Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit

[Reedan]

Please can someone explain Blasphemy against the holy spirit, I have heard many Explanations, I dont want this to scare people as It have scared me

A few questions I have

Can someone that commit it come back to ask For forgiveness?

Can someone still commit this sin?

Thanks, God Bless everyone

[Reedan]

And also, For anyone who's Scared, We will be saved by God's Grace, If anyone tells you that you have commited this sin, Put your Faith In Jesus Christ And Forgive that person

[scourge39]

If someone is repentant, then it follows that they haven't blasphemed the Holy Spirit. That's because he is still convicting them of sin and hasn't departed from them. I believe that it is EXTREMELY presumptuous to say dogmatically that this was a sin that could only be committed by the pharisees who physically witnessed and subsequently denied Christ's miracles. All Matthew commentators carefully point out how erroneous that position is. Especially given what John says elsewhere in his first epistle, which was written to people who lived after Christ's resurrection and ascencion:

16If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. (1 John 5:16-17, NIV)

John doesn't define 'the sin that leads to death,' so this may be something other than the sin of blasphemy against the Spirit of which Jesus speaks. HOWEVER, John's Gospel and Epistles are predominantly defenses of Jesus' humanity and deity in the face of gnosticism, a heresy that denied both of those concepts and was creeping into the early Church in his day. He may very well be referring to blasphemy against the Spirit, a sin which Jesus ironically accused the Jews of committing after they accused him of exorcising demons by the power of Satan. In so doing, the Pharisees were opposing the very purposes of God by equating Jesus' miracles with Satan. I would definitely say that non-Christians can commit the unpardonable sin (Jesus was addressing nonbelievers). All that God does, be it miracles, the salvation of the lost, etc. is done by the Spirit's empowerment. To slander him is to cut off the very means through which God works. I also believe that those of whom John speaks in his first epistle are unbelievers. Read all of 1 John carefully. He mentions 'antichrists' (i.e. those who oppose Christ) and those who 'went out' from among the believers, but who were 'never one of us.' This can only refer to those who were never truly saved and eventually showed their true colors. This strengthens the argument that only those who oppose Christ and his purposes can commit the unpardonable sin. Believers need not worry about committing it since they are sealed by the Spirit until the day of redemption, according to Ephesians 4:30. It's impossible to know whether committing blasphemy against the Spirit is a one time act or a process that occurs over a certain period of time whereby one persists in blaspheming the Spirit.

[angel_fire]

Sounds good to me!!!

[kenrank]

I am going to take a shot at this. This is how I see blasphemy against the Set Apart (Holy) Spirit. I admit, I could be wrong, and like all my views, I leave room for myself to grow and see it from another perspective. Even if you have read these verses before, please do so again as I will attempt to tie them together. Whether I am successful, well, I leave it to you to righteously judge.

Mat 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.

John says there is a sin unto death...though all sin is forgivable, and the wages of sin is death, clearly this goes beyond that. Is he speaking of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? It is the one un-pardonable sin.

1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Let's really take a look at these two sets of verse to see if they fit.

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Pay attention to the detail in the above verses. This person, was once enlightened (ENLI'GHTENED, Rendered light; illuminated; instructed; informed; furnished with clear views.) So it is fair to say they were a disciple, one who was taught, had godly knowledge. It then says this person had "tasted of the heavenly gift." I would "assume" this had something to do with actually being saved, a member of the family of God. Then this person was a "partaker" of the Holy Ghost. (Partake-to have a share or part; to participate) Since God cannot dwell in an unclean vessle, I would say this person had the Spirit dwelling in them. They have "tasted" the good Word of God....taken it IN. Tasted also, the powers of the world to come. They KNEW of God's power and authority. It then says, if they fall away it is impossible to renew them again unto repentence as they are crucifying the Son of God again.

Now, the tie in verse:
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

The above is clear, the key word that should be taken into consideration is "wilfully." The definition for willfull is "done deliberately, on purpose." I should also point out, the person in the above verse had knowledge of the truth. So what I am saying is the one unforgiveable sin, which we know is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is when you belong to God, are accepted as a family member, a fellow citizen with Israel...and you intentionally and purposefully go against the will and authority of God without care when you KNOW better. You consciously go against God with intent, when you know what you are doing is against His will.

