Did I Commit The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit / Unpardonable Sin?

There is such an intense fear for the one who believes he or she has committed the unpardonable sin. I used to struggle with this fear myself. And I know many of my readers either want to learn more about the topic, they are afraid of a moment they denounced God/Jesus, or they are terrified because of the obsessive thoughts that whirl in their mind. This topic is one of my highest viewed topics. It’s important to talk about the unpardonable sin.

I’ve shared my experience before, which you can view:

• I Thought I Blasphemed The Holy Spirit | Obsessive & Intrusive Thoughts
• Obsessive & Intrusive Thoughts | The Medicine Not Talked About

For this post, I would like to summarize some key points to focus on regarding what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is, what it isn’t, and what to do if you are concerned or fear that you’ve committed this unpardonable sin. And lastly, I want to share some really great resources that dive into this topic much better than I do.

From the Biblehub website, (ESV) version, we see the unpardonable sin in Mark 3:20-30.

What Is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

• Believing that the Spirit of Christ is demonic – see requirements below
• This belief that the Spirit of Christ is demonic happens after seeing Christ physically, in the flesh, hear Christ confess Himself as God, and show Himself as being set apart from any other man. Despite all of the evidence Christ gives, the individual denies all and refuses to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ.

What Are Those Who Blaspheme the Holy Spirit Like?

• Individuals who blaspheme the Spirit will have a hardened heart.
• They will not fear that they blasphemed the Holy Spirit because they have convinced themselves that Jesus is not God.
• Individuals who have blasphemed the Holy Spirit are not convicted of their wrongdoing and sin. Ever.
• Some Noticeable Traits: They fear the following of Jesus and wish Him dead. They do not want anyone to follow Jesus.
• These people actively go against Jesus Christ and convince others Christ has the Spirit of demons.
• They will never put their faith in Jesus Christ. They see no point to because they do not believe Christ is the Savior.
• They will never proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels.com

What About Those Who Believe They Have Blasphemed Against the Holy Spirit?

• The people who truly blasphemed against the Holy Spirit were the Pharisees. They lived in Jesus’ time. They saw His miracles and heard His words. They had hardened hearts and were angered against the Son of Man. It did not matter what Christ did, they convinced themselves Christ was of the Devil and His Spirit must be from Satan.
• Today, no one can blaspheme the Holy Spirit, like the Pharisees did. No one can witness Christ in the flesh, like the Pharisees, nor see Christ perform miracles in the flesh. When Christ comes again, He comes as the Judge.
• Moreso, the people who feel GUILT about saying anything negative against Jesus and the Holy Spirit, well, this is the very opposite of the Pharisees who committed the unpardonable sin. The Pharisees felt no shame about the deception they promoted and the darkness they delighted themselves in, believing Christ was not of God but Satan.

What Is NOT Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

• Based on the context of scripture, obsessive thoughts against the Holy Spirit is not the unpardonable sin.
  • While obsessive thoughts can be extremely hard to manage, especially the more we try to control our mind, the Pharisees did not have this issue in scripture. The Pharisees were thinking clearly enough to convince themselves to believe Christ was not Who He proclaimed to be. They believed this, not from obsessive thoughts, but from their darkened and hardened hearts.
• Denouncing God during some point in our life, and then feeling shame and fear over what we have done clearly shows our heart is not hardened. Again, those who blaspheme show absolutely no remorse, ever. They continue to grow a hardened heart.
  • Conviction shows the Holy Spirit because part of the role of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin. So, if the Holy Spirit is convicting people, then that’s a sign of hope and the promise of Christ to renew us and transform us for all who put their faith in Him. (John 16:08)
• Feeling shame, guilt, and fear over what was thought or said shows this is not the same experience, as the Pharisees.
• Seeing the Spirit active in our life, despite our concern we committed the unpardonable sin, for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, shows the Holy Spirit is indwelling in us. Those who have committed this sin will never accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and therefore, their sins will not be paid off, and Christ will not send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to indwell in them.

