Matthew 12:31
Wherefore I say unto you,
All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men:
but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost
shall not be forgiven unto men.
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Other translations
New International Version
And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
New Living Translation
So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven — except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven.
English Standard Version
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Berean Study Bible
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Berean Literal Bible
Because of this I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men; but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
New King James Version
Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
New American Standard Bible
Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
NASB 1977
NASB 1995
Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
Amplified Bible
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven.
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In this place, and in Mark 3:28-30, Jesus states the awful nature of the sin of which they had been guilty. That sin was the sin against the Holy Spirit. It consisted in charging him with being in league with the devil, or accusing him of working his miracles, not by the “spirit” or “power” of God, but by the aid of the prince of the devils. It was therefore a direct insult, abuse, or evil speaking against the Holy Spirit – the spirit by which Jesus worked his miracles. That this was what he intended by this sin, at that time, is clear from Mark 3:30, “because they said he had an unclean spirit.”
Wherefore I say unto you …
This shows, that what follows is occasioned by what the Pharisees had said, concerning the miracles of Christ; imputing them to diabolical influence and assistance, when they were done by the Spirit of God, of which they themselves were conscious.
All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men
Here is a gracious assurance of the pardon of all sin upon gospel terms.
Christ herein has set an example to the sons of men, to be ready to forgive words spoken against them.
All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven — That is, only on condition that people repent and believe. If they continue in this sin they cannot be forgiven, Mark 16:16; Romans 2:6-9.
All other sins – all speaking against the Saviour himself – might be remitted.
But this sin was clearly against the Holy One; it was alleging that the highest displays of God’s mercy and power were the work of the devil; and it argued, therefore, the deepest depravity of mind.
All manner of sin and blasphemy
The word rendered blasphemy: denotes injurious expressions, whether against God or man. When God is the object, it is properly rendered blasphemy.
It is evident that, in this passage, both are included, as the different kinds are compared together: consequently the general term detraction, or injurious speech, ought to be employed, which is applicable alike to both; whereas the term blasphemy, with us, is not used of any verbal injury that is not aimed directly against God.
All sin
Whether in its ordinary or its more aggravated forms, shall find forgiveness with God.
Accordingly, in Mark (Mr 3:28) the language is still stronger: “All sin shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme.”
There is no sin whatever, it seems, of which it may be said, “That is not a pardonable sin.” This glorious assurance is not to be limited by what follows; but, on the contrary, what follows is to be explained by this.
The sense is, that all kind of sin, whether committed more immediately against God, or man, the first or second table of the law, or against any of the divine precepts; be they sins small or great, secret or open, sins of heart, lip, or life, or attended with whatsoever aggravating circumstances; and all kind of blasphemy, or evil speaking of men, or of angels, or of the name of God, but what is hereafter excepted, there is forgiveness of, in the grace of God, through the blood of Christ, even for all sorts of men and sinners whatever.
The Jews have a saying, that God pardons all sins, “except lasciviousness”. But this is not excepted by the Christ.
Blasphemy
Injurious or evil speaking of God.
The word “blasphemy” properly signifies “detraction,” or “slander.” In the New Testament it is applied, as it is here, to vituperation directed against God as well as against men; and in this sense it is to be understood as an aggravated form of sin.
Unto men
Not unto all men, for there are some, who are never truly convinced of sin, and brought to repentance for it, and therefore they never have the remission of it; but to such to whom God of his free grace has promised, and for whom he has provided this blessing, in the covenant of his grace; for whom the blood of Christ was shed, for the remission of their sins; and who, by the Spirit of God, are made sensible of them, and have repentance unto life given them, and faith in Christ, by which they receive the forgiveness of them.
A word against the Son of man
The Jews were offended at the humble life and appearance of the Saviour.
They reproached him as being a Nazarene – sprung from Nazareth, a place from which no good was expected to proceed; with being a Galilean, from Galilee, a place from which no prophet came (John 7:52).
