There are many sins against the Holy Spirit, but when people ask about the sin against the Holy Spirit, they are asking (and often worrying) about the sin that cannot be forgiven. There are three places in the Bible where Jesus talks about this sin. They basically say the same thing. In Matthew, we read: “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” In answer to that, Jesus says: “I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:24-32).
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
The nature of the offense against the Holy Spirit is made explicit in this text. It is an affront to the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees rejected that Jesus used the power of the Holy Spirit to drive out demons. They believed that Satan’s power, not the power of the Holy Spirit, was used by Jesus to accomplish his job. However, they were aware of better! They made the deliberate choice to reject God’s authority.
Hardening of hearts
This will never be forgiven, according to Jesus. That’s not because God wouldn’t grant these people’s requests for forgiveness. The explanation is because they are unable to repent and believe because they have so hardened their hearts. A person who has insulted the Holy Spirit gets hardheaded and won’t acknowledge the sinfulness of their actions. He becomes impenitent, having made up his mind not to turn from his sin. Though, deep down, he knows it to be true, he nevertheless opposes the truth. He starts to act arrogantly, believing that he can be saved without turning from his sins.
Tasted the Holy Spirit
Such a person’s circumstances are similar to those mentioned in Hebrews 6:4-6: Because they are once again crucifying the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt, it is impossible to bring those who have once been enlightened, experienced the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, and tasted the goodness of God’s word and the powers of the age to come back to repentance.
They spit out the Holy Spirit after having tasted him. It is an insult to the Holy Spirit. Saying “I know who You are, and I don’t want You” to God is what that is. It is denying God and never turning around.
For this reason, a lot of people have said, quite rightly, that “you have not committed the sin against the Holy Spirit, if you are afraid you have.” The only people who have sinned against the Holy Spirit are those who have hardened their hearts against God.
