Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12 and Luke 12
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12 and Luke 12
Jesus warns that "every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men" [2]. This statement is recorded in Matthew 12:31 and has a parallel in Luke 12:10, where Jesus says, "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven" [6].
The context of Matthew 12 is Jesus' healing of a demon-possessed man, after which the Pharisees accuse him of casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Jesus responds by saying that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and that if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided against himself. He then warns that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven [2].
The phrase "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" has been interpreted in various ways throughout history. According to Augustine, the sin against the Holy Ghost is "to refuse to have recourse to Him by Whom the sin is forgiven" [5]. In the view of Aquinas, the sin against the Holy Ghost is the same as the sin committed through certain malice, which is a deliberate and obstinate rejection of the truth [7].
The Reformed tradition, as represented by Calvin, understands the unpardonable sin to be a rejection of the gospel that proceeds from desperate fury and cannot be ascribed to infirmity [9]. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, on the other hand, interpret the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, as the Pharisees did when they accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebul [8].
The biblical context and the historical interpretations of the passage suggest that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit involves a willful and obstinate rejection of God's work and testimony about Jesus. This rejection is not just a momentary lapse, but a persistent and deliberate refusal to acknowledge the truth [1, 3].
The significance of this passage lies in its warning against the dangers of hardening one's heart against the work of the Holy Spirit. As Torrey's Topical Textbook notes, the Holy Spirit is grieved by resistance, vexed by temptation, and quenched by neglect [4]. The passage serves as a solemn warning against the consequences of rejecting the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the patristic tradition, this passage is seen as a warning against the final and definitive rejection of God's offer of salvation. The early church fathers, such as Athanasius, Hilary, Ambrose, Jerome, and Chrysostom, understood the sin against the Holy Ghost to be a literal blasphemy against the Holy Spirit [7].
The warning against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit remains a significant theme in Christian theology, emphasizing the importance of being receptive to the work of the Holy Spirit and avoiding a hardened and obstinate rejection of God's truth.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Blasphemy — In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Ps. 74:18; Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24; Rev. 13:1, 6; 16:9, 11, 21. It denotes also any kind of calumny, or evil-speaking, or abuse (1 Kings 21:10; Acts 13:45; 18:6, etc.). Our Lord was accused of blasphemy when he claimed to be the Son of God (Matt. 26:65; comp. Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7). They who deny his Messiahship blaspheme Jesus (Luke 22:65; John 10:36). Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark 3:28, 29; Luke 12:10) is regarded by some as a continued and obstinate rejection of the gospel,”
- Matthew “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. -- Matthew 12:31”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Blasphemy — in its technical English sense, signifies the speaking evil of God and in this sense it is found (Psalms 74:18; Isaiah 52:5; Romans 2:24) etc. But according to its derivation it may mean any species of calumny and abuse: see (1 Kings 21:10; Acts 18:6; Jude 1:9) etc. Blasphemy was punished by stoning, which was inflicted on the son of Shelomith. (Leviticus 24:11) On this charge both our Lord and St. Stephen were condemned to death by the Jews. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, (Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:28) consisted in attributing to the power of Satan tho”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Offences Against the Holy Spirit — Exhortations against -- Eph 4:30; 1Th 5:19. Exhibited in Tempting him. -- Ac 5:9. Vexing him. -- Isa 63:10. Grieving him. -- Eph 4:30. Quenching him. -- 1Th 5:19. Lying to him. -- Ac 5:3,4. Resisting him. -- Ac 7:51. Undervaluing His gifts. -- Ac 8:19,20. Danger of trifling with the Holy Spirit. -- Heb 6:4-6. Doing despite to him. -- Heb 10:29. Disregarding His testimony. -- Ne 9:30. Blasphemy against him, unpardonable -- Mt 12:31,32; 1Jo 5:16.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST." (part 11): shall be held guilty of an eternal offence."(2) In Luke it is thus: "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven."(3) Is there any departure from the truth of the same proposition because of some diversity in the expression? For indeed there is no other reason why the Evangelists do not relate the same things in the same way, but that we may learn thereby to prefer things to words, not words ”
- Luke (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Luke 12:10: Him that blasphemeth - See the sin against the Holy Ghost explained, Mat 12:32 (note).”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost, Art. 1: Article: Whether the sin against the Holy Ghost is the same as the sin committed through certain malice? I answer that, Three meanings have been given to the sin against the Holy Ghost. For the earlier doctors, viz. Athanasius (Super Matth. xii, 32), Hilary (Can. xii in Matth.), Ambrose (Super Luc. xii, 10), Jerome (Super Matth. xii), and Chrysostom (Hom. xli in Matth.), say that the sin against the Holy Ghost is literally to utter a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, whet”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 12:32: And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come--In Mark the language is awfully strong, "hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation"--or rather, according to what appears to be the preferable though very unusual reading, "in danger of eternal guilt"--a guilt which he will underlie for ever. Mark has the important addition (Mar 3:30), "Because they said, He hath an unclean ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: ). We must hold that this was the only exception which the Apostle recognized, unless we would set him in opposition to the grace of God. Hence it follows, that to no sin is pardon denied save to one, which proceeding from desperate fury cannot be ascribed to infirmity, and plainly shows that the man guilty of it is possessed by the devil. 22. Here, however, it is proper to consider what the dreadful iniquity is which is not to be pardoned. The definition which Augustine somewhere gives 323 323 August. Lib. de Correp. et Gratia, ca”