 What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? And how do you know if you've committed this unpardonable sin? Before I begin, make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV on YouTube and make sure that you click that notification bell. You can also follow us wherever you're watching us. We're going to dive into the Scripture to better understand the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, also known as the unpardonable sin. Now, there are three things that I want to set as foundations before we dive into the Scripture on this topic, and it's a very important topic. Number one, fear not. Don't be afraid. God is not the giver of fear. This is what the Scripture says in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Perhaps you're listening to this message because you're looking for answers. You're wondering if you've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you're afraid. Maybe you're worried. Maybe you're wondering if something you thought, something you said, something you did has forever sealed your fate. But remember this, fear not. God has not given you a spirit of fear. So that's number one. Number two, we have to remember that the Scripture will never contradict itself. So our conclusion about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit must be harmonious with all other scriptural principles. The Bible will not contradict itself. So whatever we conclude on this topic cannot contradict other principles of Scripture. And finally, number three, we must remember to tread very carefully on this topic. Jesus did intend to inspire a holy reverence and a holy fear. So we must not seek to inspire apathy, where Jesus sought to inspire that holy fear. With those things in mind, let's look at the key verses and then we'll look at the context. Matthew 12, 31 and 32. So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come. So a few things stand out to me when we look at this key portion of Scripture. The Scripture means what it means. Never really means never. Forgiven really means forgiven. That phrase never forgiven literally actually means never forgiven. Also note that the Bible says either in this world or in the world to come. So if I commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, I can't be forgiven in this world or in the world to come in this age or in the age to come. So this tells me that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be committed on this side of eternity. And that truly is a terrifying reality. This is a big deal. So now that we've looked at the key verses, let's look at the context beginning in verse 22 of Matthew 12. Then a demon possessed man who was blind and couldn't speak was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. So Jesus drives a demon out of a man. This is a deliverance. And the crowd was amazed and asked, could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah? But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said no wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the Prince of Demons. Verse 25. Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, notice there that Jesus reveals the secret to driving demons out. It's by the Spirit of God. Then the kingdom of God has arrived among you. For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger, someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. Anyone who isn't with me opposes me. And anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me. So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come. So let's break a few things down here. First of all, the Pharisees were teachers of religious law. And they were quite jealous of the influence that Jesus had. And what they often tried to do was discredit Jesus. They didn't want him to gain influence. They were against him. Now, what did they hear? The Pharisees heard that Jesus had cast a demon out of a man. And upon hearing about this exorcism, the Pharisees, inspired by their own jealousy, accused Jesus of using demon power. Now think about what that accusation entails. Not only are they saying that the power of the Holy Spirit is actually demon power, but they're also saying that Jesus was demon possessed. What an ugly accusation indeed. Now in Mark chapter 3 verse 30, which is the same story from a different gospel account, we read this. He told them this because they were saying he's possessed by an evil spirit. So the Bible does reveal exactly why Jesus told them what he told them. That whole warning that Jesus gave concerning the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was specifically directly a response to the Pharisees saying that Jesus was demon possessed. So either the Pharisees were very close, dangerously close, to committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, or they had already committed it. Now personally, I believe that the Pharisees were only close to committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, why would Jesus give them a warning if they were forever doomed by their sin? So it's what they said. Now before we draw any more conclusions, let's look at the word itself. We've looked at the key verses. We've looked at the context. Now let's look at the word. The word for blasphemy here means to slander. It means detraction. It means speech injurious to another's good name. So the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is something you speak. It's something that you say. Knowing this, we can rule out other sins. We can rule out sins like murder, suicide, fornication, witchcraft, adultery, and so on. And sometimes Christians who struggle with things like OCD, when they hear about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, they become very worried, very paranoid, because once they hear about what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is, and that thought repeats in their mind again and again and again, they think that those obsessive thoughts, those intrusive thoughts, they think thinking those thoughts is the same as committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. But here we know that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is something that you speak. It's something that you say. It's a sin of the tongue. So it's not unbelief unto death, as some have said. Some say that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is simply the rejection of salvation, or the rejection of the gospel, or the rejection of Jesus. No, because remember, it's something you can commit on this side of eternity. So looking at the key verse, looking at the context, and looking at the Word itself, we can conclude that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to speak aloud against the Holy Spirit and accuse the Holy Spirit's power of being demonic power. Now, keep also in mind that this sin comes from a very deep place. You can't commit this sin on accident. This is not something that you just frivolously say. This is something that's very, very deep within your heart. Let me show you a portion of Scripture here. Again, in Matthew 12, let's start at verse number 33. A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees there. How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. So it's not just the pronunciation of the accusation. It's not just the words themselves. It's the state of the heart that causes you to say something like that in the first place. In other words, the Pharisees were so stubbornly against Jesus. They were so anti-Christ that that hatred and jealousy within their hearts produced the sin of accusing Jesus of being demon-possessed and of accusing the Holy Spirit's power of being demonic. So this is not something that can just happen by accident. It's not something that just is a slip-up. It's not just a thought that comes to your mind. This is a very, very serious condition of the heart that produces this blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Neither is it general blasphemy or general disobedience. Some Christians are so fearful. They say things like, I cussed at God. Now you shouldn't cuss at the Lord. Of course we know that. And you shouldn't deliberately sin. And you shouldn't repeat cycles of sin. And you shouldn't sin in all the different ways that we sin. Of course