Jesus says that reproaches of this kind could be pardoned.
Reflections on his poverty, on his humble birth, and on the lowliness of his human nature might be forgiven; but for those which affected his divine nature, accusing him of being in league with the devil, denying his divinity, and attributing the power which manifestly implied divinity to the prince of fallen spirits, there could be no pardon.
This sin was a very different thing from what is now often supposed to be the sin against the Holy Spirit. It was a wanton and blasphemous attack on the divine power and nature of Christ.
Such a sin God would not forgive.
Shall be forgiven unto men
That is, on condition of true repentance, and faith in the mercy of God through Christ; or, as the words evidently mean, may be forgiven unto men; for we are not to understand our Lord as asserting that every such sin shall actually be pardoned, but that it is, in the divine economy, capable of being pardoned.
But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men
The sin of which He speaks is therefore clearly stated.
It was accusing him of working miracles by the aid of the devil, thus dishonoring the Holy Spirit.
By the blasphemy here spoken of, we are evidently to understand injurious or impious speaking against the Spirit of God, such as the Pharisees were now guilty of; that is, attributing to the devil those miracles which Christ gave full proof that he wrought by the Holy Spirit.
That this, and nothing but this, is the sin here intended, is manifest from the connection in which the words stand in this place; and more especially still from the parallel passage, Mark 3:28-30, in which the evangelist, assigning the reason of our Lord’s making this declaration, adds: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit; that is, “hath Beelzebul, and by the prince of devils casteth out devils.”
This, then, is the sin, or blasphemy, as it should rather be called, (and as the Scriptures always call it,) against the Holy Ghost.
It is an offence of the tongue; it is committed not by thinking, but by speaking, by evil-speaking, by belying, slandering, or reviling the Divine Spirit, by which our Lord wrought his miracles, ascribing them to the devil: which in fact was calling the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit of the one living and true God, the devil: a more heinous crime than which is not to be conceived.
The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
Better, against the Spirit, the word “Holy” not being found in any manuscript of authority.
The question, What is the nature of the terrible sin thus excluded from forgiveness? has, naturally enough, largely occupied the thoughts of men.
The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, by which is meant:
▪︎ not every ignorant denial of, and opposition to his deity and personality;
▪︎ nor all resistance of him in the external ministry of the word; nor every sin that is knowingly and wilfully committed;
But it is a despiteful usage of the Spirit of grace, an opposing, contradicting, and denying the operations wrought, or doctrines revealed by him, against a man’s own light and conscience, out of wilful and obstinate malice, on purpose to lessen the glory of God, and gratify his own lusts.
Such was the sin of the Scribes and Pharisees; who, though they knew the miracles of Christ were wrought by the Spirit of God, yet maliciously and obstinately imputed them to the devil, with a view to obscure the glory of Christ, and indulge their own wicked passions and resentments against him; which sin was unpardonable at that present time, as well as under that dispensation then to come, when the Spirit of God was poured down in a more plenteous manner.
What, we ask, is this blasphemy against the Holy Ghost?
- The context at least helps us to understand something of its nature.
The Pharisees were warned against a sin to which they were drawing perilously near.
To condemn the Christ …
▪︎ as a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber,
▪︎ as breaking the Sabbath,
▪︎ or blaspheming when He said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,”
was to speak a word against the Son of Man.
These offences might be sins of ignorance, not implying more than narrowness and prejudice.
▪︎ But to see a man delivered from the power of Satan unto God,
▪︎ to watch the work of the Spirit of God, and then to ascribe that work to the power of evil,
this was to be out of sympathy with goodness and mercy altogether.
In such a character there was no opening for repentance, and therefore none for forgiveness. The capacity for goodness in any form was destroyed by this kind of antagonism.
- We dare not say, and our Lord does not say it, that the Pharisees had actually committed this sin, but it was towards this that they were drifting.
