“On account of this, I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men; yet the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever might speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. Yet, whoever might speak against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one.”
The final part of Jesus’ response (vv. 33-37) contains an unveiled accusation from Jesus of the Pharisees. In other words, Jesus’ response begins defensively and concludes offensively. The transition between offense and defense is found within these verses in between. Before Jesus can issue an accusation of His own, He establishes a precedent. This precedent is first stated generally (v. 31) and then specifically (v. 32).
The Warning Stated Generally (v. 31)
The structure of vv. 31-32 is as simple as it is brilliant. Each verse contains an antithetical couplet; that is, they each contain two lines where the antithesis of the first line is stated in the second. In addition to that, both verses speak to the same truth in a kind of parallelism. The truth stated generally in v. 31 is clarified with the specific truth stated in v. 32. Together, these verses form a precedent where Jesus will go on the offensive in the verses to follow.
Forgiveness for Sin & Blasphemy (v. 31a)
“On account of this, I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.”
The precedent begins with a connection to the previous verse. There is a reason Jesus says what He does here. Strictly speaking, “this” (τοῦτο) refers to Jesus’ statement of non-neutrality in v. 30. In light of the fact that there are only two groups of people (those who gather to Jesus and those who are scattered), Jesus has something to say to those listening (the confused crowds and the accusing Pharisees).
When Jesus says that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, He means just that. Unless otherwise specified, both “sin” (ἁμαρτία) and “blasphemy” (βλασφημία) are generic terms with a wide range of meaning. To sin is to depart from a standard of uprightness whether actively (to do what is prohibited) or passively (to fail to do what is commanded). To blaspheme is not necessarily so specific in the Greek as it is in English. The term means to slander or defame with reviling or disrespectful speech. That slander could be directed at one’s fellow man or at God. We tend to reserve the term blasphemy for the latter. The point is that Jesus here speaks of forgiveness for all sin and all blasphemy in a general manner. It matters not if one transgresses against one’s fellow man or against one’s Creator and God. There is forgiveness for sinners and blasphemers.
To forgive (ἀφίημι) means to dismiss or release, normally used to dismiss the charges against someone or to release someone from the consequences of one’s actions. To forgive is to break the bond between the criminal and the consequences of the crime. With that comes two observations. The first is that Matthew has already identified Jesus as the one who forgives sin (9:6). The second is that this statement does not ignore, gloss over, or contradict explicit texts that link forgiveness to confession and faith (Rom. 4:7; 8:1, 28-29; 10:9-11; 1 Jn. 1:9; 2:12). Therefore, Jesus is not saying that every sinner and blasphemer will be forgiven but that there is no sin or blasphemy that is so heinous as to be outside of Jesus’ forgiveness. To those who gather to Him, these are encouraging words indeed.
No Forgiveness for Blaspheming the Spirit (v. 31b)
“Yet the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Rightly understood, this is an exception clause. Jesus includes an additional thought that is indirectly related to His previous statement. From all sin and blasphemy, Jesus moves to a particular blasphemy, that blasphemy of or against the Spirit which will not be forgiven. By “Spirit” (τοῦ πνεύματος) Jesus clearly refers to the same being who is credited with endowing Yhwh’s Servant (12:18) as well as the One who empowers Him to cast out demons (12:28). That is to say, Jesus refers to the third person of the Godhead, God the Holy Spirit. To blaspheme Him is to step over a line that cannot be recrossed. This is the one exception to rule of forgiveness.
There are undoubtedly many questions that arise with such a statement. What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Does this imply that there are some things that God is incapable of forgiving? Can man become so wicked so as to be beyond God’s grace? These questions and more will be answered when Jesus moves from this general statement to a more specific warning.
The Warning Stated Specifically (v. 32)
As in v. 31, this verse is arranged in another antithetical couplet where the statement made in the first line faces an opposing truth in the second. The initial καὶ (and) tightly connects these two verses as one set of couplets following another. While saying much the same thing as the previous verse, v. 32 is more specific and thus clarifies Jesus’ previous statement.
Forgiveness for Speaking Against the Son of Man (v. 32a)
“And whoever might speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him.”
This positive statement about the forgiveness of speaking against the Son of Man is phrased to make this a theoretical idea but does so in such a way that the glories of v. 31a are magnified to an even grander height. Jesus gets much more specific when He switches from blasphemy to speaking against. The first indicates slanderous speech while the second simply indicates opposition. One can oppose without slandering. Yet the one being opposed is here identified as the Son of Man, Messiah, the Son of David, Jesus Himself. To speak a single word in opposition to Jesus is to slander Him, calling into question His right to rule, reign, and judge. A serious crime indeed. Yet, Jesus states that even this crime will be forgiven.
