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[Victor Kifyak]

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[St_Worm2]

From our friends at GotQuestions.org.

"What is blasphemy? What does it mean to blaspheme?"

Answer: To blaspheme is to speak with contempt about God or to be defiantly irreverent. Blasphemy is verbal or written reproach of God's name, character, work, or attributes.

Blasphemy was a serious crime in the law God gave to Moses. The Israelites were to worship and obey God. In Leviticus 24:10–16, a man blasphemed the name of God. To the Hebrews, a name wasn’t just a convenient label. It was a symbolic representation of a person’s character. The man in Leviticus who blasphemed God’s name was stoned to death.

Isaiah 36 tells the story of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and his attempt to demoralize Jerusalem before he attacked. After pointing out Assyria's many victories, he says, "Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" (Isaiah 36:20). Sennacherib committed blasphemy by assuming Israel’s God was equal to the false gods of the surrounding nations. The king of Judah, Hezekiah, points out this blasphemy in his prayer to God, in which he asks that God deliver them for the purpose of defending His own honor (Isaiah 37:4, 17). And that’s exactly what God did. Isaiah 37:36-37 explains, "Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there." Later, Sennacherib was murdered in the temple of his god Nisroch (Isaiah 37:38).

Followers of God are also responsible to make sure their behavior doesn't incite others to blaspheme God. In Romans 2:17-24, Paul scolds those who claim to be saved through the law and yet still live in sin. Using Isaiah 52:5, Paul tells them, “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (verse 24). In 1 Timothy 1:20 Paul explains that he had abandoned two false teachers to Satan so they would “be taught not to blaspheme”; thus, promulgating false doctrine and leading God’s people astray is also a form of blasphemy.

Jesus spoke of a special type of blasphemy—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—committed by the religious leaders of His day. The situation was that the Pharisees were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ miracles, but they attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to the presence of a demon (Mark 3:22-30). Their portrayal of the holy as demonic was a deliberate, insulting rejection of God and was unforgiveable.

The most significant accusation of blasphemy was one that happened to be completely false. It was for the crime of blasphemy that the priests and Pharisees condemned Jesus (Matthew 26:65). They understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. That would, indeed, be a reproach on God's character—if it wasn't true. If Jesus were just a man claiming to be God, He would have been a blasphemer. However, as the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus could truthfully claim deity (Philippians 2:6).

The fact is, every time we do or say something that gives others a false representation of the glory, holiness, authority, and character of God, we commit blasphemy. Every time we misrepresent our position as children of God, we are damaging His reputation. Fortunately, Jesus forgives even the sin of blasphemy. Peter attacked Jesus' purpose (Matthew 16:22), Paul tried to make others blaspheme (Acts 26:9-18), and Jesus' own brothers thought He was insane (Mark 3:21). All repented, and all were forgiven.

What is blasphemy? What does it mean to blaspheme?
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--David

 

[St_Worm2]

Weird question: is it blasphemous to say that something is divine intervention when it isn't?

Hi Victor, attributing the works of God to the devil (all the while knowing that it isn't true) is the kind of blasphemy that can never be forgiven. This was, in fact, the very thing the Pharisees were either guilty or nearly guilty of doing .. Matthew 12:22-32.

I've never considered the reverse situation before, but it seems to me at first blush that claiming something is of God, when it is not, could either be heresy (or just a simple mistake/misunderstanding), or I believe it could also be blasphemy, depending on the extent of the person's knowledge of the truth and his/her intention in making the statement (if they know it to be false).

--David

 

[Victor Kifyak]

Hi Victor, attributing the works of God to the devil (all the while knowing that it isn't true) is the kind of blasphemy that can never be forgiven. This was, in fact, the very thing the Pharisees were either guilty or nearly guilty of doing .. Matthew 12:22-32.

I've never considered the reverse situation before, but it seems to me at first blush that claiming something is of God, when it is not, could either be heresy (or just a simple mistake/misunderstanding), or I believe it could also be blasphemy, depending on the extent of the person's knowledge of the truth and his/her intention in making the statement (if they know it to be false).

--David

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[St_Worm2]

Hi again Victor, it sounds like the Holy Spirit made you aware of something that you were perhaps unaware of/didn't fully think through or understand before doing. It's hard to escape our old self/old nature at times, and our old ways of thinking can still haunt us even after we are born again, so PTL for the indwelling of the HS (who teaches, guides, convicts, helps and comforts us), as well the fact that we have been given the mind of Christ, so that we can finally know and understand all these things from the Lord's POV .. 1 Corinthians 2:12-16.

If you believe the HS was telling you that what you did was sinful, then you need to do a couple of things, 1. ask Him to forgive you .. 1 John 1:9, then 2. choose to fully believe/trust/know that you have been forgiven (IOW, be sure to take God at His word in regards to His promise to forgive you, because whether you "feel" forgiven at that moment or not, you have been forgiven ).

Like Abraham before you, by not wavering in unbelief about the promises that God has made to us, you will honor and glorify Him .. Romans 4:20-21, and you will be able to more quickly turn your attention back to the important business at hand (of continuing to grow up in Christlikeness, and helping others to do the same).

Yours and His,
David

 

[tdidymas]

Well what I did was send a picture to someone in which someone was saying that something was divine intervention. It clearly wasn't, and it was meant to be funny in the picture, and a reference to a line in a video game. I kind of realized sub consciously that it was bad in some way, but only after sending it did I really realize just how bad it was. So I deleted it right after and now I'm ashamed in myself.

You're not condemned. Just don't do it again.
TD

 

[SpiritSong]

Weird question: is it blasphemous to say that something is divine intervention when it isn't?

How would one know for sure that it isn't or is Divine Intervention? I have seen God work in many mysterious ways, good ways, of course.