The Unforgivable Sin

**James Dewitt** · 12-03-2010, 06:12 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by InvisiblePinkUnicorn View Post

Hello, once again. I regret that I have to post in the intro forums, but it seems that since I first joined back in January, my account has been downgraded a bit and I am not allowed to post in the General Church Fellowship forum now. Perhaps a moderator could look into that?

On to my latest question. I have been reading the Bible and I have found three passages that seem to indicate that there is at least one sin that Jesus will not forgive you for comitting, even if you later sincerely ask for forgiveness: blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. Am I reading these correctly?

I also found scripture that seems to say the same thing but words it differently:

One on hand, it says the blasphemer "...hath never forgiveness...." On the other, it says that the blasphemer "...is in danger of eternal damnation." Why does it say that they are "in danger of" damnation. If they are never to e forgiven, shouldn't it just say that they "shall be damned," or "shall suffer eternal damnation," or something along those lines?

Regardless, the first two scriptural references seem very clear on the matter. I wanted to confirm that my reading is accurate. Thanks again for answering my questions!

Its a clear as glass, if you blasphemy against the Holy Ghost there is no way you are to be forgiven.Why do you hate Jesus?

**InvisiblePinkUnicorn** · 12-03-2010, 06:21 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by James Dewitt View Post

Its a clear as glass, if you blasphemy against the Holy Ghost there is no way you are to be forgiven.

Thank you very much for confirming my understanding. My follow-up question is, "What constitutes blasphemy?" I have read the Bible but I couldn't spot a definition. Obviously, saying that the Holy Spirit doesn't exist counts. What about saying bad things about it while not denying its existence? Most importantly, what if you don't SAY anything bad about the Holy Spirit, but you do think bad things or you doubt the existence of the Holy Spirit in your head?

Thanks again for explaining your faith to me!

**Nobar King** · 12-03-2010, 06:53 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Basically, saying or thinking that you don't believe in God is enough. Don't do it.

**InvisiblePinkUnicorn** · 12-03-2010, 06:57 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by Nobar King View Post

Basically, saying or thinking that you don't believe in God is enough. Don't do it.

Thank you. However, the Gospels cited above speak about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as being distinct from Blasphemy against Jesus or any other Blasphemy.

I am still wondering...is there scriptural definition of blasphemy?

**Pastor Rune Enoe** · 12-03-2010, 07:04 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by InvisiblePinkUnicorn View Post

I also found scripture that seems to say the same thing but words it differently:

One on hand, it says the blasphemer "...hath never forgiveness...." On the other, it says that the blasphemer "...is in danger of eternal damnation." Why does it say that they are "in danger of" damnation. If they are never to e forgiven, shouldn't it just say that they "shall be damned," or "shall suffer eternal damnation," or something along those lines?

Ah, Mark 3:29. I once wrote a small monograph on Mark 3:29.

It seems to me all three evangelists are saying the same thing: If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit you will never be forgiven. However Mark clarifies the situation: Even if you are in danger of damnation, through God's grace you have the possibility of redeeming yourself, for instance by donating a small love offering to Jesus' favorite church.

But even if you should make it, you still won't see the Holy Ghost drive the Welcome Wagon up to your new mansion in the Sky.

**Gabriel Reproba** · 12-03-2010, 07:14 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

It is my understanding that the first two passages clarify the theird. In the end. if you blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, you will never be forgiven, even if you ask Jesus for forgiveness every day of your life from then on. Even if you cure cancer. (Good works don't count anyway!) Even if you give trillions of dollars to God's Favorite Church. (The catholicks lied about this so they could sell 'indulgences.')

As for the definition of blasphemy, I will need to do some biblical research unless one of our brothers has a scriptural reference at hand?

**Ezekiel Bathfire** · 12-03-2010, 08:25 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Luke 12:10 & Matthew 12:31-32 seem to contrast Mark 3:29 and be your stumbling blocks. To understand how one side is quite positive and the other seems to offer a possibility of forgiveness, one can consider it in a couple of ways:

A man may say, “Keep away from tigers. All tigers are dangerous, they will kill you.” Another may say, “But I know a tiger tamer and he’s not dead.”

