The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub (Satan),
the prince of demons (Mat 12:24).
the prince of demons (Mat 12:24).
Jesus answered them as follows:
- "'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). - "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people,
but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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" (Mat 12:31–32). - "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven"
(Luk 12:10).
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is when one declares that the supernatural works of Jesus Christ are actually performed through the power and authority of Satan, see Miracles of Jesus.
The Pharisees had a deep knowledge of the scriptures and could have acted like the people of Berea who eagerly listened to Paul's message and searched the scriptures to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth (Acts 17:10–12).
Instead, they responded with lies and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
It's when a person has hardened his heart so much that he not only rejects the gospel, but in the face of overwhelming miraculous evidence, calls it satanic. He knows that it's really done by Jesus, but still says that it's done by satanic power. This is the height of the rejection of Christ. It's a self-will fallacy.
That person will never trust Christ or repent (Heb 6:4–6, 10:26–31),
and therefore will never be forgiven, because that person never repents.
Jesus spoke to a highly religious group of unbelieving Pharisees. They accused Jesus of getting his power from Satan, the prince of demons
(Mat 12:24, Mark 3:22, Luk 11:15). Because Jesus was empowered by the
Holy Spirit, this was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It was a deliberate act by the Pharisees, they knew what they were doing. They didn't care about the consequences of their blasphemy. The Pharisees knew that Jesus cast out demons (Mat 12:25–29, Mark 3:23–27, Luk 11:17–22). The natural conclusion at that time in their worldview, seeing Jesus perform miracles, is that Jesus is from God
(Mat 12:24, Mark 3:22, Luk 11:15). Because Jesus was empowered by the
Holy Spirit, this was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It was a deliberate act by the Pharisees, they knew what they were doing. They didn't care about the consequences of their blasphemy. The Pharisees knew that Jesus cast out demons (Mat 12:25–29, Mark 3:23–27, Luk 11:17–22). The natural conclusion at that time in their worldview, seeing Jesus perform miracles, is that Jesus is from God
(Mat 11:2–6, Luk 7:18–23). The casting out of demons proved who Jesus is.
The Pharisees had a deep knowledge of the scriptures and could have acted like the people of Berea who eagerly listened to Paul's message and searched the scriptures to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth (Acts 17:10–12).
Instead, they responded with lies and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
It's when a person has hardened his heart so much that he not only rejects the gospel, but in the face of overwhelming miraculous evidence, calls it satanic. He knows that it's really done by Jesus, but still says that it's done by satanic power. This is the height of the rejection of Christ. It's a self-will fallacy.
That person will never trust Christ or repent (Heb 6:4–6, 10:26–31),
and therefore will never be forgiven, because that person never repents.
These religious leaders were in danger of committing the unforgivable sin,
although they haven't yet done so because Jesus still warns them to do so,
see time 18:39–22:51 in Mark 3:20-35 – Is Jesus Crazy?
Paul himself blasphemed the name of Christ and persecuted his people, but was
saved (1 Tim 1:13, Acts 22:19–20). He hadn't committed the unforgivable sin because he had acted in ignorance and unbelief, he believed he was doing the right thing, see time 32:04–34:30 in Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │April 2024 |.
although they haven't yet done so because Jesus still warns them to do so,
see time 18:39–22:51 in Mark 3:20-35 – Is Jesus Crazy?
Paul himself blasphemed the name of Christ and persecuted his people, but was
saved (1 Tim 1:13, Acts 22:19–20). He hadn't committed the unforgivable sin because he had acted in ignorance and unbelief, he believed he was doing the right thing, see time 32:04–34:30 in Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │April 2024 |.
God can forgive the worst sinner, see Manasseh of Judah. See also if a wicked man like Hitler could have been saved at time 7:40–9:30 in May 2024 Bible Q&A.
See also time 1:05:07–1:08:58 on the same link.
See also time 1:05:07–1:08:58 on the same link.
Even committing suicide isn't an unforgivable sin, see the following videos:
- Time 26:28–28:06 in John 8:12-30 – Opposite of darkness.
- Time 22:57–24:51 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul.
Denying Jesus is very serious. Jesus said that whoever denies him before men will Jesus deny before God the Father who is in Heaven (Mat 10:33, Luk 12:9).
But even this sin is forgiven if you come to Jesus in prayer and repent.
All of Jesus' disciples abandoned Jesus in Gethsemane but were forgiven
(Mat 26:31–33, 56, Mark 14:27–29, 50, Luk 22:31–33, John 16:32).
This wasn't an apostasy, however, because they didn't fall away from their faith altogether. It was more of a temporary failure of courage.
Peter denied Jesus three times (see the Denial of Peter) and was forgiven,
see The Apostle Peter, and see time 18:19–25:49 in John 21 • “Follow Me”.
But even this sin is forgiven if you come to Jesus in prayer and repent.
All of Jesus' disciples abandoned Jesus in Gethsemane but were forgiven
(Mat 26:31–33, 56, Mark 14:27–29, 50, Luk 22:31–33, John 16:32).
This wasn't an apostasy, however, because they didn't fall away from their faith altogether. It was more of a temporary failure of courage.
Peter denied Jesus three times (see the Denial of Peter) and was forgiven,
see The Apostle Peter, and see time 18:19–25:49 in John 21 • “Follow Me”.
See also Some stories in the gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.
