– Matthew 12:22-32:
[22]Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. [23] And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" [24] But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons."
[25] Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. [26] And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? [27] And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
[28] But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
[29] Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. [30] Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
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 (ESV).
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit involves attributing the ministry and miraculous kingdom power of the Holy Spirit (such as authority to drive out demons and having power to heal the sick, (Cf. Vv. 22-24, 28) to Satan rather than to God.
It involves a deliberate rejection of the Holy Spirit’s witness to Christ and the Gospel.
Note that in this context, it was not ‘sinners” (Cf. 9:10-11) who were committing this sin, but rather the “spiritual leaders of Israel (Cf. Vv. 24, 34).
The process leading to “blasphemy against the Spirit” is as follows:
1. Grieving the Spirit (Ephesians. 4:30), if ongoing, leads to resisting the Spirit;
2. Resisting the Spirit (Acts 7:51) leads to putting out the Spirit’s fire;
3. Putting out the Spirit’s fire (1 Thessalonians 5:19), leads to hardening the heart;
4. Hardening the heart (Hebrews. 3:8-13) leads to a depraved mind and to a labeling of good as evil and evil as good (Isaiah. 5:20; Romans 1:28).
When this hardening of the heart reaches a certain fullness of development, determined only by God, the Spirit will no longer strive to lead that person to repentance
(Cf.: Genesis 6:3; Deuteronomy 29:18-21; 1 Samuel 2:25; and Proverbs 29:1).
No one can continue in sin and reject God’s grace, mercy, and love without eventually suffering irreparably for it and having God cut them off in judgment.
For those worried, however, about having committed the unpardonable sin, the very fact of wanting to be forgiven and the willingness to repent of sin, is evidence that that one has not committed the unpardonable sin. Glory!
