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Blasphemy

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by menageriekeeper, Dec 31, 2006.

  1. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    We've all heard that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, but I have yet to hear a good definition as to what constitutes blasphemy againt the Holy Spirit.

    If possible, back up your definition with scripture. If there is no direct scriptural basis, please post passages to study which imply your definition.

    When that is done, tell me who can commit such a sin? Saved folk? Unsaved folk? And if saved is your answer what then happens to our definition of eternal security?
     
  2. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    My pastor says if your worried you've commited the unforgiveable sin, then you haven't.
    I think it is calling the Holy Spirit a liar when He says you are a sinner in need of forgiveness, a Savior.
     
  3. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    I like that Donna.

    But that answer won't satisfy the person who asked me the question and I don't know how to better define the subject.

    I like your definition too, but it also won't satisfy if I can't back it up with actual scripture.
     
  4. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    In context, Jesus talks about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit after the religious leadership accused Him of being possessed by the devil as their only conclusion as to why He could have healed a possessed man.

    Their faulty and prideful thinking was that if Jesus could command demons, then He must be one Himself. This illogical reasoning was because they hated Him and wanted to discredit Him.

    To me, the unpardonable sin, is rejecting Jesus as the Son of God. Calling it blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is speaking evil of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts the soul of who Jesus is in the first place.
     
  5. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    well, lets see, the bible teaches that God forgives sin, Jesus died so our sns can be forgiven, all sins are covered by Jesus, or His death was in vain and we are all still in our sin. The only thing that can not be forgiven is dying without Jesus, becasue you have to have Him to be forgiven, and dying without Him, you can not beforgiven for not being a believer.
    To me this is the only thing that explains it. Little scriptural evidences here and there, nothing concrete and major, that I know of.
     
  6. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    YES! good post Scarlett
     
  7. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    If we believe God is a Holy Trinity, then scripture tells us there is one in the Trinity man cannot blaspheme and get away with it, but that was yesterday for we in the "Body Church". Can we see this is what happened to Israel? They blasphemed their Lord God, their one (1) God, (Isaiah 65:7), and Jesus, then had Jesus crucified, and then committed blasphemy against the Holy Ghost that God had given to the Jewish Pentecostal church, Acts 7:51-60. One year after Pentecost they killed with their own hand's, one filled with the Holy Ghost. God's people had rejected Him in full, The Father, the Son, then the Holy Ghost.

    But they agreed to extend for a year the "Kingdom that was at hand", and in fact was being previewed during that first year as the gospel of the great commission of "repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins" was preached to Gods people of Israel, as we see in Acts 2:38. Jesus shows in a parable (Luke 13:6-9) the Holy Spirit says lets extend a "grace" period to them for a year, and if they refuse, then cut down the tree. Only the "elect" of that generation will not be "cut-off". That generation is the generation of today, for God has cut them off, that is Israel His Nation. He says the Jew today without a home is blinded, but we know God always has a remnant of His people on this earth. He foreknows them, and they are predestined, just as we Gentiles.

    Today, we in Christ Jesus cannot "blaspheme the Holy Spirit". Without hands we are baptized with the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ.
     
  8. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    I once had a young Christian lady come to me thinking she had committed this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

    I aksed her if she did not then believe in Jesus Christ and she answered that apparently she did not.

    I said apparently you do believe in Him because He is the only one who ever taught about this sin.

    In fact so strong is your belief in Him that you accept what He says even when you know the outcome of His words would lead to the destruction of your very soul.

    So it is with all who believe they have committed this sin.
    Their very words show that they believe Him unconditionally.


    HankD
     
    #8 HankD, Jan 1, 2007
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2007
  9. Gershom

    Gershom Active Member

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    If blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is rejecting Jesus, then what about the folks who did that at one point but later accepted Him? Alot of us are doomed (eternal damnation) if that carries any weight. Thankfully, that's not true.

    28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
    29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
    30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

    Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is contributing His work as the work of an unclean spirit.
     
    #9 Gershom, Jan 1, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2007
  10. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    I see it the way Gershom does--attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan or demons.


