Blasphemy Against Holy Spirit?

hsmom3.
You will find some good answers to this question at these web sites:

http://www.gotquestions.org/blasphemy-Holy-Spirit.html

http://www.hornes.org/theologia/content/mark_horne/blasphemy_against_the_holy_spirit.htm

http://www.christianchallenge.org/hebraic-foundations/HF026.html

I would conclude that the only unforgivable sin is the sin of unbelief which is a blaspheming of God's Word given through the Holy Spirit. If you die in that state you are doomed. John 3:18,36; John 12:48.

Of course, on the other hand...

Luke 7:50

John 3:16,18,36; 5:24; 6:40,47; 11:25-26

Romans 1:16-17; 3:20-28; 4:1-6; 5:1-2; 9:30-33; 10:9-10,13

Acts 10:43; 11:14-17; 13:39; 16:30-31; 26:18

Gal. 2:16; 3:2,11-14,22; 5:4-6

Eph. 1:3,13; 2:8-9

Phil. 3:9

2 Tim. 3:15

1 John 5:12-13

 

Very well said Scarlett O.

 

Take a look at the entire passage.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to attribute a work of God to the Devil, revealing an inability to know the difference between God's works and Satan's work.

 

Amen!

 

I've heard many Baptists attribute the work of Pentecostal tongues and faith healings to the devil. Maybe they are right, maybe they are wrong.

I think that questioning tongues and faith healings that are really from the Holy Spirit is not an unforgiveable sin and many folks in these movements should be challenged.

However I also believe many skeptics do sin (not unforgiveably) by automatically assuming it is from Satan without fairly assessing whether it is the work of the Holy Spirit or not.

[ March 10, 2005, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: Gold Dragon ]

 

[snipped - non-Baptist posting in restricted areas]

[ March 12, 2005, 07:11 PM: Message edited by: Dr. Bob ]

 

It's quite simple, really. It's speaking against the Holy Spirit and attributing His work to another.

In the account you cite Christ has cast out a demon. All the witnesses could clearly see what He had done. There was no question about the power that was displayed. All the people gathered there said, "This is the Son of David."

So obvious was the evidence, that the Pharisees didn't try to deny that a miracle had taken place. They couldn't. In their envy they attributed the power to the Devil.

The case of tongues is not that clear of a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. The Jews who heard the Disciples on the day of Pentecost laughed and dismissed them as drunkards, but after Peter's sermon, they repented.

Repentance is impossible for one guilty of Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit.

But it's good that you thought about it. The warnings in Scripture are there for us to deeply and seriously consider. Have you committed that sin? Will you? Not everyone who thinks he's a Christian is really a Christian. I can only think that your consideration of the issue will bring you closer to Christ.

 

I didn't read all the responses before posting above. I see David gave a right answer.

 

Any opinion that is contrary to what the Bible says should be immediately discarded. We find in Matt. 12:22 – 37 what Jesus taught about blaspheming or speaking against the Holy Spirit.

Matt. 12:22. Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
23. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?''
24. But when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.''
25. But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26. "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27. "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
28. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29. "Or else how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30. "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
31. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
32. "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
33. "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
34. "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
36. "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
37. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.''
(NASB, 1995)

I have personally witnessed Baptists, including Baptist pastors, respond to what may very well have been the work of the Holy Spirit precisely as did the Pharisees in this passage of Scripture, and I believe that they share completely in their culpability and I fear that they will share in their damnation.

We Baptists, who have been deluged with the teaching that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not in operation today need to be especially careful that we do not fall into the error of the Pharisees and share their fate in hell.

 

Craig,

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be committed in ignorance or presumptuously. The Pharisees were not mistaken. They lied, like Ananias and Saphira.

 

Aaron,

Please post scriptures that show that the Pharisees were not mistaken.

 

Can you prove this from scripture. This does not agree with what Jesus said when He said that _whosoever_ spoke a word against the Spirit would not be forgiven. 'Whosoever' would include the ignorant and presumptuous.

Btw, i don't see how you could get the presumptuous off the hook.

Paul was a blasphemer, and was forgiven because he did it in ignorance. But the Bible does not say that the blasphemy he committed was against the Holy Ghost. If it were, he would not have been forgiven, according to Christ.

Maybe Jesus said this terrifying, uncomfortable teaching because he wanted us to try to explain it away, but because he wanted us to take it seriously. I've seen people (not yourself) redefine meanings of words trying to make 'blaspheme' mean 'die while rejecting' and it just doesn't make sense.

 

I already did.

 

Where in the Bible do you read that those actually mocked the work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost repented and were saved?

Acts 2:12. So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?''
13. Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine.'' (NASB, 1995)

Mocking the work of the Holy Spirit could not be more dangerous or foolish!

 

They repented after Peter preached to them.

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Act 2:37-42

 

The very important question is who is designated by the pronoun “they”? Does this group include those in verse 13, or only those in verse 12?

Acts 2:12. So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?''
13. Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine.'' (NASB, 1995)