Matthew 12:32, commentary and pictures

Jesus gave this warning after He healed a blind and mute possessed man and the Pharisees, confronted with gracious works done by God's Spirit that they could not explain away, charged that He cast out devils by Beelzebub.
A word spoken against the Son of man without discerning His divine character can still be forgiven, because through the Spirit the sinner can yet be brought to see the error and repent and be washed in Christ's blood.
The sin against the Holy Spirit is deliberately rejecting the agency by which God speaks to the heart and, with convincing evidence of its divine character, declaring what was known to be the Spirit's power to be the power of Satan.
It does not lie in a sudden word or deed but in firm, persistent refusal to respond to invitation to repent, which cuts off the channel by which God convicts and converts, hardens the heart and darkens the mind until repentance and faith cannot reach it, so it shall not be forgiven in this age or the age to come.
Therefore guilt is measured by light received and calls for fearful caution in criticizing God's work and messengers, yet mistakes in judgment and hopeless feelings of being forsaken do not by themselves mean the sin has been committed, and no person is authorized to declare another beyond hope.

Historical Setting and Context

Jesus spoke these words right after healing a man possessed by a devil who was blind and dumb, so that he both spoke and saw, when the wondering people asked whether He was the Son of David and the Pharisees answered that He cast out devils by Beelzebub the prince of devils. His brothers heard that accusation and were alarmed by the turmoil surrounding His work.

The works in question were gracious works of healing performed through the power and Spirit of God, by which the kingdom of God had come. The Pharisees had sufficient evidence they could not evade or explain by natural causes, for they were wonderful works of healing which no man had done or could do. Christ had given them no reason for the charge, for He was seeking the lost and showing God's love. Their words were written by the recording angel in the books of heaven.

Those who made the charge had been convicted by the Spirit and drawn toward Jesus. From pride, prejudice, stubbornness and determination that the truth should not convert them they deliberately misrepresented Him, closed their eyes to all evidence, and made a charge they did not really believe. His opponents recognized supernatural power but knowingly condemned God's work as Satan's to avoid admitting sin and being converted. With growing prejudice and resistance to every additional proof they could not deny the reality of His supernatural power or stop His works of mercy, so they resisted the evidence of His divine power and quenched the last light offered to their prejudiced, benighted minds.

The warning belongs with the teaching that a tree is known by its fruit, that speech reveals the abundance of the heart, and that every idle word must be answered for in the day of judgment. Speech reveals what is in the heart and can also shape a person's character and beliefs. Foolish, frivolous and improper talk is therefore a serious matter that grieves the Spirit away and is linked to weak piety, lack of faith and spiritual power, and no spiritual growth. Careless criticism of divine light fosters irreverence and unbelief, and can lead a person to criticize and reject the work of the Holy Spirit.

Forgiveness for Words Against Christ

Speaking against the Son of man without discerning His divine character can be forgiven, while speaking against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. Through the Holy Spirit the one who has spoken against Christ can still be brought to see the error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ. The sin against the Holy Spirit is the willful, final rejection of the Spirit's work, including calling that work satanic, and is a rejecting of the Spirit's power to overcome evil which cuts the person off from Christ and communion with Him as the source of that power.

All manner of sin and blasphemy done in ignorance may be forgiven, and even insulting and derisive words against the Son of Man remain within the boundary of mercy. To speak against Christ, charging His work to satanic agencies and attributing manifestations of the Spirit to fanaticism, is not of itself a damning sin. The sin against the Holy Spirit does not lie in an accusation made in ignorance, but in deliberate opposition by one who has seen its fruits and had opportunity to recognize the good fruit, yet rejects truth and warning by making false accusations against that work.

There is no neutral ground, for failure to stand with Christ and gather with Him is opposition and scattering. Those who know the truth must not rest on mere intellectual assent to it, but must come to Christ and surrender wholly to Him with conviction and faithful practice of the truth. Christ is the only hope, and those who come to Him will be received and led into all truth, while those who trust frail human supports will be left unprepared and unable to stand when trial and persecution come.

Nature of Sin Against Spirit

The sin is the deliberate rejection of the agency by which God communicates with man, attributing His holy power manifested in the works of Christ to satanic or human agency and calling the work of the Spirit of God the work of Satan. It was committed when gracious works of healing, which no man had done or could do and which could not be evaded or explained by natural causes, were declared to be the works of the devil proving league with hell, and when miracles done through the power of God in Christ's name were ascribed to Satan. To say the shut door was of the devil is this same sin of ascribing to Satan what belongs to God or what the Holy Ghost has done, and it is against one's own life.