    I think it's interesting that Jesus did not call it blasphemy when they said he had a demon in John 8. What do you think is the difference?
     
  11. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
    29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
    30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

    The Spirit within Jesus was The Holy Spirit, therefore they were saying that the Holy Spirit was unclean. They blasphemed directly against the Spirit of God.

    HankD
     
  12. Amy.G

    Amy.G New Member

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    What about Ananias and Sapphira? Didn't they also blaspheme the Holy Spirit?
    Acts 5:3
     
  13. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    They lied to God.

    3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
    4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

    While it was a sin (a lie told to the Spirit of God), I don't think it's the same as blasphemy​

    HankD​
     
  14. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    Thanks Gershom, that brings the definition clear. But....

    Verse 29 says "in danger of eternal damnation". Does this mean that repentence is possible, but perhaps not likely because if a person was so far gone as to attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to the forces of evil they were unlikely to repent?
     
  15. DHK

    DHK <b>Moderator</b>

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    Jesus saves even to the uttermost.
    There is no person whom Jesus cannot save. That would be to limit the omnipotence of God. Today there is no unforgiveable sin. There is no blasphemy of the Spirit. I believe that that passage must be taken in the historical context in which it was said. A wrong interpretation of this passage has prevented some fearful unbelievers with little knowledge of the Bible from coming to Christ, and that is a shame.

    What happened? First, Christ was there, present in the flesh. Before their very eyes he had performed many miracles. He had said to them that if Sodom and Gomorrah had seen the things that they had seen they would have repented long ago. To actually hear the words of Jesus, and to see the miracles of Jesus would have been one of the greatest privileges in all of history, and yet they refused to heed the conviction of the Spirit or the words of Jesus.
    Instead they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Beelzebub, "Lord of the flies")
    This will never again happen in history. They attributed the very miracles that Jesus did to Satan's power. But Jesus is not in the flesh anymore. He no longer performs such miracles right before our eyes. We don't have such evidence of his deity as the Pharisees had at that time. That is why their condemnation was so great. They were committing an unforgiveable sin--blasphemy against the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of God, that Spirit by which Jesus did miracles. That can never be reproduced again.
    There is no such sin today. No one can commit that sin today. One need not be concerned with committing it.

    There are many that still blaspheme the name of Jesus. But it is not the same sin as described above.

     
  16. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    Interesting perspective DHK.

    Usually, one is to interpret scripture with scripture, but in this case I'm not really finding another scripture to interpret with. While I understand the effect of history on your perspective, could you show me how scripture affects how you have made your interpretation? Or rather, what scriptures helped you to this understanding?
     
  17. DHK

    DHK <b>Moderator</b>

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    Blasphemy was and still is a common sin. Jesus was accused of it by the Jews. He claimed to be God, which was blasphemy.

    Matthew 26:65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

    John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

    Jesus accounted blasphemy as one of the many sins that was common in the hearts of man:
    Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

    Blasphemy is a sin that can be committed by believers. Paul told the Colossian believers to put it away:
    Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

    But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is found only once in this historical context. The fact that God forgives all sin, and will forgive all who come to him, is the plain teaching of the Scripture. The teaching that God "can't forgive" one who has committed this sin, goes against the teaching that He can't forgive one who has committted any certain sin which is somewhat undefinable by the theologians of today. It goes against the grain of Scripture.

    Is it true that:
    Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
    --Or did Paul miss an "exception clause" in that statement?
     
    #17 DHK, Jan 1, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2007
  18. Gershom

    Gershom Active Member

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    It certainly merits more study. I think we agree that blaspheming the Holy Spirit in the context of Mark 3 is contributing His works to that of satan or the devil.
     
  19. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    This is great if she believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as her savior. But you leave your conversation with her of what you thought. From the above you put "words into her mouth", that she did not speak. Did she accept Jesus Christ as her savior, or did she reject Him?
     
  20. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    Until we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are predestined to Hell. The invitation is open as long as we live, and if we become foreknown to God, we are then predestined into His Kingdom.
     
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