Neither statement is false, despite an apparent contradiction. One is general, the other specific.

Another thought is that Luke and Matthew write of “speaking against” (Luke implies it, Matthew writes it) whereas Mark considers also the possibility that you only think blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, such as when a ephod of grain falls on your leg or you hit your thumb with an adze. One can see how God would know the pain and forgive the moment’s outburst of Godless thoughts in the brain... He sees into our hearts you know, and thus he may merely wag His Perfect Finger.

I hope this helps.

**InvisiblePinkUnicorn** · 12-04-2010, 04:08 AM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by Ezekiel Bathfire View Post

I hope this helps.

So far, I am sorry to report, it has not. To repeat my question, does the Bible define what "blasphemy" is? I know you all operate on scripture, so I want to make sure I know your definitions before I ask any more questions. Since this is the ONE unforgivable sin, I would think God would lay down VERY clear rules on what constitutes the sin and what does not since committing the sin is a one-way ticket to unforgivable damnation. I am just asking for someone to cite the scripture where blasphemy is defined. Thanks for all of you help as I struggle to understand.

**Gabriel Reproba** · 12-04-2010, 04:34 AM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by InvisiblePinkUnicorn View Post

So far, I am sorry to report, it has not.

I've been researching and found that there is a common theological answer. Perhaps this will help:

For at least three reasons, little is known about this subject.

First, most writers seem to be very imprecise in their use of words. For example, most write of "The Sin--" as if the Bible spoke of only one sin against the Holy Spirit. We can find at least seven specifically mentioned. The truth is that "sin" refers to general transgressions and every sin is a sin against the Holy Spirit; "blasphemy" refers to a particular one. All blasphemy may be sin, but all sin is not blasphemy. Under the Law of Moses, one could sin against God and be forgiven, but one who blasphemed Him was stoned to death (Leviticus 24:16).

Second, most preachers who knew enough logic to use syllogisms fell into an error in their use that I do not ever remember hearing discussed in this context. We shall deal with it in a few moments. Third, the usual answers left so many other questions unanswered that it caused many to overlook or reject what I believe is the simple correct one.

In this article, I shall attempt to address those three problems, and give what I think to be the simplest, most scriptural and logical answer to the question, "What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?" Then I shall attempt to answer some related questions produced by that answer.

The proper way to approach this, or any other question, is to define the terms with which we are dealing. If Jesus had said, "Any sin may be forgiven a man except that of beating his wife with a yardstick," it is reasonably certain that we would try to define the unpardonable sin by defining the terms that make up that statement, then find how the act is to be performed in terms of them. If one discovered the meaning of "beating," "wife" and "yardstick" he would know that when one did that to her with it, he could not be forgiven! Why we do not apply that same kind of sensible analysis and exegesis to the question under discussion, I do not know!

As far as we know, there is no disagreement among lexicographers about the meaning of the term, "blasphemy." Even if we did not ever read any "authority" about it, a careful examination of all the passages in the Bible where the noun, verb, and adjective are used should lead us to the same conclusion the "authorities" have, for that is the way they came to that conclusion! The conclusion is that the word in all of its forms refers to abusive, reviling, injurious, impious, or evil speaking against the person or thing that is said to be blasphemed.

The noun, verb and adjective forms are found at least 63 times in the New Testament, but are also translated by such terms as "rail at," "rail on," "railing," "slanderously reported," "be evil spoken," "speak evil of," or "being defamed."

We can see from every usage in the N. T. that the word refers to speaking evil or injurious words against a person or thing. It might be against God (Lev. 24:10-12). It might be against Christ (Mt. 12:31-32). In this case it was attributing His power to the Devil. It might be evil speaking against the Word of God (Titus 2:5). It might be against the name, "Christian" (James 2:7). It might be against Paul (Romans 3:8). It might be against the Holy Spirit (Mk. 3:29; Mt. 12:32). We do not have to guess about what it was and is. In every case it was speaking evil directly against whatever the object was. When a person reviles the Holy Spirit Himself (not merely a product of the Holy Spirit, such as the Bible) he has blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Any person who denies that is simply denying the logical and proper use of Biblical language as used everywhere else in describing the blasphemy against anything.

