We blaspheme the Holy Spirit when we refuse to acknowledge that we are a sinner and Jesus Christ died for our sins, John 3:16. We refuse to accept God’s free gift of eternal life and the make null and void the tremendous price Christ paid on our behalf. More than that, the Pharisees attributed the work of the Holy Spirit, to Satan, even though they knew the scriptures, Matthew 12:31.
Believers in Christ can grieve the Holy Spirit they refuse to be led by the Spirit, but they cannot blaspheme the Holy Spirit. However, they can resolutely quench the fire of the Holy Spirit, which is what religion does.
Understanding the Trinity
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are like a triangle as they each prefer the others. When we worship God we give thanks for the work of the Son in justification, and the work of the Holy Spirit. To speak against the Father, or Christ is forgivable, but to speak against the Holy Spirit is not, Matthew 12:32., Luke 10:12.
Jesus said, ‘I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever,’ John 14:16. ‘The Holy Spirit is our guarantor of our eternal salvation and indwells our Born Again spirit, John 3:5. He reveals God to us, though we will never know the full essence of God. Just as the moon always shows an earthward face, so God reveals a manward face.
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
People who reject the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ blaspheme the Holy Spirit. This is not a sin of ignorance or accidental, but a deliberate, wilful hostility towards Christ and His saving work on Calvary.
Everyone has to make a choice, for we have the gift of a free will. We are accountable for the choices we make.
Jesus said, ‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it,’ Matthew 7:13,14. Those who do not accept Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary, will have their name blotted out of the book of life, Revelation 3:5. They will know eternal judgement and separation from God.
Jesus died for all mankind, but multitudes today reject the calling of the Holy Spirit. We live as it was in the Days of Noah, where only a small number believed and accepted the Word of God. Every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually, Genesis 6:5, and what Noah was saying sounded totally ludicrous. If Christ were to call His bride away tonight, what percentage of people would be in that company. Millions were alive in Noah’s day, but only eight heeded the warning of impending doom.
The Helper
Jesus was about to leave the earth when He told the disciples, ‘I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, Comforter, that He may be with you forever. That is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him or know him. But you will know Him because He abides with you and will be in you,’ John 14:16-17. Like the people in Noah’s day, the vast majority of people will not listen.
The Holy Spirit is the source of all truth and communicates that truth to His own. Jesus said, ‘The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you,’ John 14:26.
We can only know God’s truth through the work of the Holy Spirit, and to reject that truth is to reject God. That is the unforgivable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit and has eternal consequences.
Work of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit seals the believer unto redemption and convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement, John 15:8. It is blasphemy to ignore this conviction, for fallen man is a lost, and doomed soul.
When we repent of sin and ask forgiveness, God remembers that sin no more, Psalm 103:12. However, the Holy Spirit reveals to us sins that may lie hidden in our lives.
Growing the Body of Christ
The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring us to a place of being more like Christ. ‘Building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. To a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ’, Ephesians 4:13,14. This is the work of sanctification.
The Holy Spirit comforts the believer, calms all fears and fills us with hope. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us through life, one step at a time. It is foolish to ignore the working of the Holy Spirit for God only wants the best for us.
Christians can Quench the Holy Spirit
We quench the Holy Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, when we try to do ministry using some form of power other than the Spirit of God. An example of this is the seven sons of Sceva, one who was a Jewish priest. They tried to cast out a demon spirit copying what they had seen Paul do. The demon spirit rebuked them. ‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul. but who are you?’ Acts 19:11-20. It needs the leading of the Holy Spirit to effectively minister to other people.
We also quench the fire of God’s Holy Spirit when we allow sin to be part of our life. God only wants the best for us, so to be led by the Spirit is to live a higher kind of life.
Grieving the Holy Spirit
Believers can grieve, but not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, when they refuse to change their old, sinful ways, Ephesians 4:30-32. We must put aside all bitterness, wrath and anger, strife and slander, and malice against others.
Carrying hurt and anger only hurts ourselves. We need to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Don’t let those little fiery darts find a place in your mind and memory. Move on from the fiery trials God uses to purge our soul, instead of indulging in self-pity. Either God is in control or He is not.
The Fruit of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit desires to bear fruit in our lives, Galatians 5:22,23. That fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
We have great difficulty producing this fruit without the help of the Holy Spirit. It is all about daily crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires. We need to live and walk by the Spirit. Our life is much poorer when we do not live by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Unpardonable Sin
To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to say the work of the Spirit is the work of Satan, Matthew 12:31, Mark 3:29. Unbelievers refuse the Spirit’s testimony about Christ and their hearts become hardened against the things of God. They do not recognize they are a sinner in need of salvation and they deliberately reject God.
That is the unforgiveable sin, for it is the Holy Spirit that calls them to so great a salvation. We either walk towards eternal life, or eternal damnation. The choice is always ours. The Holy Spirit will call us, and nudge us, but never coerce us. Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour have accepted the Holy Spirit’s truth about God, who gave His Son for our salvation, John 3:16.
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