What is blasphemy of the holy spirit?

What I was thought as a child is that this sin is when you deliberately are lying in confession. So when you lie to God's face(ears). But I think there will never be any sin that God can't forgive if you repent. God is greater than a book. We should not be like the muslims who believe in a perfect book.

Just imagine if you would kill somebody in this life of yours. Do you think God will forgive you immeadetly? Or would this sin follow you the rest of your life? So hell is also our inner condition of our soul. Does not mean God will never forgive you. Someday He may punish you, too. But then the punishment is followed by forgiveness.

Blaptein [greek] to injure + pheme reputation

Knowing about what this sin is doesn't lead doesn't lead a person to commit it. A good deal more is involved. All the same a child of God is best to commit themselves to God's keeping.

Those in scripture whom Jesus warned most solemly about this were a group of Scribes and Pharisees who had come down from Jerusalem.

It was in Galilee that these words were spoken; for Jesus was, at this time "going through every city and village preaching, and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1). He was opposed, reviled, and threatened—as he went along, teaching and healing. The opposition, however, did not come from the Galileans—but from the Scribes and Pharisees who came down from Jerusalem (Matt. 12:24, Mark 3:22). There might be among the inhabitants of that half-Gentile region, ignorance and unbelief; but they did not go so far in their malignity as the more intellectual, better educated, and (in the common acceptation of the word) more "religious" citizens of Jerusalem, as represented by their leaders, the Scribes, and Pharisees, and Priests. These, though better read in the Prophets, and professing to be waiting for Messiah, were foremost in the rejection of Christ; setting themselves against himself and his Messiahship with a persevering and desperate malignity, such as we might have reckoned impossible.
[source: Bonar - The Sin Against the Holy Spirit ]

Two things seem to characterize people who think they may have committed this sin but have not. First they have some form of OCD, and a history of obsessive thoughts, and afterwards they are concerned about having committed it.

Its seems to me blasphemy is a speech issue. It may be preceded by thoughts or attitudes in the heart but it is not simply a matter of something intruding into one's thoughts.

dms1972 said:

What do people think of the following?

Blaptein [greek] to injure + pheme reputation

First knowing about what this sin is doesn't lead doesn't lead a person to commit it. A good deal more is involved. It would seem like those in scripture whom Jesus warned most solemly about this were not irreligious people. But were in fact teachers of doctrine. They claimed to know God.

Two things characterize people who think they may have committed this sin but have not. First they have some form of OCD, and afterwards they are concerned about having committed it.

Blasphemy is a speech issue, it may be preceded by thoughts in the heart but it is not simply a matter of something in our thoughts.

Blaptein [greek] to injure + pheme reputation

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Blasphemy

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If we are looking for a bunch of forty and fifty dollar words to define something that Catholic encyclopedia is a sure bet.

I believe that God created the earth and everything within it. He created it and us and He owns all of it--including we humans.

Now, if He owns us, He should have some say on how we live. Indeed, He suggests this in scripture. So if God is really God we are not our own, so let us live rightly that God may have preeminence.

There are some among us that live in darkness and they like the darkness. These are addressed in the first chapter of John:
John 1:5 "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." Why did the darkness not understand? Because it did not want to.

My apologies you got read my post while i was editing it, I settled on a link to the Horatius Bonar article, as it keeps to the point of the thread, not that I don't at times find the New Advent site useful, but their article was about the broader issue, and I don't see any point in complicating the discussion.

Apostasy is the highest form of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost because the Spirit has already bore witness in your spirit of the Truths about Jesus and you later deny them to be true.



Apostasy - Renunciation of Christ


The only unforgivable sin is the sin of apostasy - renouncing Christ.


It has been wrongly taught for years that not accepting Christ as your Savior is the “unforgiveable sin” and yes if you do not accept Christ as your Savior you will go to hell when you die, but it is not “technically” the quote – unquote “unforgivable sin” which is apostasy.


The renunciation of Christ, which is apostasy, is not something an atheist can do. Many people have a great misunderstanding about what apostasy is and what renouncing Christ is. The only type of person who can commit apostasy, who can truly renounce Christ, is a person who has known Christ. Therefore, a person would have to have been a Christian and then renounced Christ after becoming a Christian in order to commit apostasy.

Apostasy – I John 5 address what we must understand about Christ to be saved, and makes it known that God Himself bears witness of these Truths in our own spirit. Next the issue of praying for those who are in sin is brought into play and we told to pray for all sin except “sin leading to death” (NKJV) or more specifically “a sin unto death” (KJV) a reference to apostasy the highest form of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost because the Spirit has already bore witness in your (a Christian's) spirit of the Truths about Jesus and you (a Christian) later deny them to be true.

True biblical apostasy is a very rare thing to have happen.

Apostasy is a very difficult subject to fully understand and it takes a collection of the Scriptures to address the issue. That said, there is a portion of the book of Hebrews that covers this issue and then in I John 5we are told not to pray for this issue or a person so to speak who has committed apostasy. Note that Hebrews and I John are only a small portion of Scripture that touches on the issue of apostasy.