And in reference to later times, we may say that this is the ultimate stage of antagonism to God and to His truth, when the clearest proofs of divine power and goodness are distorted into evidence that the power is evil.
The human nature in that extremest debasement has identified itself with the nature of the devil, and must consequently share its doom.
But humble and conscientious believers, at times are tempted to think they have committed the unpardonable sin, while those who have come the nearest to it, seldom have any fear about it.
We may be sure that those who indeed repent and believe the gospel, have not committed this sin, or any other of the same kind; for repentance and faith are the special gifts of God, which he would not bestow on any man, if he were determined never to pardon him; and those who fear they have committed this sin, give a good sign that they have not.
The trembling, contrite sinner, has the witness in himself that this is not his case.
Against the Holy Ghost
The word “ghost” means “spirit,” and probably refers here to the “divine nature” of Christ – the power by which he performed his miracles.
There is no evidence that it refers to the third person of the Trinity; and the meaning of the whole passage may be: “He that speaks against me as a man of Nazareth – that speaks contemptuously of my humble birth, etc., may be pardoned; but he that reproaches my divine nature, charging me with being in league with Satan, and blaspheming the power of God manifestly displayed “by me,” can never obtain forgiveness.”
Neither in this world, nor in that which is to come
That is, as Mark expresses it, “hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.”
This fixes the meaning of the phrase.
It means, then, not the future age or dispensation, known among the Jews as the world to come, but it means that the guilt will be unpardoned forever; that such is the purpose of God that he will not forgive a sin so direct, presumptuous, and awful.
It cannot be inferred from this that any sins will be forgiven in hell.
The Saviour meant simply to say that there were “no possible circumstances” in which the offender could obtain forgiveness. He certainly did “not” say that any sin unpardoned here would be pardoned hereafter.
Greek
Therefore ☆ Διὰ (Dia) ☆ Preposition ☆ A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.
τοῦτο (touto) ☆ Demonstrative Pronoun – Accusative Neuter Singular ☆ This; he, she, it.
I tell ☆ λέγω (legō) ☆ Verb – Present Indicative Active – 1st Person Singular ☆ (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.
You ☆ ὑμῖν (hymin) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Dative 2nd Person Plural ☆ You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.
Every ☆ πᾶσα (pasa) ☆ Adjective – Nominative Feminine Singular ☆ All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.
Sin ☆ ἁμαρτία (hamartia) ☆ Noun – Nominative Feminine Singular ☆ From hamartano; a sin.
And ☆ καὶ (kai) ☆ Conjunction ☆ And, even, also, namely.
Blasphemy ☆ βλασφημία (blasphēmia) ☆ Noun – Nominative Feminine Singular ☆ Abusive or scurrilous language, blasphemy. From blasphemos; vilification.
Will be forgiven ☆ ἀφεθήσεται (aphethēsetai) ☆ Verb – Future Indicative Passive – 3rd Person Singular ☆ From apo and hiemi; to send forth, in various applications.
Men ☆ ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) ☆ Noun – Dative Masculine Plural ☆ A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.
But ☆ δὲ (de) ☆ Conjunction ☆ A primary particle; but, and, etc.
The ☆ ἡ (hē) ☆ Article – Nominative Feminine Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Blasphemy ☆ βλασφημία (blasphēmia) ☆ Noun – Nominative Feminine Singular ☆ Abusive or scurrilous language, blasphemy. From blasphemos; vilification.
Against ☆ τοῦ (tou) ☆ Article – Genitive Neuter Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Spirit ☆ Πνεύματος (Pneumatos) ☆ Noun – Genitive Neuter Singular ☆ Wind, breath, spirit.
Not ☆ οὐκ (ouk) ☆ Adverb ☆ No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.
Be forgiven ☆ ἀφεθήσεται (aphethēsetai) ☆ Verb – Future Indicative Passive – 3rd Person Singular ☆ From apo and hiemi; to send forth, in various applications.
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