The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Anjela Paje of Spokane, WA, from the tape, GC 1301-T, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 22." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1982. All Rights Reserved.
Question
I would like you to explain as thoroughly as you can the unforgivable sin,
the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit. Just exactly what it is and how it affect a
Christian and a non-Christian alike?
Answer
Sure. In Matthew 12, we have the unpardonable sin, and Jesus cast out some
demons and they said, "He does what He does by the power of the prince of
demons, the lord of flies, Beelzebub." And, He said, "Everything can be forgiven
you, a sin against a Son of man can be forgiven you, but blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven you in this age or in the age to come."
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil. That is what it is, because Jesus cast out demons. Who was working through Christ? The Holy Spirit. He said that on many occasions, that it was the Spirit working through Him. So, the Spirit cast out those demons. When they said Satan did it, they blasphemed the Holy Spirit by attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil. Okay? So, that is, basically, what He was referring to.
Now, it is a unique sin because it specifically relates to Jesus Christ. And, it is to say that when Jesus Christ is on earth and doing His work, when someone comes along and sees that work and attributes it to the devil. That is an unforgivable sin. And, there is a sense in which it is unique to that moment. I don't see that same sin being committed today at all. I think, that was the sin, for example, of the Pharisees, then, they had heard everything Jesus said, they had seen everything that He had done, miracle after miracle, after miracle, lesson after lesson, after lesson, work after work, after work. They had just been expose to the majesty of Jesus Christ. They had concluded that He was satanic, and, He says, "If you attribute the works that you have seen me do, you come to the conclusion that they are satanic, you will never be forgiven for that." You have come to a 180 degree opposite result. So, you can never be saved. And, I really believe that what He is saying there is that when Christ was on the earth, and doing what He did, if people came up to the conclusion that it was satanic, they were hopeless. They had all the information, all the revelation and they got 180 degrees the opposite conclusion to the one that was right.
Now, He said that it could be committed in this age and the age to come. And,
it may be that He was referring to the age in which Christ was here and the age
to come, which was the kingdom, when He will be back again, and that same sin
could be committed the next time He is here doing those same mighty deeds. But,
I don't see it as necessarily having specificity for this age in which we live.
However, I would add this, anyone who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ to any
degree today will never be able to be forgiven. Right?
Question continues
So, are you saying that the sin cannot be committed by anyone, Christian or
non-Christian? Right now?
Answer
Right. I am saying now that the sin, as we see it in Matthew 12, is not a sin
that can be committed...like, for example, the Charismatics have said to me, "If
you keep saying things against tongues, you will commit the blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit and be damned forever." Okay? That is not what that is talking
about. That is talking about concluding that Jesus Christ works for the devil.
Now, if you conclude that today, at the end of all your information, and the end
of all your revelation, you are not ever going to be forgiven for it, right?
Because people don't go to heaven who think Jesus is satanic. But, only in that
general sense.
Questioner continues
But, I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit right there? Just as you just said.
If after today, then I have rejected...
Answer
But, the point is this, the point is, what if a person, at one point in his
life says that Jesus Christ is not Lord? He doesn't believe in Jesus Christ. He
is going to go to Hell. If he says that once in his life, is he damned for the
rest of his life? What if he changes his mind? What if the Spirit prompts his
heart, convicts him of sin, redeems him, and saves him? Is God going to accept
that? Of course, because we all came that way, right? We were all blasphemers.
We were all Christ rejectors. We were all God haters. We were all ungodly
sinners. We were all doomed and damned to Hell. But, when we turned to Jesus
Christ, we are saved, and we are forgiven of blaspheming the name of Jesus
Christ, which we all did before we gave Him the glory due His name, right? So,
that's not talking about that. That's talking about a specific sin of being here
when Jesus is here, and of seeing His works, and hearing everything He taught,
and when you had full revelation, saying He is Satanic, you are hopeless,
because you cannot get any more revelation than that. Okay? And, maybe, it will
be committed when He comes back to reign in His kingdom.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
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Email: tony@biblebb.com
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