A9. Blaspheming Against the Holy Spirit - the Unpardonable Sin
Here are a few common questions on the subject of the "Unforgivable Sin", presented on Dr Hugh Ross' website. My answers in bold italic type are based on the Big Picture presented in this manuscript.
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
by Hugh Ross, Ph. D.
… First read through all the Scriptures on the list at the bottom of this
page.
… Then respond to these questions:
1. What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? God's thoughts are
literally His Holy Spirit. They completely define Him and yet they represent a
different, "Person" in the one God. God creates by thinking and if He
continues to think of it, then it will have "everlasting life". Conversely
if He stops thinking of it, it will cease to exist. When we tell God to stop
thinking of us, He would need to violate our free will if He did not do so. He
might, like a good parent, continue to think of us for some time, in order to
give us a chance to change our minds. However, once we have assured Him that we
are not about to change our minds, then there is nothing else He can do. The
permanent decision to try to hide from God is what constitutes
"blaspheming against the Holy Spirit". This then is an irreversible
decision, because God would have to override our very clear decision. He cannot
do this if He wants us to have free will. This sin is what is called
"unforgivable" because we have made it clear that we do not want God
to intervene in our lives. Any other sin is "forgivable", because we
have not expressed a desire to prevent God from intervening. In all those
cases, it is still possible that we will ask God to intervene. Hence, God will
forgive any sins if/when we ask Him to intervene.
2. List the characteristics of a blasphemer against the Holy Spirit. (Or see
pages 3-5 for a list.) A person who desires to keep God totally out of
his life is capable of blaspheming against His Holy Spirit. All sin is derived
from this fundamental attitude. However, it does not need to go as far as to
the point of totality. Usually, we hide from God on a short-term basis and then
we repent and want Him back in our lives, watching everything we do. There is
no middle ground. God must know everything about us (ie watch everything we
do), if He is to keep us alive. When we try to hide from God, we are doing
things that are harmful to ourselves (ie sinning). Again, there is always the
chance of forgiveness unless we refuse to accept the fact that God must watch
us. If we decide that watching our every move is unacceptable, then the
alternative is to cease to exist. "I lay before you two choices life and
death. Choose life." Death, however, is an option.
3. Why is there no forgiveness for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Because
forgiveness is merely the fact that we have decided to ask God to communicate
with us again, ie to re-establish a relationship with God. This sin is
unforgivable because we are deciding that death is better than re-establishing
that relationship. Think of this as an irreconcilable decision to cut off
communication with God from our end.
We hang up the phone yet if we
later pick it up again we see He is still there. But, once we pull out the wire and destroy the phone, there
is no way to remake the connection.
4. Can a Christian ever blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Why? No one who
really wants to maintain a relationship with God will ever settle for a
permanent decision to hide from God. Hence, forgiveness is always an option for
those temporary lapses.
5. How do blasphemers against the Holy Spirit react to Christian testimony
and to Christian teaching? Why? Disbelief is their common denominator. If
they really believed that the key to everlasting life is in their relationship
with their Creator, then there would be no way that they would permanently
elect to abandon that relationship.
6. How should we treat blasphemers against the Holy Spirit? Why? Explaining
the above may work for some. Explaining this via our own evidence of having a
positive relationship with the Creator could affect others. Pray that God will
create a situation around them that will open their eyes, so that they will
re-think their decision and reach out for God.
7. Jesus repeatedly warns His followers to watch out for these kinds of persons.
How should we respond to the enticements by reprobates (2 Timothy. 2:14; 22-23;
3:5; Titus 3:9-11)? We need to assure ourselves that what has been stated
above is true. Our roots must be deep to survive the snares of the world around
us, ie we must sow our seeds in the good ground.
8. How does a person become a blasphemer against the Holy Spirit? By
default we can replace God with any of the many alternatives and eventually we
will no longer believe He is real. Hence we'd feel we have nothing to lose by
abandoning Him. Similarly, we can replace Him with false gods that we treat as
real and then, although we often call on god, the real God does not know us (ie
He does not have a relationship with us.).
9. What does it mean to "receive the knowledge of the truth" and
to "partake of the Holy Spirit"? The understanding that we can
indeed have the kind of relationship with our Creator that Jesus demonstrated
in His totally human form, is the truth we need to have. Acting on that truth
is to strive for such a relationship in the same way Jesus did, ie we talk to
God in everything we do: when we're good or bad, happy or sad.
10. How can we use the doctrines of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as
witnessing tools? As tools for strengthening the faith of Christians? People
need to see the connection between our free will decisions and choosing to hide
from God. We should talk to God in everything we do and sometimes that will
involve public prayer. The point is to tell God publicly that we want Him in
our lives like a good parent, not just telling Him what we want Him to do. Talk
to God as you would to your loving parent.
11. What paradoxes (seeming contradictions) develop from the doctrines of
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? How? The paradoxes I have seen center
around God intervening in our lives and yet we are supposed to be morally free
to make our own decisions. Does
God really want to “save” everyone of us?
Calvinists seem to think not.
Perhaps there is no free will?
If not then there is no possibility of blaspheming against the Holy
Spirit, right?
12. What new truths did you discover from this study?
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Scripture List
26 July 2001, updated on November 10, 2001
For more on this and a response to any questions, please email any comments to nasamike@nasamike.com