When Jesus said that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, He was not kidding. Even opposing Yhwh’s Anointed is not a crime that is without the possibility of forgiveness. Some of the best-known apostles were at one time blasphemers of Jesus (Matt. 26:69-75; 1 Tim. 1:13). Yet they received forgiveness when they confessed, repented, and believed.
No Forgiveness for Speaking Against the Holy Spirit (v. 32b)
“Yet, whoever might speak against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one.”
What was implied in v. 31b is made explicit here. There is no doubt that Jesus speaks of God the Holy Spirit, nor that when He says this blasphemy/opposition will not be forgiven He means it. By refer to this age and the coming one, Jesus states plainly that this sin will never be forgiven. This is where the rubber meets the road and where people’s anxieties and curiosities climax. Most people only want to know two things: (1) What does it mean to speak against the Holy Spirit and (2) am I in danger of committing or previously committed it? We could answer these questions directly (speaking against the Holy Spirit is exactly what Jesus said it was and, no, you have not and most likely will not commit it), but it is probably best to provide an answer by first reminding ourselves of four important factors.
First, we must rid ourselves of erroneous theories regarding the “unpardonable sin”. History is full of different understandings regarding this specific sin. The Didache (a systematic reflection of early Christian practices and beliefs) seems to link the unpardonable sin with rejecting a true prophet (11:7). Origen believed that to blaspheme the Holy Spirit meant for a professing believer to relapse into sin (First Principles, 1.3.7). Augustin saw room in Jesus’ words “neither in this age nor the next” for a doctrine of purgatory where one who was not forgiven in this age will be forgiven in the next age (City of God, 21.24).
To these suggestions, many others are offered like the sin of murder, self-murder, adultery, etc. All of these suggestions fall into one of two categories. (1) Those that only a professing believer can commit (returning to sin that he supposedly repented of) and (2) those that anyone can commit (rejecting a prophet, murder, self-murder, adultery, etc.). By taking a minute to consider to whom Jesus speaks, we can easily set all of these aside as unhelpful and untrue. By addressing the crowds (who doubt Jesus is the Messiah) and the Pharisees (who reject Jesus as Messiah) we can safely assume that Jesus’ audience at this point is 100% unbelievers. No one in that crowd is even pretending to follow Jesus. Therefore, this sin is not what some people call “backsliding” and others rightly understand as apostasy. In addition to this, we can easily lay aside those sins that fall under the encouragement of v. 31a and v. 32a. If Jesus will forgive one who has blasphemed Him, would He not also forgive one who is guilty of murder and adulterer…like David? Thus, it is essential that we clear our minds of misinformed nonsense regarding this “unpardonable sin”.
Second, we must remind ourselves of what the Bible teaches regarding forgiveness. To begin with, forgiveness is part of God’s character. The patriarchs placed their faith in Yhwh who forgives (Gen. 30:23). Yhwh revealed Himself to Moses as a God who forgives iniquity and transgression (Ex. 34:7; Num. 14:18). Israel (Num. 21:7), and at times even pagan Gentiles (Ex. 10:7) recognized that Yhwh was the only one who could forgive their transgressions against His character, nature, word, and will. Simply put, God is a God who forgives.
In addition, we must add that forgiveness is never presented as a transaction between God and man, but as a legal decision based upon God’s word and will. God forgave the rebellion at Sinai (Ex. 32:11-14) because of His promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1-21; 17:1-22) while still holding the guilty responsible (Ex. 32:30-35). God forgave David (2 Sam. 11:13) because of His promise to David (2 Sam. 7:8-17). There is not a single instance in the Scriptures where one is forgiven because of what they’ve done, as if they somehow earned God’s forgiveness. Rather, every instance of God’s forgiveness is issued based upon His decree, word, and will. The one who receives forgiveness is one who believes/trusts in/places faith in God’s decree. There is certainly a connection between faith and forgiveness, but that connection is not that of cause-and-effect. God’s promise, word, and will is the cause of forgiveness, not man’s faith.
A similar thought emerges when we take this relationship between the forgiver (God) and the one in need of forgiveness (man) one step further. If there is nothing man can do to earn God’s forgiveness, then there is nothing man can do ensure the withholding of man’s forgiveness. That is, God remains sovereign over forgiveness and there is nothing man can do to manipulate the situation in either direction. The basis for God’s forgiveness remains the same: His sovereign decree.