Please study1 John 5 and Hebrews 5, 6, and 7 with special attention to chapter 6. If you want to better understand it would be best to study the entire book of Hebrews and 1 John.

Serenity Armstead said:

How do you blaspheme the holy spirit?

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I have been praying for you sister, I don't know for how long, at least ever since you brought this topic up before. I was concerned for you. I believe the best thing you can do if you are afraid of your sin, is to stop sinning. If you can't and are addicted, then seek the proper help to deal with that addiction. Whatever it is, there is help out there. But you have to have the faith to reach out to someone who can help you. I don't think this is a theological question for you, but a cry for help. I think the last thread you were worried you left the faith. So the correct action is not getting comfort in a sinful lifestyle, but trying to be free from the sin. Sin always brings death. And sin can deceive us in a way to where we start doubting the saving work of Christ. And we shipwreck our faith. It's not sin that causes salvation to be gone, because turning from sin doesn't save to begin with. But sin decieves us into not having faith anymore. So if you believe in Christ you are saved, but salvation does come with a repentant heart. Meaning that if there is a sin that is addictive in your life, you will take steps to turn from it permanently .

Reborn1977 said:

Apostasy is the highest form of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost because the Spirit has already bore witness in your spirit of the Truths about Jesus and you later deny them to be true.



Apostasy - Renunciation of Christ


The only unforgivable sin is the sin of apostasy - renouncing Christ.


It has been wrongly taught for years that not accepting Christ as your Savior is the “unforgiveable sin” and yes if you do not accept Christ as your Savior you will go to hell when you die, but it is not “technically” the quote – unquote “unforgivable sin” which is apostasy.


The renunciation of Christ, which is apostasy, is not something an atheist can do. Many people have a great misunderstanding about what apostasy is and what renouncing Christ is. The only type of person who can commit apostasy, who can truly renounce Christ, is a person who has known Christ. Therefore, a person would have to have been a Christian and then renounced Christ after becoming a Christian in order to commit apostasy.

Apostasy – I John 5 address what we must understand about Christ to be saved, and makes it known that God Himself bears witness of these Truths in our own spirit. Next the issue of praying for those who are in sin is brought into play and we told to pray for all sin except “sin leading to death” (NKJV) or more specifically “a sin unto death” (KJV) a reference to apostasy the highest form of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost because the Spirit has already bore witness in your (a Christian's) spirit of the Truths about Jesus and you (a Christian) later deny them to be true.

True biblical apostasy is a very rare thing to have happen.

Apostasy is a very difficult subject to fully understand and it takes a collection of the Scriptures to address the issue. That said, there is a portion of the book of Hebrews that covers this issue and then in I John 5we are told not to pray for this issue or a person so to speak who has committed apostasy. Note that Hebrews and I John are only a small portion of Scripture that touches on the issue of apostasy.

Please study1 John 5 and Hebrews 5, 6, and 7 with special attention to chapter 6. If you want to better understand it would be best to study the entire book of Hebrews and 1 John.

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I would like to pour water on your fire. Renouncing Christ is not the unpardonable sin. You mention Hebrew 6. We need to look in detail at this sin.

Heb 6:4 -6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

So we see from this scripture Paul makes a real effort to stress that the person he is referring to is a believer in Christ. "once enlightened", " tasted the heavenly gift".

Now we see the sin is "if they fall away", then they can not be restored. So initially like you say it sounds as if, if a christian leaves the faith they can not come back.

But let's explore the verse more fully. It says the person is "seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame".

It says that this person who fell away is "crucifying Christ again". But think now how far does the cross span 1 sin, 2, 3. The bible says:

Heb 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

It states as man "dies once", so Christ was "offered once". The cross spans our whole life time of failures.

So the person who has fallen away, was not saved at the point of death. The warning is still these for us, beware, don't think just because you are saved you always will be. You can fall away. But it is the point of death, not a denial of faith, that is unpardonable.

Many Christians in a time of pressure, may have denied Christ, as Peter did. It does not mean they can not be forgiven.

Jas 5:19-20 My brothers, if one of you has gone out of the way of the true faith and another has made him see his error, Be certain that he through whom a sinner has been turned from the error of his way, keeps a soul from death and is the cause of forgiveness for sins without number.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." John 15:1
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5

Bruce Wilkinson's book, Secrets of The Vine, excerpts pg 34-35

"From a conversation with a large vineyard owner from northern California, he learned "New branches have a natural tendency to trail down and grow along the ground," he explained. "But they don't bear fruit down there. When branches grow along the ground, the leaves get coated in dust. When it rains, they get muddy and mildewed. The branch becomes sick and useless."

"What do you do?" I asked. "Cut it off and throw it away?"

"Oh, no," he exclaimed. "The branch is much too valuable for that. We go through the vineyard with a bucket of water looking for those branches. We lift them up and wash them off."