Again, I leave open room for growth here, but unless somebody comes up with a better definition of it, this is all I see in scripture that fits.

Peace.
Ken
PS...the above definitions were taken from the Noah Webster 1828 dictionary.

[Firefighter]

The Greek word for blaspheme means to villanize. In other words, and following the context of the verses where Jesus warns about it, it means to attribute an act of the Holy Spirit to an act of the devil.

If you are worried about whether or not you have committed such a sin, be at peace, you have not. If you had, you would not be worried.

[Veretax]

I don't believe it is possible for a believer to commit this sin.

[Literalist-Luke]

Here’s some information about blasphemy and the “unpardonable sin” you might find interesting:

Matthew 12:22-45

Using the Gospel of Matthew as a base, we see that Jesus began His ministry in chapter 4. From chapter 4 until chapter 12, Christ is seen going around Israel proclaiming the Kingdom and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. He performs many miracles, and the purpose of each of these miracles between chapters 4 and 12 is to authenticate His person and His message. They are signs to force the nation of Israel to come to a decision regarding: (1) His person – that He is the Messiah; and, (2) His message – the gospel of the Kingdom. But, then, in Matthew 12, the whole purpose of His miracles and His ministry will undergo a radical change. The rejection of His Messiahship is about to occur.

In Matthew 12:22-29, we read:

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. 25 And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 28 But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

As we stated earlier, the purpose of the miracles of Jesus was to authenticate to the nation His person and His message. Within Judaism were also exorcists who exorcised demons (v. 27). But in Jewish exorcism, one had to communicate with a demon in order to find out its name and then use that name to cast out the demon. But in the case here, where the demon caused the person to become dumb, Jewish exorcism was of no avail. Communication with the demon was rendered impossible. But Jewish theology taught that when the Messiah came, He would be able to cast out even that kind of demon.

Indeed, in verse 22 of the above passage, Christ was able to exorcise that kind of demon.

In verse 23, this caused the people to begin asking the question, “Can Jesus really be the Messiah?” This was one of the key purposes of this miracle, that they might see that He was indeed the foretold Son of David. The people, however, were not willing to judge His person by themselves but were looking to their religious leaders, the Pharisees, to come up with some kind of public statement or judgment concerning Jesus. They were looking to the Pharisees to conclude either that He was the Messiah or that He was not. But if He was not the Messiah, the Pharisees needed to offer some kind of alternative explanation as to how He was able to perform these many miracles.

In verse 24, we find that the Pharisees chose the latter course. They refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah, because He did not fit the Pharisaic “mold” or idea of what Messiah was supposed to say and do. Their alternative as to how He was performing His miracles was to say that He Himself was demon-possessed by Beelzebub. This, then, becomes the basis of the rejection of the Messiahship of Jesus. This is the “leaven of the Pharisees,” the false teaching about which Jesus would warn His disciples. They were to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, i.e., the claim that Jesus was not the Messiah but rather that He was demon-possessed. It was on these grounds that the Pharisees rejected the Messiahship of Christ.

In verses 25-29, Messiah responded to this accusation by telling them that their statement could not be true, as it would mean that Satan’s kingdom was divided against itself.

In verses 30-37, Jesus pronounced judgment on the generation of that day. Verses 30-32 read:

30 He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 31 Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.

This is a warning from Jesus that they are treading on very dangerous ground. He says that blaspheming against Him, the “Son of man”, can be forgiven, but if they blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, they will have crossed the line. LOTS of people find this confusing, but I think we can find a very reasonable and Biblically sound explanation for this statement.

We must be very clear as to what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is. It is the unpardonable sin which was committed by “that generation” of Israel in Jesus’ day. It did NOT involve the denial of Jesus’ Messiahship while He was physically present on this earth on the grounds that He was demon-possessed. This was “speaking a word against the Son of man”, to use Jesus’ own words. Jesus differentiates between that and “blasphemy against the Spirit”. So where does “blasphemy against the Spirit” fit in?

