Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-30, and Luke 12:10-12
“Notice what you notice.” Something new today, all three Synoptic Gospels (imbedded below) on one short topic — blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the unpardonable sin…!!
Matt. 12:31-32, Therefore 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.
Mark 3:28-30, Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin — for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Luke 12:10-12, And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.
I daresay that most every Christian who has read one, two, or all three of these accounts has asked him/herself if he/she has committed that unpardonable sin. I would think in particular that someone who came to the Lord later in life, especially someone who had been involved in cult or Satanic rituals, might wonder about anything they might have said in their younger years that would qualify as this blasphemy. And no, I don’t have the unqualified answer. However, I must say that every pastor that I have heard speak on this topic seriously discounts that unpardonable possibility for a very large majority of believers.
So what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? My Study Bible points to the last of Mark’s verses above and suggests that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is giving Satan credit for the works of Jesus (whose works and miracles were done in the power of the Holy Spirit) – they were essentially accusing Jesus of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. An online source has a different, interesting explanation, that “The unpardonable sin is any sin that a person doesn’t want to give up, confess, or even ask forgiveness for and additionally doesn’t want to hear any more about it from the Holy Spirit”. (https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/why-blasphemy-against-holy-spirit-unpardonable-sin) These two explanations are seemingly vastly different, although someone wiser than I could probably bring them together nicely. I’ll probably just go along with past preaching that I’ve heard, that most of us have not likely committed that “unpardonable sin”.
And I must say a word about Luke’s last two verses. Read Acts 3-4, Peter and John before the Sanhedrin!
Blessings!