The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

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And now, the man who preached in 50 states in 50 days, speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. Unpardonable sin. What does the Bible mean when it warns against the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

Hi, Alex McFarland here. Welcome to Truth for a New Generation. And you know, one of the most common questions that we get here at the ministry relates to the subject of an unpardonable sin, or an eternal sin, and what the Bible talks about when it speaks of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. We have a book coming out in the fall of 2021, a book about the top 100 questions from the first 10 years of our show Exploring the Word, our live Bible teaching show that airs Monday through Friday. And we frequently get questions in these areas. For one thing, Hebrews chapter 6, that people want to know, does that teach that one can lose their salvation? I'll address that in a moment. But people ask about the question found in Mark, Matthew, and Luke about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Let me read a little bit from Matthew 24. And let's talk about this, because a number of people sometimes fear that they have committed the unpardonable sin, quote unquote.

And in the context of this broadcast, we're going to address this. And if you are concerned that you have committed, quote, the unpardonable sin, the chances are that you have not. Because if you were beyond the reach of God's promptings and the overtures of the Holy Spirit, you really wouldn't be concerned about your soul. And our position is that the only sin in this world, now listen, the only sin that can put you beyond the realm of God's forgiveness would be to die in a state of unbelief.

There is no second chance after death. If you die in a state of unbelief, the Bible says that you're lost. But if you're in this world, if you are in the land of the living, and there is breath in your lungs, you can be saved if you'll put your faith in Christ. And if you're concerned about the state of your soul, we urge you to call on the Lord today and be born again. And God will hear you and God will save you if you repent of sin and put your faith in Him. And if you need help about knowing how to do that or you're wanting assurance of your salvation, contact us here at the ministry.

Just go to my website, alexmcfarland.com, and you'll find a tab there that says, what does God say about my relationship with Him? And we believe the Scriptures in that article will give you great assurance about where you stand with God and you can know that you're saved. But let me read a little bit from Matthew chapter 12. People are being healed, people are being brought to Jesus who have demon possessions and illnesses and blindness, and Jesus is healing them. And the people say, this is the Son of David.

The people are amazed. And they'll say, is not this the Messiah? But verse 24 of Matthew 12 says the following, when the Pharisees heard it, they said, this fellow does not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Now they're accusing the work of Jesus to the power of Satan.

Very serious, dark, false accusation. Verse 25, And 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 shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself. How shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Or else how can one enter a strong man's house and spoil his goods or take the goods of the strong man, take the possessions of the strong man, unless he first bind the strong man, then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad. Now this sets the context, and it's amazing the mercy and the love of Jesus.

They make this horrid accusation against the Messiah. Jesus is doing work by the power of God. He is God incarnate. He has the blessing of the Father. The Holy Spirit is upon him. And he's doing the work of God by the power of God. And yet, these healings, these blessings, these deliverances, these salvations, the religious leaders of that time, now remember they had an unparalleled amount of revelation. They knew the Scriptures intimately. And they're in the very presence of the Son of God. God incarnate is right there conversing with them. Jesus Christ himself. And no doubt they had the Holy Spirit's promptings telling them to receive him and believe in him.

They had a level of enlightenment and revelation that's never been equaled before or since in world history. And yet, they accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan and doing his work through the power of demons. And that is blasphemy. Now verse 31. Jesus discusses the unpardonable sin.

And by the way, this is also in Mark chapter 3. Jesus says, Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to come. Now this is serious and warrants serious, sober investigation. Because as I said, many people worry that they've committed an unpardonable sin or THE unpardonable sin.

So I did some study into this and have interviewed a number of people. And so let's talk about this. My dear friend, you do not want the Holy Spirit to walk away from you and leave you. Whenever you get those nudgings, those promptings in your conscience, the Lord is calling out to you, turn from sin, ask forgiveness for this or that, repent, come back to Jesus. Friend, don't ever ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Whenever you thirst after God, that is the Holy Spirit drawing you, making overtures, calling you. And so heaven forbid that any of us reach a point where we no longer hear those promptings of the Holy Spirit. What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

And how can we make sure that we have Christ as Lord of our life? Stay tuned. America today is like a patient struggling to live yet is being forcibly euthanized by her quote doctors. The life force within the patient fighting for survival is the honest citizens like yourself. The team of quote caregivers are the local and national leaders actually contributing to the demise of the patient. The economy is crashing. Crime is exploding. The Constitution is being abolished. The assault on America. How to defend our nation before it's too late by Alex McFarland has one single purpose to get you prepared. Learn the real source of America's current problems that no one else is talking about and what you can do now to face tomorrow, regardless of what tomorrow brings. The assault on America, how to defend our nation before it's too late available now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and local Christian bookstores. Welcome to the podcast.

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For apologetics resources, books by Alex McFarland, and to find out where Alex is speaking, visit AlexMcFarland.com. Welcome back to Truth For A New Generation. I do want to remind you that my speaking schedule is really picking up.

