What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and why is there no forgiveness for it?
This is a question of no little concern for many people, some of whom fear they may have committed it. The thought of being guilty of a sin that can never be forgiven is indeed a very frightening thought. Let’s try to understand what this is all about. In the first place, let’s make sure we understand what the word “blasphemy” means. To blaspheme means to speak evil of; to revile; to slander or defame. We find the word used more than 50 times in the NT. For instance, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, it says that those who passed by “derided” him. The Greek word is the word for blasphemy. They blasphemed him. They spoke evil of him, slandered him, defamed him. In the book of Acts, when Paul was preaching in Pisidian Antioch, and large crowds came to hear him, it says, “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him” (Acts 13:45). Literally, they “blasphemed” him. In other places in the NT we read of the word