Let me emphasize a point made in the parenthesis above. Many have erroneously supposed that rejecting or criticizing the Word of God is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. The reasoning goes like this: The Bible is the Word of the Holy Spirit. John Doe says the Bible is a lie. Therefore John Doe has accused the Holy Spirit of lying, and is guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. The reasoning is not correct! Let me illustrate. Suppose I know you to be industrious, brilliant and meticulous. I come into an office of an unknown person and, seeing the desk cluttered with insignificant material I say, "Whoever works at this desk is surely lazy, stupid, and careless!" Then I learn it is your desk! I have not spoken evil of you! I have simply had an erroneous conception of the meaning of what I have seen. If I had known it to be your desk and then made the preceding statement, I would have made it about you. So, if a person knows the Holy Spirit gave the Bible and then says, "It is a lie," he has blasphemed the Holy Spirit.

Note carefully: Blasphemy against God was not simply rejecting His word or disobeying His commands -- in any dispensation, whether Mosaic or Christian. Blasphemy against Christ was not simply rejecting His word, or disobeying Him. Blasphemy against Paul was not simply rejecting his teaching. Why would anyone then suppose that rejecting the word of the Holy Spirit was blasphemy against Him? One reason is found in the misuse of a syllogism that was presumed to be valid, but is not. It is this:

Major premise: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only unpardonable sin (Mt. 12:32).
Minor premise: Rejecting the gospel (until death) is unpardonable.
Conclusion: Therefore blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is rejecting the gospel until death.

One can tell it is invalid in at least two ways. First, substitute "lying" or any other sin in the minor premise for "rejecting the gospel." Any sin until death is unpardonable, and if such a syllogism is valid, it means that any sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But Jesus denies this.

The reason it is invalid is that the term "unpardonable" in the major and minor premises does not refer to the same thing. In the major premise it refers to the kind or manner of sin. In the minor premise it refers to the duration of sin. So, even if the conclusion happened to be right, that syllogism would not prove it!

Denying the validity of the Word, or refusing to obey it was never called blasphemy in the Bible. It was always a slanderous, vile, irreverent, or injurious speaking against the person or thing itself.

Let us answer some other questions relative to the subject. Why did Jesus bring up the subject? Look carefully and you can see. The Jews were blaspheming Him. They had accused Him of casting out demons by the spirit of the Devil. There are those who assume this was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, for they think that since He was really casting them out by the Holy Spirit, they were calling the Holy Spirit the spirit of the Devil. This assumption is wrong for several reasons, but the simplest is that Jesus Himself makes a distinction between blaspheming Him and blaspheming the Holy Spirit. But since they were blaspheming Him and knew they were lying, He warns them, in effect, "If you continue in that direction, you will become so hardened that you may get to the place where you can speak evil against even the Holy Spirit. If you ever get to that condition, you will never be forgiven!"

We need to know that principle: Any time a person sins in a deliberate fashion, calling "good" "evil," he becomes hardened, and if he persists in that kind of deliberate sin may become so hardened that he may not care if he speaks evil of the Holy Spirit Himself.

Another question may be raised: Why could one blaspheme Christ and be forgiven and not do so in the case of the Holy Spirit? Paul gives a clue to at least one reason, when he says about himself, "I was a blasphemer and injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly and in unbelief." He was able to blaspheme Christ ignorantly. One could not do that with the Holy Spirit. One cannot even know who the Holy Spirit is and be ignorant of His nature. It was not so with Christ. He was in the flesh, historically as a man, and one could ignorantly assume He was no more than a mere man and thus accuse Him of lying when He claimed to be the Son of God. They could get forgiveness when they learned better, for they could repent.

My conclusion, therefore, is that it cannot be forgiven because when one does it he must be so depraved and deliberately hardened than it is impossible for him to repent. The Spirit ceases to strive with him (Gen. 6:3) and when God thus gives up on man, he is without hope. One valid syllogism by which I arrive at that conclusion is:

Major premise: Every sin of which one can repent can be forgiven.
Minor premise: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven.
Conclusion: Therefore blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin of which a man cannot repent. (Cf. Gen. 6:3; Acts 19:9; 1 Tim. 4:2.)

