The Sin Against the Holy Ghost

St. Augustine says that the sin against the Holy Ghost mentioned specifically in scripture (Matt. 12:31) is the sin offinal impenitence by which a man rejects grace and pardon, up to and including the moment of his death. Others, speaking of sins against the Holy Ghost, say that a sin of weakness is a sin against God the Father; a sin of ignorance is a sin against God the Son; a sin of malice is a sin against God the Holy Ghost.

There are, in fact, six kinds of sins against the Holy Ghost, and all are sins of malice. These are: despair, presumption, impenitence, obstinacy, resisting the known truth, and envy of another’s spiritual good.

In Matthew (12:31) we read, “He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come.” We may take the phrase, “speak against the Holy Ghost,” for “sin against the Holy Ghost,” since a sin of speech expresses the internal state of mind and will. If final impenitence is “the sin against the Holy Ghost,” it is clear that this sin cannot be forgiven, because the sinner goes to his death and judgment unrepentant and resisting the grace of pardon. If “the sin against the Holy Ghost” is any sin of malice, it is unforgivable in itself, although God may forgive it none the less. It may be incurable as a disease is incurable; yet God can cure an incurable disease.

It is possible for a person to commit his very first sin by sinning against the Holy Ghost. Yet it is so unlikely as to be practically impossible. For the sin against the Holy Ghost is regularly the outcome of many previous sins, and comes of a gradual turning of the mind and will to contempt for the means of salvation.