To find the answer, we must go to the book of Acts, specifically Chapters 2 & 7. In chapter 2, we see the famous story of the Holy Spirit coming on the apostles and the resultant speaking in tongues, etc. This was followed in chapters 3-6 by story after story of the Holy Spirit’s testimony to Israel concerning Jesus’ Messiahship. Time and time again miracles occurred as well as radically changed behavior, both in the general group of believers as well as in the apostles themselves, all of which served as testimony to Israel regarding the true Messiahship of Jesus. This was all testimony that came from the Holy Spirit, via the apostles. Then we get to the moment where the line was crossed at Acts 6:8-7:60, the false accusation, trial, and stoning to death of Stephen. Look at this excerpt from Stephen’s testimony before the Sanhedrin:

Acts 7:51-53 - “”You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” ”

By their subsequent stoning Stephen to death, they have now completed the “blasphemy against the Spirit”. And three things now happen at this point that are critical to this discussion.

Acts 8:1-2 - “Saul approved of their killing him (Stephen). On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.”

1. Saul, later to be Paul of course, enters the picture.
2. The Church is scattered, being forcibly moved on to Phase 2 of the Great Commission.
3. The identity of the group of believers is here confirmed by the Scriptures as “The Church”.

Up until this point, the possibility may have still been open that Israel could claim their earthly kingdom under Christ’s leadership. But now, they have committed the “unpardonable sin” and rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit as presented in Acts 2-7, concluding with the testimony of Stephen. When they stoned Stephen, they signed their own death warrants as the viable corporate nation of Israel, not as individuals. (If they had signed their death warrants as individuals, then Saul could not have been saved and become Paul since he played a key role in the murder of Stephen.)

At this point we should look at what Jesus had to say about this “blasphemy against the Spirit”. This sin would be considered unpardonable, requiring judgment. It is a sin that cannot be committed by individuals today. It was a national sin committed by the generation of Jesus’ day; and for that generation, that sin was unpardonable. This did not mean that individual members of that generation could not be saved, for many were saved. It did, however, mean that nothing they could do would avert the coming destruction of Jerusalem once that unpardonable sin was committed. It was a done deal, signed, sealed, and delivered, do not pass go, do not collect $200.00.

Rejection of His Messiahship, then, was the unpardonable sin. Judgment was set, and there was no way of alleviating that judgment. It was a judgment that was to be fulfilled in the year A.D. 70.

In Matthew 12:33-37, Messiah emphasized that there was no middle ground in the decision that had been declared regarding His Messiahship. Finally, Jesus tells that generation of Israel that they would be condemned by their own words, saying:

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

We then see later on in Matthew 16 that Jesus is already planning on switching to a new entity: ”On this rock I will build my church...” Not “might” build or even “probably” build, but “will” build. It’s already a done deal. This is because God, in His knowledge of all things past, present, and future, knew that, even though He gave Israel another chance in Acts 2-6, they would reject it and He would wind up turning to the Gentiles.

Consider this: In Matthew 23 we find Christ’s denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish leadership of that day, for leading the nation in the rejection of His Messiahship:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! (Notice the similarity with Stephen’s testimony in Acts 7:52.) How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house (the Temple) is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Speaking to the Jewish leadership, Christ reiterates His original desire to gather them if they would only accept Him. But due to their rejection of His Messiahship, they will be scattered instead of gathered. Their house, the Jewish Temple, will be destroyed with nothing remaining. He then declares that they will not see Him again until they say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”. This is a messianic greeting, and it will signify their acceptance of the Messiahship of Jesus, which will happen at the time of the 2nd Coming.

Messiah will not return until the Jews and the Jewish leaders ask Him to come back. For just as the Jewish leaders led the nation to the rejection of His Messiahship, they must someday lead the nation to the acceptance of that very same fact.

We see this in Hosea 6:1–3

Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

[Partaker of Christ]

Hi LL!

Very good post, and very helpful.
I did hold the belief, that this sin was unique to that generation, and this puts some flesh on the bones.

I truly believe that if this sin was committable, at any other time, then Almighty God, would have repeatedly shown us, as He does so often warn many times of certain dangers.

[kenrank]

Lit-Luke...I enjoyed your post. My question would be about the Hebrews 6 and 10 verses I posted. These don't seem to be past tense at all. In 6, this person it speaks of was a "partaker" of the Holy Spirit, meaning, he had a share of the Holy Spirit. Now, though I realize the OT prophets had the Spirit in them, it doesn't seem to have been a full time thing, at least to the degree of post-Pentecost. Plus, the mention of "crucifying the Son of God AGAIN," leaves me thinking not past tense.