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And so let's stay in touch, and let's help each other learn how to present, explain, and defend the faith. Well, some look at this passage like it's some sort of theological loophole. And they fault God.

Now listen. They say, well, either God is unwilling to forgive this sin, or unable to forgive this sin. Now Jesus had said in the Matthew 12 passage we read a few moments ago, that all manner of sin will be forgiven of man. Blasphemy and sin, and thank the Lord for that. He's a God full of grace. But most scholars, lest you believe that somehow you've committed an unpardonable sin, most scholars would believe that the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was something only committed by those Pharisees and religious rejecters of Christ in that day.

Let me explain. And I want you to think about whether or not there are unforgivable or unpardonable sins in this era. Because I would submit the only sin that would place you beyond the reach of God's redemption is to die in a state of unbelief. If you want to be saved, you can.

If you'll turn to Christ. We've had people write, and we've had inmates say, but how could God love me? I committed a murder.

How could God love me? I left my family. I betrayed my spouse. I stole from my employer.

I did this, that, and the other. I mean, there is no end, seemingly, to the list of iniquities and dark sins and disobedient things man can do, whether it's the occult and Ouija boards or false religion. Listen, Jesus will cleanse you. Jesus will forgive you. Jesus will save you. Jesus will restore you if you will turn to him. But the biblical examples of blasphemy imply irreverence or slander against God.

The term blasphemy also means to spurn, S-P-U-R-N, to spurn or to turn against the Holy Spirit. Now in that day, Jesus, again, he's doing miracles, he's healing people, he fulfilled the prophecies of where he was born and who he was and what he would do. Jesus had fulfilled every criteria of messiahship.

And there he was on earth, and they knew the scriptures and they knew what to look for, and the Savior met every criteria on the punch list. And yet, they refused to acknowledge him as messiah. Plus, they accused him of being empowered by Satan. To say the least, they spurned Jesus.

I remember a conversation I had with Dr. Barry Leventhal of Southern Evangelical Seminary, Barry Leventhal, Ph.D., and at the time I interviewed him, he directed the Jewish Studies program at SES. Now he and others believe that Jesus' ominous warning about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which appears in Matthew 12, 31 and 32, may be uniquely related to those Jewish leaders. Because these religious elite, they knew the Old Testament scriptures, the incarnate Lord was right there in front of them, and they had been entrusted with an absolutely unparalleled level of revelation. Dr. Leventhal said to me, quote, �For them to stubbornly maintain that posture of unbelief and then attribute Christ's work to the power of the devil, this rejection of God's overtures was inexcusable, the unpardonable blasphemy or rejection of the enlightenment and the work of the Holy Spirit.� And so that is something you and I can't commit today, at least not in that same way. Because while you know about Jesus, obviously you're hearing this broadcast, you know about scripture, you're thinking about your standing with God, but the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit that the Jewish leaders of that day committed is not really something that you can commit today.

Now that's an interesting perspective. I've always been comforted by verses such as 1 John 1 that says, �If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us or purify us from all unrighteousness.� Now in a similar way Romans 8, 1 says, quote, �There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.� Friend, if you want to be forgiven, you can be forgiven. If you want to be saved, you can be.

It doesn't matter. You say, �I've done bad things.� Listen, God knows what you've done. God knows how you've procrastinated. You've held Him at bay and you've squandered times that you could have been walking with the Lord, but God loves you.

Please believe this. Jesus, who conquered the grave, has the power to forgive you and He will if you call on His name today. You may think you're a bad sinner. God knows you're a worse sinner than even you think you are and yet He loves you and He's enabling you to hear this broadcast and the Spirit of God is calling on you to turn to Christ. Now Jesus said that part of the Holy Spirit's work in the world would be to reveal people's sinfulness and need for salvation.

John 16, I love how the old King James renders it. Jesus is en route to the cross and He says, �The Holy Spirit, when He comes, will convince the world of sin.� Maybe you don't need convincing. You know you're a sinner, but God loves you and the Spirit will draw you to Christ and you'll be regenerated, made alive in your soul and spirit if you will turn to Christ today. Now a healthy concern for sin is evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. To feel contrite about sin proves that one hasn't committed the unpardonable sin. If you're feeling contrite, it's proof that you haven't yet committed that sin. Now when we come back, I'm going to give you a wonderful quote about your conviction over sin and how that is proof that God is at work in your life.

Stay tuned. Join Alex McFarland for Spiritual Awakening in Our Times. Study in the book of Acts, June 25-27 in the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove near Asheville, North Carolina. Alex records the first days of the early Church and tells the story of a powerful spiritual awakening among Jews and Gentiles alike. The book of Acts also contains personal lessons about revival for believers like us today. In the seminar, Alex will examine God's principles for spiritual renewal and evangelism that work in every age, including ours.

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Alex McFarland here. We're talking about the unpardonable sin. We'll continue with that in just a moment. I do want to remind everybody, June 25-27, I'm going to be at The Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center in western North Carolina. It is beautiful. We will be going through the book of Acts, the New Testament book of Acts, written by who? Written by Luke.