It happens when one is a witness of the special work of the Spirit with convincing evidence that it is in harmony with the Scriptures and the Spirit witnessing that it is of God, and afterward under temptation through pride, self-sufficiency, stubborn prejudice or some other evil trait rejects all evidence of its divine character and declares what was before acknowledged to be the power of the Holy Spirit to be the power of Satan. Christ's opponents recognized the supernatural power in His works but, determined that the truth should not affect their hearts and convert them, knowingly condemned God's work as Satan's and deliberately misrepresented Him by saying He cast out devils through the prince of devils, a charge they did not really believe. The Jews had clear light as to the character and mission of Christ and evidence of His divinity in His resurrection and ascension, yet would not receive Him and become His disciples, and by that stubborn resistance committed the unpardonable sin, as in the case of Judas to whom God gave sufficient evidence concerning the wrong course being taken but whose unimproved light became darkness.

It does not lie in any sudden word or deed and is not something mysterious or indefinable, but is firm, determined, persistent refusal to respond to God's invitations to repent. It is most commonly shown by persistently slighting heaven's invitation, with each step in rejecting Christ moving the person toward rejecting salvation. All manner of sin and blasphemy done in ignorance, including insulting and derisive words against the Son of Man, remains within the boundary of mercy, but to ignore the Spirit of God resting upon His messengers on holy ground and charge it with being the spirit of the devil or fanaticism places men in stubborn resistance where they cannot see spiritual light. Persisted in, that accusation shuts out rays of light from heaven and leaves men to walk in the light of sparks of their own kindling into midnight darkness under a controlling power they do not know, wholly unable to fulfil the conditions of repentance and confession and unwilling to humble their hearts to acknowledge wrongs, not because any degree of guilt would exhaust the mercy of God but because pride and persistent stubbornness do despite to the only Spirit that could lead, enlighten, and save.

It includes closing the eyes so as not to see and the ears so as not to hear, calling the Spirit's work deceptive or fanatical and calling righteousness sin, thereby rejecting the divine influence offered through the Spirit. It is committed when people make of none effect what the Lord is trying to do, weigh every precious heaven-sent testimony and fruit of the Spirit by their own scales and idolized ideas, and refuse truth and power of God unless it bears their own imprint, manifesting an unchristlike spirit and bearing bad fruit while clinging to one's own interpretation of Scripture. It is to deny the divine source of messages that bear unmistakable evidence of being given under the inspiration of the Spirit of God and to claim that a human gave that inspiration, which is recorded in the books of heaven, and teachers who repulse the Spirit's offered influence and charge the Spirit with deception or leading people into fanaticism place themselves in danger of the sin that will not be forgiven. That rejection is exactly the same as the Jews who held incorrect interpretations of Scripture, would receive no evidence from the revelation of the Spirit of God, rejected the work and mission of Jesus Christ, and when their opinions and ideas were crossed even murdered the Son of God.

The same sin was committed in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram and when, after overwhelming evidence and striking manifestations of God's power and judgments, men became blinded by rejected light and Israel charged that Moses and Aaron had killed good and holy men. Pharaoh's repeated rejection of light illustrates this course of resisting the Holy Spirit until conviction is stifled, in which God does not compel anyone to sin or destroy anyone but allows persistent unbelief to bear its fruit, gradually withdraws the Spirit's restraint, and leaves the sinner to his own inclinations until spiritual perception is dulled and the desire to obey is no longer felt. Tempting the Spirit of God often leads to this sin, and intemperance like that of Nadab and Abihu, whose wine-confused offering of common fire instead of sacred fire cost their lives, opens the way to it, with the unforgiven outcome following the law that people reap what they sow and those who sow to the flesh reap corruption.

It was committed by those who called the shut door of the devil, including the Laodiceans and nominal first-day adventists, who are lost in foggy, terrible fear, seized with anguish of spirit, unable to tell where they are, daring not admit that the door is shut. It was committed by those who enjoyed the power and glory of the first and second angels' messages and then rejected that light from heaven, attributed the Holy Spirit's power attending those messages to the devil, and refused to hear the third message, so that those who had hardened their hearts would be shut out while people who had not hardened their hearts could still receive the truth. It is also shown in deceptive work and false claims of inspiration by the Spirit that do despite to the Holy Spirit, in treating messages from God bearing the Spirit's evidence with indifference because they reprove a course of action, leaving those who do so without excuse, and in joining hand to hand to strengthen unbelief through the repeated choice to follow the path of doubt.

Why It Cannot Be Forgiven

It is by the Holy Spirit that God works upon the heart to reprove, convict and convert sinners. To willfully reject the Spirit and declare its work to be from Satan cuts off the channel by which God can communicate with them. Such rejection denies the evidence God has given, shuts out the light shining in the heart, and leaves them in darkness facing judgment.

He who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit places himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him. There no human or divine power can reach him, and none of God's provisions to correct the erring can reach him. When the Spirit is finally rejected there is no more that God can do for the soul and no reserve power remains. This is not because mercy is exhausted, but because pride and stubbornness do despite to the only Spirit that could lead, enlighten and save.

Continued resistance dulls spiritual perception, hardens the heart against divine grace, darkens the understanding and quenches the last light offered to the prejudiced mind. At last the desire to obey is no longer felt and appeals have no effect. Spiritual blindness results from repeatedly disregarding light, not from God withholding it. It ends in darkness under Satan's control, with God allowing persistent unbelief to bear its fruit and withdrawing restraint.