Likewise, Heb 10:26 indicates something that "can happen," not did happen.

Your thoughts?

Peace.
Ken

[Firefighter]

kenrank, the term "once enlightened" in the Greek, literally means "Once and for all enlightened".

I hope that helps although I disagree with the thought.

Read the verses in Matt. The Pharisees were giving a demon credit for a work of the Holy Spirit. That is what it means. You simply cannot get anything else out of the text.

[kenrank]

kenrank, the term "once enlightened" in the Greek, literally means "Once and for all enlightened".

I hope that helps although I disagree with the thought.

Read the verses in Matt. The Pharisees were giving a demon credit for a work of the Holy Spirit. That is what it means. You simply cannot get anything else out of the text.

Agreed on the Greek, but the word "enlightened" also means instructed, taught, etc.

There are MANY different examples of blasphemy, one is not forgiveable.

We agree in part....in my first post I stated that when you, who KNOW God, attribute His works to the devil, you have probably crossed the line in this regard. I still hold to that....though there may be an angle to consider in regards to wilfull sin. Not unintentional sin, getting caught or being put in a position where you sin that is out of your control....or not knowing when something you are doing is sin....but when you KNOW something is a sin and you do it anyway...I believe this is what the Hebrews 6 and 10:26 verses speak of.

But...that's my opinion and it is something worthy of additional study.

Ken

[Literalist-Luke]

My question would be about the Hebrews 6 and 10 verses I posted. These don't seem to be past tense at all. In 6, this person it speaks of was a "partaker" of the Holy Spirit, meaning, he had a share of the Holy Spirit. Now, though I realize the OT prophets had the Spirit in them, it doesn't seem to have been a full time thing, at least to the degree of post-Pentecost. Plus, the mention of "crucifying the Son of God AGAIN," leaves me thinking not past tense.

Likewise, Heb 10:26 indicates something that "can happen," not did happen.

The context in which Hebrews was written is critical to avoid over-applying these verses. There were some believers in the area at the time who were giving into the temptation to abandon "The Way" and to return to the Mosaic system, due to persecution from family, friends, and others. The rationalization being used was that Jesus was simply the fulfillment of the Mosaic system, so if they're participating in it, simply at an older level, then wouldn't that count in God's eyes? The emphatic answer of the book of Hebrews is "absolutely not".

The nation of Israel had their Messiah revealed for them and the way of salvation explained to them by Him and His apostles. They had been enlightened, they had tasted the heavenly gift, they had shared in the Holy Spirit over the years, they had tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the coming age, yet when the moment of truth came, they fell away and murdered the Messiah. Consequently, the only thing they could expect was judgment and raging fire that consumes the enemies of God.

For people who had experienced the agape love of Jesus and God in "The Way" to turn their back on that and to ally themselves with the Mosaic crowd would be to place themselves in the path of that same judgment.

Now, I know that this could deteriorate into once-saved-always-saved vs. whether these people were ever really saved to begin with, but I choose not to waste time arguing when the fact of the matter is explained quite clearly for us in the Bible - we are to endure and remain faithful. If we do not, then we're not going to like the outcome. Period.

However, concerning the possibility of an "unpardonable sin", since there is nothing ever said to believers to say that there is an "unpardonable sin", I will not read into the Scriptures something that is not there.

Here's another question for you - if the cross covers our sins, yet there is something that is not covered, how do we know at what point it is uncovered? The very fact that the Bible does not answer that question should be an indicator that the question is invalid to begin with.

[theBelovedDisciple]

The Greek word for blaspheme means to villanize. In other words, and following the context of the verses where Jesus warns about it, it means to attribute an act of the Holy Spirit to an act of the devil.

If you are worried about whether or not you have committed such a sin, be at peace, you have not. If you had, you would not be worried.

I agree .. well stated.. this is what I've been taught....

[newdaddy1223]

here's my take: one of the things the Holy Spirit does is convict us of sin and draw us to Christ. We cannot be saved unless the Holy Spirit draws us to Christ- John 6:44. Romans 1 says that there are those that God has given up. I think that blasphemy of the Spirit is simply the same as rejecting Christ..... the only unforgivable sin.