That's right. And I would love to meet you. We always have people from all over the country and internationally as well. We're going to study Acts. We're going to look at the principles of revival and spiritual awakening. And we're going to pray together. And it's going to be wonderful.

Go to thecove.org. I would love to see you there. Randall Murphy of the American Family Journal will be there. Angie will be there. It's going to be wonderful. You don't want to miss it. And it will fill up. These seminars always do. And I'm so honored.

The Cove, I've been there many, many, many summers. And this is going to be great. So I hope you'll join us there. And go to their website. Look at all the great seminars they have. They have Erwin Lutzer there and Ann Graham Lotz and so many wonderful people throughout the year.

And I hope to see you there June 25-27. You know, when people talk about the unpardonable sin, sometimes they worry that they've committed it. I want to read a quote by my friend Andrew Wommack. This is from his devotional book Every Day with Jesus. It's such a good quote. He says this, We can be assured that God knows the hearts of all people, and He will judge righteously concerning this. His word does show us that when anyone becomes a reprobate, quote unquote, they lose all conviction from the Holy Spirit. That's Romans 1.28. No longer able to discern right from wrong because they have a reprobate mind. Now listen to Andrew Wommack's quote. I think it's very good for the context of this subject. Quote, Therefore, anyone who is convicted and repentant over having possibly blasphemed the Holy Spirit has not yet reached the place where it is unpardonable.

If they had, they wouldn't care. That's true. If you're concerned about the state of your soul, that shows the Holy Spirit is still speaking and you're still able to hear. Now Dr. Barry Leventhal, whom I mentioned a moment ago, he said, quote, There's a difference between an unpardonable sin and the unpardonable sin. The sin which ultimately places a person beyond God's forgiveness is to live and die in the act of unbelief, that is to reject Christ. What this means is if you are in the land of the living, you can be saved.

As long as you're still alive and you're conscious and you can think. Listen, if you are unsure of your salvation, the Bible promises, I could give you so many verses, John 6 37, John 6 40, Romans 10 13, if you will turn to Christ and say, Dear Lord Jesus, I am sorry for my sins. Dear Lord Jesus, I do believe you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross for me.

I trust in you. Please wash my sins away. Save me and make me your child. If you will pray and call on Jesus today, you will be born again. You know in John chapter 3 when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, and he said, Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus said, Well, how can a man when he's an old man, how can you once again enter into your mother's body and be born? Jesus said, I'm not talking about physical birth.

He said, A man must be born again. And literally the word means born from above, born by the Spirit. The Greek word is anothon. Now what does it mean to be anothon, born from above? Well, it means born by the Spirit. Now you and I are physically born because here we are. You're alive.

Well, born spiritually means that the living God comes into your life. How do you do that? Well, you admit that you're a sinner and you're dead in your trespasses and sins. You can't save yourself.

You need the intervention of God. Then you've got to put your trust in the right thing. Many years ago I was speaking at a university and a professor piously said, I don't think it's important what you believe as long as you're sincere. And I responded, I said, Well, your faith is only as good as the object it's focused on. You could be as sincere as the day is long, but if the object of your faith is vacuous, empty, that's not saving faith. My dear friend, when you put your trust, your belief, your faith in Jesus, the most powerful entity in the universe, Almighty God, Jesus Christ, who conquered the grave, beat death. In fact, the book of Colossians tells us, John 1 and Colossians 1 both tell us, Jesus created the universe.

That's power. Well, Jesus the Creator is also Jesus the Messiah, and He can be your Savior if you'll call on Him today. And therefore, it's hard to imagine anything other than dying in a state of unbelief that would put you beyond the realm of Christ's powerful saving hand.

Turn to Him today. And so this unpardonable sin, Matthew 12, 31 and 32, Jesus said, Every sin will be forgiven of men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And if you're worried that you've committed an unpardonable sin, that's proof you haven't. Because if you were beyond the realm of God's forgiveness, you wouldn't even care. You'd be lost not even thinking about it.

You wouldn't even know it. So today, if you are a believer, rejoice in that. If you're concerned where you stand with God, call on His name.

And today, even maybe this very moment, you'll do it. And you can be saved, and you can know it. One last scripture. Remember this, folks. 1 John 5, 13, These things were written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know you have eternal life.

K-N-O-W. If you have believed on the name of Jesus, you can be certain that you have everlasting life. If you need further spiritual help, reach out to us. Go to my website, AlexMcFarland.com. We'd love to help you know Christ and help others find Him as well. May God bless you. Walk with Jesus. Walk and speak up for Jesus. And please, pray for our nation.

And whatever we can do to help you in your walk and witness, please don't hesitate to ask. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Ministries, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Call us at 877-Yes-God-1.

That's 877-Yes-God and the number 1. Or give online at AlexMcFarland.com. While you're there, listen to Program Archives, read Alex's blog, invite Alex to speak at your event, or contact Alex with a question or comment, AlexMcFarland.com. Thanks for listening today and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG Radio.