What To Do For Those Afraid They Have Committed The Sin

• Go to the Lord Jesus and pray for forgiveness and strength. Forgiveness for not putting your faith in Jesus and thank Him for CONVICTING your spirit. Again, as I said, the Pharisees showed no conviction whatsoever.
• Read the Bible. Read the hard passages. When I was convinced I committed this sin against the Holy Spirit and struggled with obsessive thoughts, I was extremely afraid to read the passages covering the unpardonable sin. But we need FULL context of scripture in order to understand. If we choose to run away in fear, instead of turning to all of God’s word, the enemy gloats. Let the glory of God in His word shine.
• Obsessive Thoughts & Tips:
  • The more you try to control your thoughts the harder it will be. Pink Elephant – try not to think of it. We need more tools than relying on ourselves, clearly it is not working.
  • Put your faith in Jesus Christ and His Spirit. Ironic, right? I am repeating myself here because I had to hear it over and over again against the lies in my mind. The Pharisees didn’t care and they refused to acknowledge the power of Jesus. But my friend, if you have read scripture and put your faith in Jesus, then you should know the power of Christ, and you believe in what He has done, don’t you? (See the Gospel message below) You aren’t like the Pharisee.
    • Spend time in God’s word. Have scripture nearby that you can recite when the thoughts come. Read the Bible when the thoughts come. No matter how often! (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17) Bible Study Tips | The Four R’s Of Bible Studying
    • Pray when the thoughts come. It does not matter how often. DO IT! You want to fight? Pick up the word of God and call on His name. Stop trying to think you can do this on your own because you can’t face Him. – I say this from my own pit of despair when I struggled. Embrace the truth of Jesus In His Holy Word. Love Him. Cry out to Him. Praise Him. Again, the Pharisees DID NONE of these things.
  • What kind of media or influences are you exposing yourself to? Darkness? Cursing? Nudity? Encouragement of sin? I cover this more in my post Obsessive & Intrusive Thoughts | The Medicine Not Talked About. Be willing to examine what you are allowing in your life. Be willing to cut out what is pulling you away from Jesus. Submission and obedience is part of walking by the way of the Spirit. We do this because we love the Lord and this is part of loving the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Sometimes we have grown desensitized and do not realize how much bondage we are in regarding media and those around us who are not Christ-like. Any form of sin and darkness can affect us. We must strive to surround ourselves with the Light of Christ, especially when we clearly see how dark our mind can get. (Mark 12:30)
• Afraid of Turning Against God, But Want To Save Others? (LIE) – I once shared this fear and I had a friend who did also. If I can’t be saved, then I want to share the truth of Christ, so others do not have to be like me – this is the deceiving lie. Friend, IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE TRUTH OF JESUS AND ARE PROMOTING JESUS AND TELLING PEOPLE TO FOLLOW HIM… you do not have the same hardened heart of the Pharisees who blasphemed Him. Again, those who blasphemed refused to tell people to follow Jesus because they themselves refused to follow Jesus and they never followed Him.

The unpardonable sin is scary, for good reason. From everything I’m gathering and hearing, those who truly committed this sin do not care. They are not ashamed. They feel no guilt. They see no need to warn others and tell them to follow Jesus because those who truly blaspheme against the Spirit of Christ hate Him, want Him to die, remain dead, and stop saying He is the Son of God. They never have remorse.

But those who do fear, sorrow, feel convicted, and desire forgiveness, there is hope in Christ.

Recommended Resources:

• Unpardonable Sin (Mark 3:20-30) by R. C. Sproul
• Unforgivable Sin (Mark 3:20-35) by John MacArthur
• The Modern Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit by John MacArthur
• What EXACTLY is the Unforgivable Sin? by Allen Parr (The Beat)
• What EXACTLY is the Unforgivable Sin? by Mike Winger (BibleThinker)
• What Is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? by Melissa Dougherty
• The Unpardonable Sin, Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit – by Pastor Tim Conway – This message was what helped me the most. I was so afraid to listen, convinced I was condemned, and Pastor Tim broke down the scripture and the truth of Jesus.
• Is Suicide the Unpardonable Sin? by Sinclair Ferguson ”If people do not want forgiveness, then they will not get the comfort of peace.”
• What Is The Unpardonable Sin? by Got Questions

The Gospel Message– The Gospel message is good news, which means there’s bad news. We all are sinners and condemned. We all deserve the just punishment of God’s wrath. Christianity is unlike any other religion because we cannot earn our way into Heaven. God saw the weakness of man and his utter depravity. Yet, He showed us grace. Jesus, God, One Person of the Trinity, became God in the flesh, the God-Man. He was always perfect and sinless. And His humanity was perfected on the cross, living the full sinless life. He became our atonement sacrifice. Dying in our place, taking on the wrath of God upon Himself. He died on the cross, and He was resurrected because death could not hold Him. Jesus is the answer. We, as guilty sinners, need His blood to pay off our debt of sin. For all who put their faith in Him – meaning eyes are opened to the Gospel, we see ourselves as a sinner, we see the need for Christ, we desire our Savior, and we see the ugliness of our sin. Putting our faith in Jesus, we seek HIs forgiveness and repent from our sins, we turn away from our old way of life. We, through the work of the Holy Spirit, continue to become convicted of sin daily. Our eyes will never be the same again. We see things in a different light, and the truth of Christ affects how we live and serve Him. Christ tells us to count the cost. Salvation is a serious topic, it is not to be taken lightly. For a breakdown of this powerful message, understanding how Christ could be God and Man, why God required sacrifices, and more -please see: Why Did A Loving God Kill His Son? (Does God Hate?)

If you think you know the Gospel, check out these questions and see how prepared you are for the day someone might ask you why you believe: The Gospel Challenge (30 Question Quiz) – Are You Ready To Defend Your Faith?

Scripture To Memorize/Meditate On – (ESV) John 16:07-08, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

Community Prayer – Community Prayer – January ’22

Christian Topics/Series Covered
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Personal Blog: Peeking Beneath
Second Blog: UnAshamed Christian Housewife
Godly Men & Women I Recommend: Link To List
Resources For False Teaching: Recommended Websites For False Teachers/Teaching 
Video Playlist: Christian Questions, Topics, False Teachers, Insights 
Video Playlist: New Christian Believer 
Video Playlist: Understanding False Teachings
Video Playlist: Sermons To Grow From
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