Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

Definition and Meaning

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit refers to the sin that Jesus, in the Gospels, said cannot be forgiven. The Korean term hwebang (毁謗) means to disparage or slander another person. The Korean Revised Version renders the word as hwebang ("slander"), while the New Korean Revised Version renders it as modok ("blasphemy"). In Korean churches it is also commonly called "the unforgivable sin." Throughout church history, interpreters have disagreed over why this sin alone is an exception, when other sins are taught to be forgiven upon repentance, and over which acts fall under it.

Biblical Background

The saying appears in Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-30, and Luke 12:10. In Matthew and Mark, it follows a scene in which Jesus casts out demons and the Pharisees (in Mark, the scribes who came from Jerusalem) attribute his power to Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. Mark explains the reason for the warning: "Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit" (Mark 3:30). In interpreting the passage, Hebrews 10:26-31 and the "sin unto death" of 1 John 5:16 are also discussed.

Historical Interpretations

• Augustine is said to have understood this sin as an obstinate refusal to repent that persists until death. The Catholic Church likewise describes it as the deliberate refusal to accept God's mercy through repentance.
• John Calvin regarded it as maliciously opposing the truth even while knowing it through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The Reformed tradition generally follows this interpretation and holds that a truly regenerate believer does not commit this sin.
• Many other traditions also widely accept the view that this sin is not a single slip of the tongue but a persistent state of ultimately rejecting the call of the Holy Spirit.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Pastoral counseling: A considerable number of church members fear that they may have committed this sin without realizing it. In such cases, many pastors, regardless of denomination, explain that "the very concern that one may have committed this sin is itself a sign that one's heart has not yet been closed to the Holy Spirit."
• Debates over spiritual gifts: Pentecostal and charismatic churches sometimes warn that dismissing phenomena such as speaking in tongues or divine healing as the work of demons is akin to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Those who hold to cessationism, by contrast, counter that because the passage was spoken concerning Jesus' own ministry, it cannot be applied directly to criticize particular phenomena today.
• Criticism of misuse: In some cases, people who criticize church leaders or particular gatherings have been accused of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in order to silence them. Voices in various denominations have pointed out that this is a misuse of the text.