What Is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
1) Direct Answer
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to knowingly and willfully call the Holy Spirit’s revealed work and Word “unclean,” attributing what God is doing to the devil after light has come. That is the unpardonable sin—no forgiveness in this world or in the world to come.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Matthew 12:31–32: Jesus said every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He added that speaking against the Son of Man could be forgiven, but speaking against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. The context shows the Pharisees saw the works of the Spirit in Jesus and said He did it by Beelzebub.
- Mark 3:28–30 explains why: “because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” They called the Holy Spirit’s work demonic.
- Hebrews 6:4–6 describes those once enlightened and made partakers of the Holy Spirit who then fall away. It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. That’s a willful turning from known truth.
- Hebrews 10:26–29 warns that if we sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, we do “despite unto the Spirit of grace.” That is despising the very One who brings us to Christ.
- Ephesians 4:30 says we can grieve the Holy Spirit; Acts 7:51 shows men can resist the Holy Spirit. Notice: grieving or resisting is serious but still a call to repent. Blasphemy is when a person crosses the line and calls the Spirit’s manifest work evil after full light is given.
- 1 Timothy 1:13 shows Paul obtained mercy because he acted “ignorantly in unbelief.” So it’s not mere ignorance or a rash word—it’s a settled, knowing rejection.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Forgiveness reaches us by the Holy Spirit drawing us to Christ. If a person knowingly declares the Spirit’s work to be of the devil, he shuts off the very channel that brings repentance. With no door left to grace, there can be no forgiveness.
- It’s not a slip of the tongue or a moment of doubt. It is a hardened stance against revealed truth after clear witness by the Word and the Spirit.
- Now notice: we test all things by the written Word. If the life, fruit, doctrine, and power line up with Scripture, be careful not to speak against it. If something is unscriptural, reject it by the Word—but don’t hastily brand what God is doing as satanic.
4) Reinforcing Statement
If you are concerned that you may have done this, that concern itself shows the Spirit is still dealing with you. Come to the Light, confess, and walk softly before God. Keep your heart tender, agree with the Word, and never call clean what God calls unclean—nor call unclean what God has made known to be His own work.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The Queen of the South
58-0613 §19
...s made Hisself known in all ages by His gifts. And Jesus, here, had just been called Beelzebub. And He had told them that He would forgive them for doing that, but when the Holy Spirit came, and if they spoke against that, it would never be forgiven, see. Because many people have said, "What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?" My old southern mama used to tell me, it was for a woman to have an abortion case, take life that she couldn't restore. That was the best that she knowed. But that isn't it. The blasphemy o...
When their eyes were opened
56-0420 §40
But what did the church people say, the people of the big church? They said, "This man is the chief of all the fortunetellers, the devils; He's Beelzebub." And what did Jesus say to them? Listen now, for your own soul's sake. He said, "I'll forgive you for that. Who speaks against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven, but when the Holy Ghost comes, and if you speak against Him then, when He's doing the same thing that I am, that'll never be forgiven you in this world or the world to come." Bible readers, is that tr...
Be not afraid
61-0224 §45
...the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us? Now, to you Bible readers, does not the book of Hebrews tell us, in the fourth chapter, that the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing to the ... sunder of the marrow of the bone, and a discerner of the thoughts of the heart? The Word. And when the living Word, which is Christ, comes into our midst, is not it still a discerner of the thoughts of the heart? The living Word...
Greater than Solomon is here
63-0605 §28
My mother used to tell me that when I was a little boy that blaspheming the Holy Ghost was to take your own life. Well, that isn't so, see. The Bible teaches it that the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost is to speak against the Holy Spirit. To blaspheme is to talk about. And when you see the Holy Spirit doing something and you make fun of it, you've crossed the line that you'll never cross back again. It'll never be forgiven you. So Jesus had told them, and was telling of how that He had been confirming the Word, that He...
Be certain of God
59-0708E §45
The woman at the well, she was a prostitute. But she knowed more about the Bible than half the preachers in America. That's right. The preachers of that day, why, them preachers said, "This man's a fortuneteller. That's the reason he can discern their thoughts." And Jesus said, "You speak that against Me; it'll be forgiven. But when the Holy Spirit comes and does the same thing, speak against That, it'll never be forgiven." That's blasphemy, because they called the Spirit that He had in Him an unclean spirit; calle...