Sometimes one raises the question: "But if God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are One, when one blasphemes one, does he not also blaspheme the other?" The answer is "No," for two reasons. First, Jesus himself makes the distinction, so whether or not one understands why, there is a difference. Second, this illustration may help you understand why. My wife and I are one. But one can say, "I hate that wretched preacher," and at the same time say, "I think his wife is sweet and precious, and I love her."

Because of what Paul said, and what God revealed about the result of blaspheming God in the Old Testament, my opinion is that when a person understands the Divine Nature of God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit and then reviles or curses either of them, knowing he is thus speaking of all of them, he can not be forgiven. In the Old Testament, when a person cursed God, he was not offered a chance to repent. He was killed! If a person had said, "God is a liar," but was speaking of his false God, whether Baal, Zeus, Jupiter or some other false concept, he would not be held guilty of blaspheming Jehovah-God.

I knew a person who said, "I hate God." When I questioned her, I discovered she hated the concept she had which she thought was God. When I explained about Jehovah and His love for her, she obeyed the gospel. She might have cursed her concept of God without blaspheming God. One cannot even know there is a Holy Spirit without also knowing His nature. So, if one knows the God of the Bible and the Holy Spirit of the Bible, and curses them, he has probably gone past the place of repentance (Cf. Heb. 6:7, 12:17).

For a person who is worried about having done it, we may say with a fair degree of certainty, "If you can repent of it, you have not done it." One may do many sins ignorantly, but one cannot actually curse or revile the Holy Spirit Himself accidentally and not know it! The very nature of the act and the Person makes it impossible. The difference in this and "the sin unto death" (1 John 1:16) is that any sin of which a person will not repent is a sin unto death. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a specific sin of which a person will not repent because his heart has become too hardened. The first has to do with the duration -- he will not repent as long as he lives. The second has to do with the nature of the sin itself -- he will not repent because before a person can blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, his heart must become so hard that he does not merely reject God in unbelief (he is simply a fool, Psalm 14:1) but, recognizing the nature of the Holy Spirit, curses or reviles Him. There was never any forgiveness of that either in Old or New Testament.

**InvisiblePinkUnicorn** · 12-04-2010, 05:19 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by Gabriel Reproba View Post

I've been researching and found that there is a common theological answer. Perhaps this will help:

Thank you, Mr. Reproba. This seems to confirm my understanding that:

1) Blasphemy is not explicitly defined anywhere in the Bible.

2) All uses of "blasphemy" in the Bible are about literally speaking against a thing, such as God, Jesus, etc. and NOT about harboring bad feelings, or other acts. It requires that you SAY something.

3) Theologians agree that this means that the "blasphemy" in the three Unforgivable Sin passages use the word in exactly the same way.

4) Theologians conclude that all three Gospels mean the same thing: If you literally speak ill against the Holy Spirit, you have sinned and will never be forgiven, no matter what, even if you later turn your life over to Christ and ask for forgiveness till the day you die.

OK. Now that that is settled, I have a follow-up:

Most Christians, especially True Christians, say that there are no such thing as real atheists. They claim that all self-proclaimed atheists really DO believe in God and feel the Holy Spirit, but that the atheist is just angry at God for some reason so he lies about not believing. If this were true then it seems that no atheist would EVER blaspheme against the Holy Spirit since he really would believe, in his heart of hearts, that it would damn him to eternal torture. So, my question is:

Doesn't the fact that many people blaspheme against the Holy Spirit every day indicate that they really ARE atheists and not hidden believers?

Just trying to follow the logic so I can understand what it is to be a Christian. Thanks so much for your continued help!

**Unfalsifiable** · 12-04-2010, 05:50 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

The unforgivable sin is a really good part of the Bible. I always tell this to uppity Atheists who hate Jesus - "The Bible tells me to tell you that you can be saved no matter what you do, apart from one thing, so, are you doing to do this one thing, the unforgivable sin?"

They never do. Surprise surprise.

