIC CONTEXT
A. To understand what Jesus is referring to in our text, we must examine the greater context where He makes this affirmation.
B. Prior to this statement, Jesus had healed a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute (12:22).
C. The crowds were amazed by Jesus power and thought him to be the “Son of David”—the long awaited Messiah (12:23).
D. Yet, when the religious leaders (Pharisees) heard the buzz of the crowd, they wanted to quickly find a way to discredit what Jesus had done. No one could deny that the man had been healed, therefore the source of Jesus power was the target of the Pharisaical rebuke.
E. The Pharisees confidently asserted that Jesus had performed this act by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons (12:24).
F. Jesus shows how utterly ridiculous this accusation was by simple logic: “Any kingdom that is divided against itself will not stand” (12:25).
G. Satan is working to increase his kingdom and power over mankind, Satan would not work against himself by decreasing his forces.
H. Anyone who is casting out demons, is clearly working against Satan’s kingdom and is defeating the devil’s henchmen.
I. Jesus further states the true source of his power—he had cast out this demon by the power of the “Spirit of God” (12:28).
J. It is on the heals of this incident that Jesus tells the Pharisees, “blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven” (12:31).
K. Blasphemy is an “expression of defiant hostility toward God” (Lane, NICNT 145).
L. The context here shows that the “unpardonable sin” of blaspheming the Holy Spirit is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.
M. We must be careful not to divorce this statement about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit from this history context.
N. The situation involves a specific instance where Jesus performs a miracle and that miracle is attributed by his critics to the power of Satan. It is uncertain that we have any exact parallel to this today insomuch as the age of miracles has ceased (1 Cor. 13:8-13).
O. But ultimately these accusers were denying the power of the Spirit of God and assigned the action of God to Satan. There were calling the light darkness. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (5:20).
P. Therefore by looking at this context blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a “conscious and deliberate rejection of the saving power and grace of God” (Lane, NICNT 145).
Q. In a general way, then we might make some contemporary applications from this passage.
III. THE GREATER APPLICATION
A. In attributing the power of God’s Spirit to Satan, the Pharisees were guilty of blaspheming and deliberately rejecting the power of God to save them.
B. When we reject the only cure for sin—the only true power source—all hope is lost.
C. This seems to be the application that the Hebrew writer is making in Hebrews 6:4-6.
D. Once a person has become a “partaker of the Holy Spirit” (vs. 4) and then turns and rejects the power of the Holy Spirit it is “impossible to renew them again to repentance” (6:6).
E. You see it is impossible for a person to be saved if they reject the only source of salvation and “again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame” (6:6).
F. Along these same lines the Hebrew writer later says, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (10:26).
G. The person that the writer is discussing there that is “sinning willfully” is guilty of “trampling under foot the Son of God” and “insulting the Spirit of grace” (10:29).
H. The point is the same in all these passages.
I. When we deliberately reject the power of the God’s Spirit to save us, there is no other way to be saved.
Conclusion:
A. Imagine for a moment that you are a person who can’t stand to drink milk. You hate the taste of milk, and no one can make you even take a sip.
B. Also, imagine for a moment that you contract a rare, never before documented, terminal disease.
C. As you lie suffering in the hospital bed, the doctor comes into your room with joyful news. Their research has discovered that this dreaded disease has a simple cure. To be completely made well all you have to do is drink one glass of milk.
D. But you object, “Doc, I hate milk! I can’t stand it! Please give me chemotherapy, radiation, powerful antibiotics, anything! Just don’t ask me to drink milk!”
E. The doctor replies that there is nothing else that will cure this disease, milk is the only remedy.
F. In your stubbornness, as you lie aching in pain, you die refusing to take a single sip of milk.
G. Now, this illustration may seem silly, but that is exactly the situation with sin.
H. There is only one thing that will cure sin, the power of God.
I. God’s power has been demonstrated by the sacrifice of his son and the revelation of his plan of salvation by the Holy Spirit as found in the words of the Bible.
J. And yet, many people continue to refuse to obey God’s Word and come to Christ.
K. As long as you continue to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit” by saying in your heart “that stuff is foolishness, religion is for the weak minded, I don’t need God in my life” you are rejecting the only cure for sin.
L. When the only cure is rejected, then all hope is lost.
M. The unpardonable sin? To reject God’s single plan for pardon.
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