The verb "blaspheme" means to speak abusively or insultingly of someone or something ( Acts 18:6 ; Rom 14:16 ). Jesus says it is one thing to deny him publicly; it is quite another thing to repudiate the power of the Holy Spirit ( Luke 12:8-10 ). Hence, we find Paul's preaching of Christ crucified being repudiated; this would appear to be "blasphemy against the Spirit" as well ( Acts 13:8 Acts 13:45 ; 14:2 ; 18:6 ; 19:13-16 ). Q. Blasphemy is when you curse God or say something bad or untrue about God. 22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldnât speak, was brought to Jesus. Thus, the unforgivable sin here seems to be public repudiation of the power of the Spirit in the ministry of the apostles of Jesus. It is a sin that you commit by what you say. Finally, the circumstances of Jesus' pronouncement include the attribution of his powers to demonic sources ( Mark 3:22 ). And the Father certainly would never draw someone who couldnât be forgiven. What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? What are the specific symptoms of this sin? In Mark and Matthew, the context is Jesus' exorcisms by the power of God's Spirit ( Matt 12:22-24 ; cf. Matt 12:32 ; Luke 12:10 ), has vexed both scholars and ordinary Christians for centuries. This particular type of blasphemy cannot be duplicated today. Can a true believer, whose salvation is eternally secure in Christ, still be guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? Thirdly, we know that the unpardonable sin can be committed in this lifetime, for Jesus said that the one who commits it will never be forgiven, âeither in this world or in the world to come.â Some say that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is simply the rejection of salvation or the stubborn refusal of the gospel up until death. Nobody comes to Jesus unless they are drawn by the Father. The idea of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit includes the removal of any desire to be reconciled to Jesus. In the Old Testament the term was used specially for derisive language and attitudes toward the God of the covenant with Israel ( 2 Kings 19:4 ; 6,22 Isa 66:3 ; Ezek 35:12-13 ). And Jesus promised to never reject anyone who comes to Him, because those who come to Him have been drawn by the Father. They were ultimately accusing Jesus of being demon-possessed rather than filled with the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is any insult directed at any of the Trinity. Third, the consequence of this blasphemy is eternal unforgivability. The Pharisees were in a unique moment in history: they had the Law and the Prophets, they had the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, they had the Son of God Himself standing right in front of them, ⦠26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. For both involve an overt repudiation of God's work in Christ. Ancients believed in the power of words and uttering imprecations, curses, and blasphemies were taken seriously. Bottom line: Are you afraid that you may have committed the unpardonable sin? Many people do not understand exactly what the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit actually is. Report Save. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, âCould it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?â. Thus, your fear about having reached the âpoint of no returnâ is good proof that you havenât. One suspects that the advent of the Holy Spirit at the baptism of Jesus fulfills this Old Testament hope, and yet Israel remains hardened and grieves the Spirit once again (cf. Reply. Conscious and hardened resistance to the truth leads man away from humility and repentance, and without repentance there can be no forgiveness. C. K. Barrett, The Holy Spirit and the Gospel Tradition; G. C. Berkouwer, Sin; H. W. Beyer, TDNT, 1:621-25; O. Hofius, EDNT, 1:219-21; W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, Jr., The Gospel according to Saint Matthew; A. Richardson, An Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament; N. Turner, Christian Words; G. H. Twelftree, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, pp. A Third view holds that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a sin of communication. 63:10 ; Mark 3:29 ). First, the object of this "blasphemy" is the Holy Spirit, who is clearly distinguished in the context from Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who may be blasphemed by someone who yet is forgiven ( Matt 12:32 ). Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. The prayer is that God would rend his heavens and come down to his people and make his name great among the nations ( 64:1-2 ). Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. This particular type of blasphemy cannot be duplicated today. Matthew 12:31 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven" (Matt. After the earthly ministry and death of Christ, the emphasis on the Spirit as the object of the blasphemous words and attitudes will give way to an emphasis on Jesus Christ (cf. The Pharisees were in a unique moment in history: they had the Law and the Prophets, they had the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, they had the Son of God Himself standing right in front of them, and they ⦠But they knew better than that! Michael Pearl answers a question from a viewer: What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?Have a Bible question? B.) It is done despite the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to deliver sinners from evil. It is a known, malicious, speaking of the works of the Holy Spirit as evil. 1 Cor 6:18 ), postbaptismal sins (Origen), post-Pentecost rejection of the Spirit, and the attempt to achieve meritorious righteousness before God. Blasphemy is to renounce the Holy Spiritâs testimony to Christâs identity and purpose. Jesus cast out devils through the power of the Holy Spirit, but the Pharisees denied this. The Word of God has the answers. Comparing scripture with scripture, we discover that, A.) If the one who committed the unpardonable sin ever came to the Lord, then the Lord would have to break His promise of never rejecting anyone who came to Him. level 1. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. He who blasphemes (naqab [b;q"n]; onomazo [ojnomavzw]) the name of the Lord shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him; the sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes (naqab [b;q"n]; onomazo [ojnomavzw]) the Name, shall be put to death" (RSV cf. Luke puts this same saying in a slightly different context: the public acknowledgment of Jesus Christ. The Biblical text implies a very deep-rooted form of sin. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. The pharisees, who had heard about the miracle, looked for a way to discredit the miracle that Jesus had performed. Others have given up on finding the meaning. Several observations are in order. Their underlying question is this one: âSince there is no forgiveness for this terrible sin (whatever it is), what if I am guilty of it?â The quick answer is that God will forgive us of all sins of ⦠So we know that the pharisees were being warned, because of the words they had spoken. Both Mark and Luke use the term "blaspheme" while Matthew has the more ordinary "speaks against, " showing that all three have in mind some kind of verbal repudiation or denunciation of the Spirit of God in the ministry of Jesus. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. James 2:7 ). The best way to understand the Bible is to let the Bible explain itself. Only someone even strongerâsomeone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. "Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" is conscious and hardened opposition to the truth, "because the Spirit is truth" (1 John 5:6). So judging by what Jesus said to the pharisees, we can conclude that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is speaking against the Holy Spirit or the attributing of the Holy Spiritâs power to demonic power. What we see here is probably an application: inasmuch as it is blasphemous to reject the Spirit in the ministry of Jesus, so it is also blasphemous to reject the Spirit in the ministry of the Twelve (since they are personal agents of Jesus). Why is this an unpardonable sin? In order to understand what constitutes âblasphemy against the Spirit,â we first need to define âblasphemy.â The term âblasphemyâ is an Anglicanized form of the Greek noun blasphemia, which derived from two other Greek terms, namely blapto, which means âto injure,â and pheme, which means âto speak.â Thus, blasphemy can simply be defined as âinjurious speech,â much like slander. Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit. So âblasphemy against the Holy Spiritâ â I believe and would hope â is rather unusual; it would mean rejecting Godâs offer of forgiveness all the way to the end of oneâs life. If you want to repent, he will always receive you. Therefore, if there is a desire in you to be forgiven and to be right with God, then you are being drawn by God - and Jesus will not reject you. 75-77; H. Wä risch, W. Mundle, and C. Brown, NIDNTT, 3.340-47. This should lead us to the question of "Why?" It is a sin that you commit by what you say. Thus, apostasy is acceptance followed by repudiation of Jesus Christ ( Heb 6:4-6 ; 10:29-39 ; 1 John 5:16-17 ); blasphemy against the Spirit is not preceded by acceptance. Such things are sins, to be sure, but they are not the persistent, deliberate rejection of the Lordâs work that shows itself in a willful attribution of Godâs actions to Satan himself. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, sometimes called âthe unforgivable sin,â is a subject that often produces insecurity and fear in the hearts of a number of people. So, here are my answers to the two questions. 31 âSo I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgivenâexcept blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. What this means is that there must be a mental assent, or a full knowledge, that the Holy Spirit is the one doing the work, but in an attempt to suppress that truth in unrighteousness, ⦠What The Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit is Not. Mark calls this the "eternal sin, " a term found in modern translations; the KJV has "eternal judgment." Bible Dictionaries - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit, Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The Sin of Blasphemy against the Holy spirit is also translated sometimes as grieving the Holy spirit. Secondly, look at the term thatâs used here: blasphemy. 12:22-37) is essential to understanding Jesus' statement. All rights reserved. of
