BLASPHEMING AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

A good friend asked me about a scripture passage that states, "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." Having piqued my curiosity I did a quick study and here are the results. The first 8 scriptures below are just for the benefit of context and a broader understanding of blasphemy in scripture. I have italicized a few points that are crucial to note. 

Ex 22:28 Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.

Lev 24:10-16 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) 12 They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them.  13 Then the Lord said to Moses: 14 "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

Num 15:30-31 But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. 31 Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.'"

Ezek 20:27-28 "Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your fathers blasphemed me by forsaking me:

Matt 12:30-37

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Mark 3:28-30

I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." 30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."

Luke 12:8-10

"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

1 Tim 1:13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.

 Conlcusion: blaspheming the Holy Spirit is

·         Blatant defiance of God in light of the knowledge of His truth (Paul blasphemed God out of ignorance & unbelief but was shown mercy. His blaspheming was against God but in his mind his blasphemy was against heresy. Paul was misdirected and ignorant).

Ø  Blaspheming includes but may not be limited to

o   Forsaking God (turning to idols and false Gods)

o   Denying the power and presence of God (see Romans 1:16-22 below)

o   Maliciously ascribing evil to God (just as the Pharisees did to Christ in Mark 3)

It appears that blaspheming occurs out the pride, arrogance and evil of men’s hearts. Blaspheming does not appear to occur when we speak out of ignorance. It does not appear to occur when we speak or do something (however foolish) without trying to be malicious or blatantly defiant. Peter denied God but his intention was not simply to deny God’s power or person, nor was he being malicious or blatantly defiant. Peters reason for denial was almost certainly fear – he was protecting himself. He did sin by denying Christ but was later shown mercy by Christ.

Those who are most in danger of blasphemy are those who blatantly oppose or deny God. Blasphemy in the Bible was a serious offense. Today blasphemy is taken lightly but in the Bible days blasphemy even against another person was an offense of the worst order. Many out of fear and reverence for God would not even dare to blaspheme their worst enemy. How much more is it a dreadful sin to blaspheme against God - or the work of God through his Holy Spirit. 

Rom 1:16-22

 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.