Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to Him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see. And all the crowds were astounded and said, “Perhaps this is the Son of David!”    When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”    

Knowing their thoughts,  He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.  If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.  Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.  Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. (Matt. 12:22-30)

What is blasphemy?  Well, the simple definition is “defiant irreverence towards God.”  Examples of blasphemy include:  cursing God, willfully degrading His works, attributing God with an act of evil, or not crediting Him with an act of goodness. 

Have you heard of the “Blasphemy Challenge?”  It was created by the co-founders of the Rational Response Squad, Brian Sapient and Rook Hawkins.  In December 2006, these self-attesting atheists issued a challenge to their interpretation of what they call the “unforgivable sin.”  The first 1,000 people to make a You Tube video denouncing the power and existence of the Holy Spirit would win a copy of the video, The God Who Wasn’t There.”

 

Blasphemy is a serious sin, and these videos are without a doubt a form of blasphemy.  But are they committing “the unforgivable blasphemy” that Jesus spoke about in the Gospel reading above?  By looking to scripture we can answer this question.

Jesus presented Himself to Israel as THE King, THE Messiah, and THE fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  By the time we reach the 12th chapter of Matthew, the Jewish leaders had gone from indifference to total rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.  They went from ignoring his message to contending with Him because they thought he was “Satanic.”  The blindness of their hearts and their lust for power had caused them to believe the complete opposite of the Truth. 

Despite visual and undeniable proof that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Pharisees attributed his works to the demon Beelzebub.  Rejecting Christ’s works by the power of the Holy Spirit and attributing them to Satan is THE BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.  It was one thing to speak against Christ’s humanness or His earthly works, but to blaspheme the works of Christy through the Holy Spirit was another.  For the leaders of Israel to reject all the visual revelations of who Jesus was that God the Father had given them, Christ was saying it was hopeless for them to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  This was THE unpardonable sin; it was an historic event that affected a specific group of people at a specific time. 

Can people commit this sin today?  NO; there are other ways to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, but Christ is no longer physically on earth and it cannot be duplicated today. 

Will it ever happen again?  YES; during Christ’s Millennial Kingdom after the Great Tribulation.  People again will physically see and hear Christ, in all His glory, and reject Him for their own pride and lusts. 

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!  There is an unpardonable state of existence; the state of continued unbelief in Jesus Christ as Lord.  There is no pardon for anyone who dies in unbelief.

I am issuing “The Believer’s challenge.”  Confess, Today, that you are a sinner, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,  and by the power of the Holy Spirit you will be transformed into a new creation.  May God’s grace and peace be with you always.