Why is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan unforgivable?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Sep 1, 2022
53
5
8
#1
Can someone explain why this sin is unforgivable unlike genocide, rape, and incest? Why is this sin unforgivable compared to what Hitler, Stalin and Muhammad the Islamic prophet did?
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
18,817
6,467
113
62
#2
Can someone explain why this sin is unforgivable unlike genocide, rape, and incest? Why is this sin unforgivable compared to what Hitler, Stalin and Muhammad the Islamic prophet did?
A simple answer is that God says so and that should be enough. But consider the offense from God's perspective for a moment. Someone who commits such an act is literally calling God evil. Not only is God not being honored for His numerous and praiseworthy excellencies, His name and reputation are being denigrated in the vilest of terms.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,000
4,313
113
#3
Can someone explain why this sin is unforgivable unlike genocide, rape, and incest? Why is this sin unforgivable compared to what Hitler, Stalin and Muhammad, the Islamic prophet did?
All sin produces death unless there is repentance. That doesn't mean one escapes the law of the land which many are put to death for the list of sins you named.

The Holy Spirit's work is of God and knows the mind of God and Leads into all truth.

When one who has an understanding of the Holy Spirit's work and then speaks against the Holy Spirit in a blasphemous way, they are in a very bad position. When you know the Holy Spirit can do no evil, and has no sin, and does not work by the power of a devil, and you say HE does. That is a place I do not even what to speculate.
 
Sep 1, 2022
53
5
8
#4
A simple answer is that God says so and that should be enough. But consider the offense from God's perspective for a moment. Someone who commits such an act is literally calling God evil. Not only is God not being honored for His numerous and praiseworthy excellencies, His name and reputation are being denigrated in the vilest of terms.
So basically Gnostics and Satanists can't be saved at all since they believe that the Trinity is evil?
 
Sep 1, 2022
53
5
8
#5
All sin produces death unless there is repentance. That doesn't mean one escapes the law of the land which many are put to death for the list of sins you named.

The Holy Spirit's work is of God and knows the mind of God and Leads into all truth.

When one who has an understanding of the Holy Spirit's work and then speaks against the Holy Spirit in a blasphemous way, they are in a very bad position. When you know the Holy Spirit can do no evil, and has no sin, and does not work by the power of a devil, and you say HE does. That is a place I do not even what to speculate.
So what if you committed this sin and ask for forgiveness?? What do you mean by an understanding of the Holy Spirit's work?
 

Mem

Senior Member
Sep 23, 2014
7,103
2,139
113
#6
I'd think it would have something to do with unbelief since it's "impossible" to please God without faith, so then how is it possible to forgive unbelief? And perhaps unbelief might well even be forgivable, but believing the work while rejecting the source and thus attributing it wrongly to a, supposedly, "more believable source"? That's taking unbelief to another level.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
18,817
6,467
113
62
#7
So basically Gnostics and Satanists can't be saved at all since they believe that the Trinity is evil?
This is a very specific sin and arguably cannot even be committed today. Believing God is evil is wildly misguided but not unforgivable. I was merely trying to give a perspective from God's point of view that you may not have considered. Plenty of gnostics and Satanists have come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
 

Aaron56

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2021
2,749
1,573
113
#8
We misunderstand the verse because we do not think about it with the mind of Christ within the kingdom of God.

Btw: The Roman church invented veinal sins: sins ranked by offense. They could charge more to those who committed them.

Any way, the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven because He is the arbiter of truth. This truth comes from the Son. The Son received this truth from the Father. So, the Spirit ministers the standard of truth as decreed from the throne of God. The Spirit only ministers what He receives so we are assured there is a 1 to 1 correlation between what God decrees and what the Spirit says.

One thing the Spirit ministers is conviction of sin: assurance that substandard behavior misses the mark of the standard of God. If a person holds to the idea that the Spirit is not correct or that He is wrong then the person refuses to be convicted of his sin. Consequently there is no possible way for repentance and no forgiveness. In the same way one cannot say they love the Father and reject the Son. If they do, they lie, because the Son represents the Father in all things. These are kingly principles of representation.