Therefore it shall not be forgiven, neither in this age nor in the age to come. It follows the law that people reap what they sow, with those who sow to the flesh reaping corruption. Such words are recorded in the books of heaven. Those who commit this sin may for a time appear to be children of God but when character is developed are found on the enemy's ground under his banner.

Warnings and Faithful Response

Religious leaders can mistake their own opinions for truth and oppose the Spirit's teaching through chosen agents out of indignation and self-interest, separating from God, rejecting repeated warnings despite harm to others, doing despite to the Spirit and displaying Satan's spirit. The warning is that caution and criticism must include fear of rejecting the Spirit and committing the unforgivable sin. Critical minds must examine what spirit is actuating them, refusing to weigh heaven-sent testimony and fruit of the Spirit by human scales and idolized ideas or to reject truth and power unless it bears their own imprint. Manifesting an unchristlike spirit and bearing bad fruit while clinging to one's own interpretation of Scripture marks this sin, exactly as the Jews held incorrect interpretations, would receive no evidence from the revelation of the Spirit, rejected the work and mission of Christ, and when crossed even murdered the Son of God. Genuine truth is evidenced by its fruit in life — gentleness, kindness, patience, truthfulness, and Christlikeness — not merely by defense of a doctrinal position.

Care is required about the position taken when God sends light and messages, not wrapping oneself in clouds of unbelief because of seen imperfections or a word or item. The danger comes by placing oneself where that light will not be recognized, turning to find some little imperfection to hang doubts upon and questioning whether God sent the truth and raised up men to proclaim it. The faithful response is to see what God is doing with His messengers, to acknowledge the Spirit of God revealed in them, and to recognize Christ in them. Lifting the hand against those persons is lifting the hand against Christ. Choosing to resist that Spirit repeats what the Jews did when, with all the light and evidences and mighty miracles before them, prejudice led them to reject the light and say Christ did His miracles by Beelzebub the prince of devils.

Guilt for unbelief is measured by light and evidence received. The prejudice and unbelief of those without personal experience does not bring the same guilt as the doubts of those who have known the going out and coming in of God's messenger and have had the evidence of the Spirit testifying to messages God has given. To treat such Spirit-attested messages with comparative indifference because they reprove a course of action and do not agree with personal ideas is to speak against and deny the Holy Spirit, and those who do this are without excuse. Denying the Spirit's leading, making light of the Spirit, and calling the Spirit's work delusion is refusing the light and evidence God has given, choosing darkness and satanic influence rather than be convinced and corrected, like the Jews who rejected Jesus, and those who persist face judgment and the sentence of death. Disbelieving God's power after it has been clearly manifested, remaining unmoved in doubting and unbelief when God is working with evidences of the Spirit, is very nigh unto the sin against the Holy Ghost. Persisting in doubt and unbelief and rejecting the light God gives is grave danger, for God is jealous and will not be trifled with, and to place oneself under the enemy's power and work against God's working and then plead not knowing is no excuse because the evidences were given and only false reasoning, perversion of words and positions, and misunderstanding brought men into that danger. Treating the Spirit's manifestation with contempt can become unpardonable, and some who despise the light of the third angel's message may have gone too far to return and repent. Those who join hand to hand in dissimulating and doubt to strengthen unbelief travel the same path whose end they have seen in others and will come to the same result, and while persistently holding a blind course of wrong they cannot be saved in that attitude and stand before God in no better place than others who have resisted the Spirit and done despite to the Spirit of grace, until they see and confess their errors.

Tempting the Spirit of God often leads into this sin that will not be forgiven in this life or the life to come. All who have any part in God's work must therefore guard against it by strict temperance and by keeping body, soul, and spirit under God's protecting care. The disobedience and death of Nadab and Abihu show the danger, for in wine-confused intemperance they offered common fire instead of sacred fire and lost their lives, and the unforgiven outcome follows the law that people reap what they sow, with those who sow to the flesh reaping corruption that none can afford. Careless criticism of divine light must also be avoided, for speech reveals what is in the heart and can shape character and beliefs, and such criticism fosters irreverence and unbelief and can lead a person to criticize and reject the work of the Holy Spirit.

Errors in judgment and mistakes do not by themselves mean a person has committed the unpardonable sin, for people may make mistakes and the Lord can correct them. Those who have erred can still be loved, helped, corrected, guided, and sought for salvation if they heed warning. Hopeless feelings of being forsaken and losing faith that Christ loves one do not mean it either, but feeling forsaken is a deception intended to destroy faith, and the afflicted person remains one of the Lord's little ones. No person is authorized to declare another guilty of it or lost beyond salvation. After the 1844 disappointment people wrongly condemned others as beyond hope, and they were told to stop condemning them, for God sends warnings to correct people and if they heed His word He will correct and guide them.