The fundamental notion inherited by New Testament authors, and Jesus in particular, is expressed in Leviticus 24:15-16: "Whoever curses (qalal [l;l'q]; katareo [katavra]) his God shall bear his sin. Consequently, when we come to the text of the Synoptic Gospels there is a history of interpretation and applications that prohibit anyone ( Lev 24:15-16 ; includes the sojourner ) from denouncing the God of Israel, repudiating his claims, and insulting his honor. Salem Media Group. All scriptures have to be harmonious with one another. Thus, Isaiah 63:7-64:11 speaks of God's covenantal faithfulness to his people, led by Moses, even when they grieved the Holy Spirit ( 63:10 ). The sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit is essentially the sin of rejecting Christ. The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Matthew 12. I suspect they came close to committing the unpardonable sin, otherwise, why would Jesus give them a direct warning? What we find then is double accountability: Old Testament disobedience, followed by God's promised restoration in sending the Spirit, and now once again the same rejection. So have you committed the unpardonable sin? After all, I donât want to inspire ease where Jesus sought to inspire fear. While the Spirit is the object, however, it is the Spirit's work in Jesus Christ that is the focus of the passage. it is not possible for the Spirit-filled believer to commit this sin and. The sin of âBlasphemy against the Holy Spiritâ is referenced in Mark 3:22-30 and Matthew 12:22-32 just after Jesus had performed a miracle of casting a demon out of a man, healing the possessed man of blindness and muteness. Firstly, either the Pharisees had committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or came very close to committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What Jesus claims is that a similar type of sin is being committed whenever one speaks against the Holy Spirit as revealed powerfully in his ministry. People blaspheme against the Holy Spirit when persuaded by the Holy Spiritâs power of the truth of the Gospel and Christâs claim to be Godâs Son and our Savior they nonetheless reject it. In fact, ⦠They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. If âblasphemy against the Holy Spiritâ meant saying anything bad about any part of the trinity, Iâm certain God would have said something else like âBlasphemy against the Trinityâ or âBlasphemy against the Father, Son, or Holy Spiritâ instead of specifically saying âthe Holy Spiritâ 1. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. Exactly what is being described by this expression, found in Mark 3:29 (par. The blasphemy against holy spirit by moreno dal bello what does it mean to blaspheme slideshare in bible? It is to behold the person and ministry of Christ as empowered by the Holy Spirit and eliminate it outright which is an abomination to God. For usage information, please read the Baker Book House Copyright Statement. Iâll prove that to you with scripture now. share. It can still happen today, but it cannot be committed ignorantly. So the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is most certainly not just the rejection of salvation. While the various proposals may have some merit, it is best to examine "blasphemy against the Spirit" in the Gospels themselves to see what light they shed on what is being addressed. While Jesus contends that one might miss the revelation of God in his lowly person ( Matt 12:32 a), no one can miss the power of God at work in his ability to exorcize demons ( Matt 12:32 b; Mark 3:29 ). Therefore, the one who has committed the unpardonable sin would never approach God in the first place. What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not suicide, murder, cussing, witchcraft, backsliding, evil thoughts, or sexual sin. It describes overt repudiation before any kind of commitment is made. The contexts of the Gospels provide the important clues. Blasphemy Against the Spirit. Introduction. Let me read another verse to you. The most common theological explanation of this is that it means praying for forgiveness without believing, without Faith. Lev 24:10-23 ; for the blasphemer ). By continually rejecting Godâs free gift of salvation in Jesus, a sinner sears his conscience (ignores the voice of the Holy Spirit) and stiffens his neck. A group of ⦠This has led to much confusion, false condemnation and misplaced guilt. A sin against the Holy Spirit is more serious than a sin against the Father or the son. What is The Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?