Now, theft, trauma, abuse, lying, etc. can all be forgiven without repentance from the offender. We can simply forgive and release the offender from any debt they owe us. Likewise, if we are the offender, God will also forgive our sins upon confession perhaps with no interaction with the one we offended. But, God will not release one from blaspheming the Holy Spirit BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE THROUGH WHICH CONVICTION OF SIN AND GODLY REPENTANCE COMES. God will not circumnavigate His prescribed order: the Spirit convicts and the man repents. He will not act in the stead of the Holy Spirit. So, the sin of blaspheming the Spirit will remain for eternity UNLESS the man repents.

The plainest example of this is Paul who persecuted the church and called the work of the Lord evil. We know he did this while the Spirit was ministering conviction “Why do you kick against the goad?”. It was not until Paul received conviction and repented that he was restored by the Lord.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
18,817
6,467
113
62
#9
We misunderstand the verse because we do not think about it with the mind of Christ within the kingdom of God.

Btw: The Roman church invented veinal sins: sins ranked by offense. They could charge more to those who committed them.

Any way, the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven because He is the arbiter of truth. This truth comes from the Son. The Son received this truth from the Father. So, the Spirit ministers the standard of truth as decreed from the throne of God. The Spirit only ministers what He receives so we are assured there is a 1 to 1 correlation between what God decrees and what the Spirit says.

One thing the Spirit ministers is conviction of sin: assurance that substandard behavior misses the mark of the standard of God. If a person holds to the idea that the Spirit is not correct or that He is wrong then the person refuses to be convicted of his sin. Consequently there is no possible way for repentance and no forgiveness. In the same way one cannot say they love the Father and reject the Son. If they do, they lie, because the Son represents the Father in all things. These are kingly principles of representation.

Now, theft, trauma, abuse, lying, etc. can all be forgiven without repentance from the offender. We can simply forgive and release the offender from any debt they owe us. Likewise, if we are the offender, God will also forgive our sins upon confession perhaps with no interaction with the one we offended. But, God will not release one from blaspheming the Holy Spirit BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE THROUGH WHICH CONVICTION OF SIN AND GODLY REPENTANCE COMES. God will not circumnavigate His prescribed order: the Spirit convicts and the man repents. He will not act in the stead of the Holy Spirit. So, the sin of blaspheming the Spirit will remain for eternity UNLESS the man repents.

The plainest example of this is Paul who persecuted the church and called the work of the Lord evil. We know he did this while the Spirit was ministering conviction “Why do you kick against the goad?”. It was not until Paul received conviction and repented that he was restored by the Lord.
Just to be clear...you believe Paul was restored or was saved?
 
Sep 1, 2022
53
5
8
#10
This is a very specific sin and arguably cannot even be committed today. Believing God is evil is wildly misguided but not unforgivable. I was merely trying to give a perspective from God's point of view that you may not have considered. Plenty of gnostics and Satanists have come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
So please explain hypothetically how this sin would be committed today?
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
18,817
6,467
113
62
#14
So please explain hypothetically how this sin would be committed today?
I personally don't believe it can because Jesus isn't on earth now doing works that can be attributed to Satan. But one could proffer that since it is Christ who lives in believers were to do a work and others attributed it to Satan this might qualify. I think that's a stretch. And Aaron56's explanation is very good.
 
L

Locoponydirtman

Guest
#16
One has to understand what was happening when Jesus said that. Those people that he warned were the priests and pastors, they held spiritual authority. Their hearts were so hardened against Jesus that they hated the work of the Holy Spirit which is salvation. They would see men and women and children damned rather than concede authority power and prestige. They knew that Jesus was of God. He perfectly taught the scriptures and did womderful miraculous works of mercy.
Jesus warning was that a person who rejects God to that extent is turned over to a reprobate mind and is unsavable.
 
L

Locoponydirtman

Guest
#17
I think its odd that people compare this to unrepentant evil men. Saying they could be saved. But they, werent saved which is proof to the contrary. Those men died in their sins unsave and unrepentant
 

Moses_Young

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2019
9,936
5,504
113
#18
So please explain hypothetically how this sin would be committed today?
Believing Jesus is of the devil (or basically, not believing Jesus is who He says He is). Jesus alone can save. If we don't believe in Him (i.e. we therefore believe He is a liar, or not who He says He is, or worse) how can we therefore put our faith in Him to be saved?
 
Jun 20, 2022
6,460
1,330
113
#19
today's example of Blaspheming the Holy Spirit would be denounce God and claim His Spirit is the Adversary!

just how we read it in the Bible. happens same way.