Finally, that there is a relationship between faith and forgiveness is indisputable. Yet, the nature of that relationship is not cause-and-effect (man believes and God forgives) but cause-and-effects-and-accomplishment (God decrees to redeem, God regenerates man who thus believes, repents, and remains in a state of forgiveness – Acts 15:8-9; Rom. 5:1; 8:28-29; 2 Cor. 5:17-19; Eph. 2:8-10; Tit. 3:5-6; Heb. 11:1, 6; 1 Pet. 1:3). The imperatives to repent and believe are unambiguously demanded of those who seek salvation and forgiveness (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; Mk. 1:15; 5:36; Jn. 14:1, 11; 19:35; 20:31; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 16:31; 17:30). Yet faith and repentances assume and are results of God’s previous work of New Covenant regeneration (Jer. 31; Ezek. 36; Eph. 1). So, while faith and forgiveness are certainly inseparable (there is no one who lacks faith that is forgiven), it is not accurate to speak of faith as the cause for forgiveness. God forgives those whom He determined to forgive by granting to them life and faith.
Third, we must never forget the context in which we read these words. The reason Jesus presents this precedent of that which will be forgiven and that which will not be forgiven is the fact that all must gather to Him or scatter (v. 30). That statement was given as the conclusion of Jesus’ defense against the accusation of being in league with the devil (v. 24). That accusation was leveled indirectly at Jesus in an attempt to answer the question “is this the Son of David?” (v. 23). That question was prompted by Jesus healing a demoniac and fully restoring him (v. 22). The context can be broken down to the following points:
· Jesus performs something that (1) no man can possibly do, (2) only God can do, and (3) is expected of God’s Messianic Servant as one who is endowed by God’s Spirit.
· The crowds doubt if this is evidence enough of Jesus’ Messiahship.
· The Pharisees encourage this doubt by identifying the Spirit’s work as the devil’s work.
It is not that the Pharisees do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but they recognize that He is and can only be Messiah and yet attempt to slander and discredit Him as such by calling the good work through the Holy Spirit an evil thing stemming from Satan. They’ve heard Jesus’ claims to be Messiah (9:6; 11:3, 19; 12:8). They’ve heard Jesus’ flawless exposition and application of the Law (5:2-7:27; 9:13; 11:5, 10; 12:3-6). They’ve seen Jesus validate His claims through a myriad of miracles (8-9). Jesus has only just proven that there is no other logical explanation except that He works as one endowed by God the Holy Spirit (v. 28) yet they claim that He is a servant of Satan. This is not mere unbelieve but literally looking God in the face and spitting at Him.
Fourth, we can rightly identify this “unpardonable sin” and consider its implications for those living in the church dispensation (that is, those who live after the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost 33 AD and before the rapture). The sin that will not be forgiven is the sin which the Pharisees have just committed: to look upon the Son of God, endowed by the Spirit of God, performing and teaching as only God can, and attribute those persons and actions to God’s enemy. Worse than looking upon what is objectively good and calling it evil, they slander the One who empowers goodness by calling Him a force of the evil one. They (1) demoted God the Holy Spirit to an impersonal force, (2) rob Him of His holiness, (3) attribute Him as an impersonal agent of Satan’s will, and thus (4) make an open declaration that they are not with Jesus and are very much opposed (v. 30). Thus, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the fully informed and determined slander of the fullest revelation of God that mankind has ever beheld.
Have I committed the unpardonable sin? Perhaps this question is best answered with a question. Have you seen the Lord Jesus Christ performing miracles through the power of God the Holy Spirit and then attributed this power to an impersonal force from Satan? Of course, you haven’t! The point is not that they rejected Jesus’ message or even slandered His person. Jesus already said that those sins and blasphemies will be forgiven. What makes this sin so unique is the context in which it took place: Men standing before God the Son, witnessing God the Spirit working through Him, and declaring this power is Satanic. In this age, after the ascension and before the return of Jesus Christ, it is impossible to commit what the Pharisees were guilty of in this instance.
A better question, one seldom asked, is what purpose do these verses serve in Matthew’s gospel? This is not a stand-alone statement but is part of Jesus’ response to the accusation. Specifically, the turning point before He goes on the offensive. In presenting the Pharisees’ accusation as something that will not be forgiven, ever, Jesus has established the precedent for His coming accusation: that the Pharisees are marked out for condemnation. Their sin will not be forgiven because God has not chosen, predestined, or elected them. As such, they will not be regenerated, nor will they be given faith. It is not so much that they have crossed a line that now commits them to damnation so much as their actions reveal their status as those already damned. To the crowds, this is a warning to consider where they stand. To the Pharisees, this is the opening shot across the bow with a full broadside coming in reserve.
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