**Rev. M. Rodimer** · 12-04-2010, 07:42 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by InvisiblePinkUnicorn View Post

If this were true then it seems that no atheist would EVER blaspheme against the Holy Spirit since he really would believe, in his heart of hearts, that it would damn him to eternal torture. So, my question is:

Doesn't the fact that many people blaspheme against the Holy Spirit every day indicate that they really ARE atheists and not hidden believers?

Just trying to follow the logic so I can understand what it is to be a Christian. Thanks so much for your continued help!

Pinky, there is only one problem with your logic. It actually is good except this one problem:

Very few people, outside of True Christians™, understand and accept that the Bible clearly states that all nonbelievers and all unrepentant sinners will be cast into eternal torture for any sin, no matter how small. Quite honestly, this isn't taught in most churches. They are instead teaching that God loves everybody (not true). The Catholic cult made up "purgatory", where people get a short-term punishment and then go on to Heaven. Popular culture describes Hell as a rather warm cavern where all the cool people are and where Satan is in charge. (Ever seen "Little Nicky"?)

None of this is Biblical. It makes Hell a joke. People don't fear it, even lip-service Christians. "Oh, God won't really send anyone to Hell, He loves us!" "If Heaven will be full of people like you, I'd rather be in Hell partying!"

The Bible makes it crystal clear that either you go to Heaven and serve and worship and praise God for ever and ever, or you are cast into God's Lake of Fire where you will be burned alive forever and ever, with no chance of escape or even the sweet release of death. This, quite simply, is not taught.

This is why atheists don't fear Hell.

**Ezekiel Bathfire** · 12-04-2010, 09:10 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

I cannot help but agree with the excellent Rev Rodimer. I would add that Easton's Bible Dictionary says of blasphemy:

In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Ps.74:18; Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24; Rev. 13:1, 6; 16:9, 11, 21. Itdenotes also any kind of calumny, or evil-speaking, or abuse (1Kings 21:10; Acts 13:45; 18:6, etc.). Our Lord was accused of blasphemy when he claimed to be the Son of God (Matt. 26:65; comp. Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7). They who deny his Messiahship blaspheme Jesus (Luke 22:65; John 10:36).

Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark 3:28,29; Luke 12:10) is regarded by some as a continued and obstinate rejection of the gospel, and hence is an unpardonable sin, simply because as long as a sinner remains in unbelief he voluntarily excludes himself from pardon.

Others regard the expression as designating the sin of attributing to the power of Satan those miracles which Christ performed, or generally those
works which are the result of the Spirit's agency.

I have been unable to find an early case of Blasphemy in the USA, so here is one from England that was declining into sin following the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers:

For the record, they locked John Taylor up in Bedlam on a diet of bread and water, supplemented by "Bodily Corrections".

He was sent to trial before the King's Bench in 1676 where he received a relatively lenient sentence from Matthew Hale, the Lord Chief Justice (a fine of 1000 marks, which he could not possibly pay, ensuring that he would spend the rest of his life in prison). This case established that Christianity was part of the Laws of England. From now on blasphemy would be recognised as a Common Law offence, and Rex v Taylor could be cited as a precedent in any jurisdiction that recognised the English Common law.

**Mistress Cookie** · 12-04-2010, 09:29 PM

Re: The Unforgivable Sin

Originally posted by InvisiblePinkUnicorn View Post

So far, I am sorry to report, it has not. To repeat my question, does the Bible define what "blasphemy" is? I know you all operate on scripture, so I want to make sure I know your definitions before I ask any more questions...Thanks for all of you help as I struggle to understand.

P. Unicorn:

You are not "struggling to understand," but instead waylaying our menfolk away from the serious Biblical guidance others on this board desperatly need. Our men have answered your question and still you subsist in detaining them.

Why do you care what sin is unforgivable, as you are assuredly a lost soul because you refuse to be redeemed by prostating yourself before our Lord(tm), Jesus Christ(tm).

I would suggest you look in the dictionary for a definition of "blasphemy" that will suit you. You are of the secular world, so I don't know why you are looking to our Bible(c) to back up what you have chosen to believe in the outside world.

The Unforgivable Sin

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