not. But you can at least be released from the fear that you've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because this is the condition of the heart that produces such a thing. This state of being is so far from God, so against Christ, so against the Holy Spirit that it would rather speak against the Holy Spirit's power. It would rather believe that Jesus is demon-possessed than to believe that he's the way. Think about how against Christ you'd have to be to say such a thing. In other words, they heard of a man being delivered. They saw the miracles Jesus performed. That jealousy, that hatred in their hearts produced this blasphemy that caused them to reject Christ. They so wanted to reject Jesus that they chose to believe that he was demon-possessed. What a horrible state of the heart. So if you're wondering, did I commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? I'm worried if I've said something on accident. I'm worried if I had this thought. I'm worried if I repeated this sin. That somehow I've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. You can be released from that fear. Now of course, don't go on sinning. Of course, live a holy life. Of course, don't say things that would hurt the Holy Spirit or hurt the Lord. But here's what the Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 3. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus. And no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is impossible for a born-again believer to commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I want you to hear that. Biblically speaking, it is impossible for a born-again believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit to commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Remember, the unpardonable sin is a very intentional one. You can't commit it on accident. Not only can the unpardonable sin not be forgiven, but the one who commits it is sure to have no interest in being forgiven. Now this is a key point, so I'm going to repeat it in a different way. If I've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, it's because I have no interest in being forgiven. Let me show you this with Scripture. John 6, 36 to 37 says, But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me and I will never reject them. Very key here. I want to read it one more time so you can understand what the Bible is saying. However, those the Father has given me will come to me. That's the first key. And I will never reject them. Remember, at the beginning of this message, I told you that the Scripture will never contradict the Scripture. So our conclusions concerning the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit have to be harmonious with other portions of Scripture. Now according to John 6, 36 and 37, those whom the Father has given to the Lord will come to the Lord. And because we come to the Lord, that's proof that God has given us over to Jesus. So then, if I approach the Lord, A, it means God has sent me. And B, it means that Jesus will never reject me. Jesus will never reject anyone who comes to him. So how do we reconcile that truth? That Jesus will never reject anyone who comes to him with the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which says that if you commit this sin, you're forever rejected. Well, it's quite simple. The only conclusion we can make while holding true to these two principles of Scripture is that the person who commits the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will never approach God. They don't want forgiveness. They will not seek God. They will not seek forgiveness. They will not seek His mercy. The person who commits the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit has no interest in repentance. Remember that state of the heart is so far from God that they don't want anything to do with Him. So then, if the Scripture makes it clear that Jesus will never reject anyone who comes to him, and the Scripture also makes it very clear that the person who commits the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can never again be accepted, then again, the only conclusion we can make while holding to the Scripture is that the person who commits the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit has no interest in being forgiven. Therefore, the conclusion. If you're worried that you've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, then you haven't committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. If you're wondering, did I say something? Did I do something? Did I think something that has forever sealed my fate? If that's your worry, if that's your concern, that shows that you have interest in repentance. And if you have interest in repentance, it's because the Holy Spirit put it there. And if the Holy Spirit put it there, then that means that your heart is not in the condition that would commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. So today, be released from that fear. Turn from your sin. Don't speak evil against the Lord. Control those thoughts that are wicked. But also rest in the assurance that if you approach the Lord, He'll never reject you. If you come to Him, He'll always embrace you. Why? Because you approaching the Lord means that the Father God has sent you and therefore your heart is not in the place where you could possibly commit this sin. I want to pray with you now. Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray, Lord, that we would be established in your word. Let your word also be established in us. Father, release us from all fear. Thank you that the truth sets us free. And I pray now, Lord, that you would teach us what it is to honor the precious Holy Spirit. Thank you, Father, that you'll never reject us when we approach you. Thank you for your mercy, for your kindness, for your love. And thank you for the clarity of your word. We honor you. We love you. Let your presence and power be known in our lives. In the name of Jesus, we pray. I want you to say it because you believe it. Say, Amen. That is it for the message here now. It's a question for conversation. Did this message help you to better understand the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? How so? Tell me about it in the comment section right now. And here are some comments from a previous video. Titled, The Holy Spirit Simply Explained. The question I posed in that video was, when did you first come to know the Holy Spirit as a person? Here were some responses. Rhea Campos wrote, I first came to know the Holy Spirit as a person through your teachings, Brother David. That's awesome. I'm very happy to hear that. Leanne wrote, I first came to know the Holy Spirit as a person when I started listening to your preaching. Well, to God be the glory. The next commenter wrote, I came to know the Holy Spirit as a person and not a thing after reading a book about the Holy Spirit given to me by a newly found friend. And the final comment I'll read from this video says, I realized that the Holy Spirit was a person when I understood that the Holy Spirit was my helper, teacher, and comforter watching from the Philippines. Thank you, Brother David. One more time, make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV on YouTube and be sure to click that notification bell. You can also follow us wherever you're watching us. I do want to encourage you to help support this ministry so that we can continue to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ all around the world in the power of the Holy Spirit through events and media. Your support helps to fund the content, the live streams, the events, the Holy Spirit School, and so much more. Give a one-time gift today or become a monthly ministry partner by going to davidhernandezministries.com. To give a one-time gift, go to davidhernandezministries.com slash donate to become a monthly supporter. Go to davidhernandezministries.com slash partner. Your one-time gifts and monthly support help us do everything that we're doing. Help this ministry to continue going and growing strong. Help us continue to win souls. I know the Lord will bless you for it, but we do it because we love him. We do it because we love souls. Thank you and remember until next time nothing is impossible with God.