Finally Solved: What is Blaphemy of the Holy Spirit

[Hoshiyya]

Think I may have figured this one out.

Here is a possible definition of the sin called "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit". I think it is the safest and least conjectural definition.

From the context, it seems it could be defined safely as:

To interrupt an (effective) excorcism,
or to even condemn the (positive) outcome of an effective excorcism;

thus one is aiding or rooting for or taking the side of the demon,
as opposed to the side of the Holy Spirit
(which is the force the excorcist uses to excorcise the demon).

It might even have a much more specific definition, which would be: implying that an effective excorcism of a demon is actually being performed by demonic power. This is the same as the definition above (bolded), except it involves a charge of demons or demonic powers collaborating to fake an excorcism, basically. This latter definition is actually more literally true to the text, but I suspect the above definition (bolded) might be the intended lesson of the text.

 

[visionary]

If you ask the Lord to no longer bother your conscience, you have in a sense asked God not to send you His Holy Spirit for guidance. You are then left in the no man's land without help, it is blasphemy for His creation to ask to live without Him.

 

[Hoshiyya]

If you ask the Lord to no longer bother your conscience, you have in a sense asked God not to send you His Holy Spirit for guidance. You are then left in the no man's land without help, it is blasphemy for His creation to ask to live without Him.

True, but Yeshua mentioned this thing in the context of the Pharisees criticizing Yeshua's excorcism of a demon, where they suggested he drove out the demon by the power of another demon, or specifically Satan.

 

[visionary]

Matt 12:31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 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.

Mark 3:28 Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit”

Luke 12:10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

Mark 3: 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. 22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 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.

Who are whose friends, who are they lay holding of, and who is beside himself?

 

[visionary]

Blasphemy is an anglicized form of the Greek term

blasphemia derived from two roots,

blapto, to injure, and
pheme, to speak.

The word would thus suggest injurious speech.

 

[visionary]

"unpardonable" sin?? ... so what is so "unpardonable" about injurious speech? Blasphemy is a “tongue sin,” for a lack of a better description. I know that words can hurt. But who or what is this directed at that causes "blasphemy".... the unpardonable kind.

The only times blasphemy is used in OT is this. ..

2 Kings 19:3 and Is 37:3
And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

We have three factors here, that of trouble, rebuke, blasphemy, and causes loss of strength, but I think it also means a loss of hope. If we find our lives at the bottom of the barrel, the last straw, the end of the rope, the appearance of no way out, and we have lost hope... I think that is the insult to injury for God. ... At the time when we need Him most, we have to faith in Him. It is bad enough we deserve the trouble we are in, and we are being rebuked, but to curse His name and have no faith in Him... that is unpardonable.

 

[Hoshiyya]

[a bunch of quotes]

If you want to make a clear point in an intellectual way, do that. Don't just throw verses at me, that is next to meaningless.

 

[Hoshiyya]

"unpardonable" sin?? ... so what is so "unpardonable" about injurious speech?

Are you replying to someone else ?
A deleted post, perhaps ?

 

[Hieronymus]

According to Scripture the unpardonable sin is SLANDERING the Holy Spirit.
This means willfully and (thus) against better judgement speaking evil of the Holy Spirit in order to mislead others.
This means you have to be certain it is the Holy Spirit, or it would not be slander but mere foolishness.
The example in the Bible is the Pharisees calling the Holy Spirit demonic, although it's uncertain the Pharisees were positive it was actually the holy Spirit.
Reading that passage suggests those Pharisees weren't too shure about it, but Christ warned them to better watch out what they said.

 

[Hoshiyya]

According to Scripture the unpardonable sin is SLANDERING the Holy Spirit.
This means willfully and (thus) against better judgement speaking evil of the Holy Spirit in order to mislead others.

Your first assumption may or may not be correct, I guess that requires a linguistic study;

but I don't right now see why you make the second, or any of the following, assumptions, based on the text alone.

The reason I say this is your definition to me seems like it would be synonymous with blasphemy of God the Father, which sin scripture specifies as being distinct from blasphemy (or slander) of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Hieronymus]

Christ warned them, not necessarily judge them.
It's how it reads i.m.o.
Could you be more specific?

Previous post points out slandering is blaspheming is speaking evil of something not evil.

 

[Hoshiyya]

Christ warned them, not necessarily judge them.
It's how it reads i.m.o.
Could you be more specific?

Previous post points out slandering is blaspheming.

The reason I say it seems synonymous is because I was taught the holy spirit is the mind of God, or power of God, depending on context. If you believe the Holy Spirit is a literal person, I guess that affects your perspective.

However, even if one is Trinitarian, it still is curious. Why would blaspheming the Holy Spirit be more grievous than blaspheming the Son, who died for our sins, or the Father, who created everything and continually maintains it?

To me, the Holy Spirit is clearly being presented in opposition to the possessing demon, and is the power used to expel the demon, hence to defame (or otherwise speak injuriously about) the Holy Spirit could mean to spread a rumor that in effect would make people stop taking their possessed to Yeshua for excorcism. Thus the result would be that demons would keep possessing people, since they would not be cast out. I stand by my original definition, but I thought there might be a concern in the text for the spreading of rumors about Yeshua.

 

[dfw69]

I think it means to see a miracle done by the Holy Spirit of Hashem and denying it is from Hashem spirit but calling it evil workings from satan ....

Satan cannot perform genuine miracles ...

 

[Dave-W]

but to curse His name and have no faith in Him... that is unpardonable.

Square that with this statement:

Luke 12:10 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.

 

[dfw69]

Square that with this statement:

Luke 12:10 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.

Forgiven without repentance and faith ?

 

[Dave-W]

Satan cannot perform genuine miracles ...

actually he can:

Ex 7.8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.
11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:
12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
...
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.
21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

 

[dfw69]

actually he can:

Ex 7.8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.
11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:
12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
...
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.
21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

I assume the secret art of magic is an illusion not a genuine miracle

 

[Dave-W]

Forgiven without repentance and faith ?

?????

While that is certainly possible "Father forgive them for they know not what they do;" I do not see how it plays into this discussion. It is about what is UNFORGIVABLE.

 

[Dave-W]

I assume the secret art of magic is an illusion not a genuine miracle

I guess that depends on your definition of miracle. There were actual snakes and water turned to blood under demonic power.

Have you ever heard the testimony of Orlando DeOlivera, the former witch doctor from Brasilia?

 

[Hieronymus]

I assume the secret art of magic is an illusion not a genuine miracle

I can testify differently.
As can many many more people, often with much more compelling stories, even some evidence.

just saying..