“but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” – Mark 3:29
This statement from the mouth of our Savior, Jesus, seems to frustrate many Christians and even theologians. Obviously blaspheming the Holy Spirit is a serious sin and something that no sincere follower of Christ would ever want to do.
There has been a lot of argument and speculation about what is involved in blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus has given us much insight in His statements contextually recorded in Mark 3:20-30. You see, just before Jesus warns against blaspheming the Holy Spirit, He is accused of being possessed by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. The teachers of the law are attributing Jesus’ powerful act of casting out demons to the devil instead of to the Holy Spirit. God was moving in a different way and the religious people didn’t recognize it and couldn’t explain it and so they foolishly attributed it to demons.
Unfortunately, there are people today (especially all over the internet) that are very causally and very quickly doing this very thing. They hear a minister, a church, or a fellow Christian describing how they believe God has moved in their gathering with healings, prophesy, or miraculous signs and wonders. Then, without even firsthand knowledge, they instantly attribute that experience to something other than the Holy Spirit. Often they even say that it must be demonic.
Wow, this is dangerous ground that they are treading. However, these self-proclaimed experts at how God does and does not move believe they are taking the high road. They believe they are “protecting” the church from heresy. I appreciate the concern, but much more care must be taken.
I am not saying that people don’t abuse ministry and in very rare cases “make things up” or at time just miss it. I am also not saying that Satan doesn’t masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11). But we must remember that God moves in marvelous, miraculous, and even mysterious ways. So, much care must be taken and clarity must be present in order to not attribute the move of the Holy Spirit to demons. Let us proceed with extreme caution and not blaspheme God.

