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. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shal be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Matthew 12:31 – 32
All sin is serious, and to some degree challenges and attacks the character and authority of God. But six sins are specifically identified as sins against the Holy Ghost. Since the Holy Ghost is a person, He may be sinned against. Since He is also God, it is an extremely serious matter to be guilty of sin against Him. These six sins are blaspheming, lying or tempting, despising, resisting or striving with, vexing or grieving and quenching the Holy Ghost. Because of the severity with which Jesus describes blaspheming against the Holy Ghost, some people unnecessarily fear that they have committed the unpardonable sin. One of the characteristics of such sin is the Holy Ghost ceases to convict of sin in ones life – so the fact that someone may be concerned about a particular sin indicates he is not beyond grace. He should immediately repent of that sin to restore fellowship with God. The keys to not sinning against the Holy Ghost are, (1) Being led by the Spirit, (2) Being filled with the Spirit, (3) Being illuminated by the Spirit.
