Sins Against the Holy Spirit
By Keith Greer

The Godhead consists of three beings, and man can sin against all three.

  1. He can sin against the FATHER -- "So David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die." {2 Samuel 12:13}
  2. He can sin against CHRIST -- "For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight..." {Psalm 51:3.}
  3. He can sin against the HOLY SPIRIT -- "But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?" {Acts 5:3}

Let us examine more closely other sins that can be committed against the Holy Spirit.

Quenching the Spirit. "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." {1 Thessalonians 5:19-22} To quench means "to put out, or extinguish; eliminate." Paul spoke of the shield of faith that we can use to "quench the fiery darts of the devil." "Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." {Ephesians 6:16} Metaphorically speaking, the Spirit could be considered a flame that can be extinguished through improper use.

How can people today be guilty of "quenching the Spirit"? Paul listed the works of the flesh. "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." {Galatians 5:19-22} If I indulge in these things, I am, in principle, guilty of "quenching the Spirit." This would make it impossible to accomplish the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-26. We must readily receive and accept God's word in our hearts. One can, through stubbornness, rebellion, and disobedience, quench the Spirit's influence, guidance, and instruction. But the word itself can never be quenched!

Insulting the Holy Spirit. "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" {Hebrews 10:26-29} The word "despite" means "to treat insultingly ... which suggests the insulting disdain of one who considers himself superior." (Vine's)

When one sins willfully, there remains no other sacrifice for sin. If one, after enjoying its blessings for a time, rejects the message of the gospel, in his heart, he does "despite" to God's word. In his life, he makes the gospel of "no effect." Sadly, man can make this choice, and many, having done so, will suffer eternal loss!

Grieving the Holy Spirit. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." {Ephesians 4:30} Grieve is defined as "to cause pain, grief, or distress."(Vine's)

In this context, the Holy Spirit is grieved by our worthless speech and the evil ways we use our tongues. "Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell." {James 3:5,6} Through baptism, the Spirit is given as a seal (more about that in another article) for the day of redemption. Can we, who were once sealed by the Spirit, defy God at some later date? This is a serious "stepping point" toward a downward slide into further sins against the Holy Spirit.

Our sins hinder or delay the Spirit's work. Examples of such conduct are: denying His Deity, giving in to our adversary, the devil, making friends with the world, and forsaking our duties to Him.

All such conduct "grieves the Holy Spirit." If we feel thankfulness, gratitude, and thanksgiving for what He has done for us -- why would we wish to "grieve" Him?

Resisting the Spirit. "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you." {Acts 7:51} Defined, the word resist means "to fall against or upon." In Acts 7, Stephen saw the Jews making the same fatal mistake made by their forefathers -- open rebellion against the Holy Spirit's instructions. How so? They mocked God's messengers -- " And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy." {2 Chronicles 36:15,16} The prophet's words and warning went unheeded as they fell headlong into deeper rebellion.

Paul witnessed the same attitude among the Jews whom he sought to teach. "On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." {Acts 14:44-46}

By rejecting the Spirit's testimony, in essence, we reject God. If we wish to please God, we must hear the Son. "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds." {Hebrews 1:1,2} Today, we resist the Holy Spirit by rejecting the message and being disobedient to its teaching! The Holy Spirit gave the gospel, thus revealing to mankind God's mind. (1 Corinthians 2:9-13) When one rejects that teaching, he resists the Holy Spirit. Disobeying the word and resisting the Spirit have terrible eternal consequences. (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." {Matthew 12:31.32} Jesus was casting out demons. The Pharisees charged Him with doing so by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. How did our Lord reply to this false charge? "But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" {Matthew 12:25,26} Jesus showed the inconsistency and absurdity of the charge.

Jesus plainly stated that the miracles were done by the power of God. (Matthew 12:28) By casting out the demons, Jesus "bound the strong man" before He plundered the devil's house. (Matthew 12:29) Since the Jews could not deny the fact that the miracles occurred, they attempted to discredit Jesus by accusing Him of doing them by the power of the evil one.

Blasphemy is defined as "language irreverent or hostile to God, irreverence in speech." (Greek NT) Every sin, including blasphemy, can be forgiven -- if the sinner meets the conditions for forgiveness. The text says blasphemy against the Son can be forgiven. (Matthew 12:32) But speaking against the Spirit will not be forgiven -- in this world or the next. How do we reconcile these passages?

One could speak ill of the Son and still have the opportunity to obey God after the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. The Pharisees, in accusing Jesus, were in fact speaking against the power of God. This is an example of hearts that are unwilling to repent. God forgave those who rejected His Son. They were the first ones to take advantage of the opportunity to have their sins forgiven, by the blood of Christ, after He ascended back to His Father.

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." {Acts 2:36-41} The very ones who demanded that He die on the cross were given opportunity to be forgiven -- 3,000 accepted.

How is it that the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven? Rejecting the Holy Spirit, by rejecting the commandments He gave in God's word, is a rejection of God's FINAL EFFORT to bring about man's salvation. The source of the blasphemy is the heart of the one who blasphemes by rejecting the commandments. Can people today commit this sin, in the same manner? In principle, by rejecting the gospel, the Spirit's testimony, we become guilty of blasphemy. What can bring those who reject this message back to God? Will there be another sacrifice, or will He give another plan?

This sin is not a sin unto death. "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that." {1 John 5:16} A sin unto death cannot be repented of because the sinner dies in the sin!

It is not an impossible or unforgivable sin. In Mark's account (Mark 2:29,30) they sinned by saying Jesus healed by an unclean spirit; they denied the Holy Spirit's work. As long as man lives, and retains his faculties, he can reconsider his condition, repent, and obey the Spirit's message. If one rejects the Spirit's message, no options remain.

I cannot know when one commits this sin, unless I can read his heart. All I can do is plant the seed and rely on God to give the increase. Dear reader, if you're waiting for another message or sacrifice, you're waiting in vain.


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