Please help me clear something up!

[Matthias]

Hi there,

I have a question that's been on my mind for a while, and no resources on the internet seem to be able to give me an answer.

In the Bible it clearly states in many verses that God will forgive ALL sins if the person asking for forgiveness is truely sorry for what he/she has done, and does their best not to re-commit them.

However, other verses in the Bible state that all sins EXCEPT blasphemy can be forgiven by God. One of the verses I can quote is this one:

"Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin." (Mark 3:29).

Let's say the person who KNOWS God has commited blasphemy in the past many times and has insulted God, damaged statues of Jesus, said bad things to/about Him, and generally rubbished him and cursed at him constantly.

But then they realise how truely wrong they have been and are truely sorry and start making a change in their life, getting baptised, taking church seriously, and making a real effort to not commit sins.

My question is this. If the person has made a real effort and has stopped constantly commiting blasphemy, can the sin of blasphemy be forgiven by God? Or will it always be an un-forgiven sin, no matter what the person has done to show how truely wrong and stupid it was?

I am asking because I am confused with some of the passages, and would like to think that if I have commited blasphemy in the past, that I will be forgiven, but the quote above doesn't make me feel too good...

Thank you,

Matthew.

 

[Matthias]

I'm asking this in regards to someone who knows God and has been introduced to Him through school, baptism, etc, however have rejected Him for many years and have called Him names, sworn at/about Him, damaged religious statues, etc.

BUT, later in life they realise they have been stupid and are really sorry for what they've done in the past. I just thought I'd post this second message to clear things up, in case I made no sense whatsoeve, so hopefully it clears things up...

 

[Matthias]

One of my friends, (non-denominational!), and I were discussing blasphemy and she gave me her interpretation on what it was, which turns out to be quite incorrect, so I apologise for probably confusing you all and sounding like an idiot...

I guess it makes this thread pointless now. I've visited a wonderful Orthodoxy website which told me what it was and what it wasn't, and I'm pleased to know I haven't commited it! At least I don't think I have commited it according to the website I visited...

The quote on the website I liked was:

"It is almost by definition that if you are worried about blaspheming the Spirit, then you haven't. Why can I say this? Because if a person is still sensitive enough to the presence of the Spirit that they notice His absence, then they are not trying to deny the Spirit exists.".

I saw the same quote on another website too. No offence to anyone here who falls under this category, but it can be really difficult discussing your personal beliefs with someone from another "denomination", or lack of so it's great to have you all to turn to...

The " are because Orthodoxy is not a denomination, but I couldn't think of how else to put it...

 

[MariaRegina]

A few years back, a Greek Orthodox parish president was carrying around a replica of the burial cloth of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ during the Good and Holy Friday Procession. As he did so, he started telling blasphemous jokes about Christ, His Holy Passion and death, and His Holy Resurrection. The priest told the ushers to bring that man to him for a correction; however, before that could happen, the ushers returned saying that the parish president had died of a massive coronary. The paramedics were shocked. This man was young and had a perfect heart. There was no explanation except that this man had been struck dead by God for his blasphemy.

Our God is Holy.

Prayerfully yours in Christ our God,
Elizabeth

 

[Matthias]

Wow, thanks for that story, Chanter. Let's just say someone has commited blasphemy in the past though, but has realised he/she was wrong and turned back to God and was truely sorry - can he/she be forgiven?

 

[MariaRegina]

Wow, thanks for that story, Chanter. Let's just say someone has commited blasphemy in the past though, but has realised he/she was wrong and turned back to God and was truely sorry - can he/she be forgiven?

Dear Matthias:

If I ever address you as Matthew, please forgive. I have vision problems.

As long as one has breath and is truly repentant, one can be forgiven.

Usually a sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit involves the belief that one doesn't need God and can save oneself (presumption) or that the person has done such a grevious sin that God would not forgive (despair). One sin that can lead to such a state is the sin of despondency, where one feels totally helpless and where one gives up even trying. This is considered to be a very dangerous sin in Orthodoxy.

Metropolitan Hierotheos has written quite a few books that might interest you on this subject. The Illness and Cure of the Soul in the Orthodox Tradition is a good book but one that should be read under your priest's direction.

My priest told me that during the Turkish occupation of Greece, if a Greek Orthodox Christian renounced his faith under pressure by the muslims, then as a sign of his repentance when attempting to come back, he would be told to go back to the muslim authorities and to publicly renounce Islam. This courageous statement of faith would usually earn an automatic death penalty by the Ottomans. By dying a martyr's death, however, his sins are definitely forgiven and he is also giving a powerful witness to the True Faith.

Hope this helps.

Your sister in Christ our God,
Elizabeth

 

[Matthias]

Hi Chanter. I'm very sorry to hear about your vision problems, however Matthew is fine - it's my real name after all. Matthias is just what I've called myself everywhere, since Matthew seems to be taken wherever I need a user name.

Thanks for the information! So, if someone has commited blasphemy in the past but is sorry, there's a chance they can be forgiven?

 

[MariaRegina]

Hi Chanter. I'm very sorry to hear about your vision problems, however Matthew is fine - it's my real name after all. Matthias is just what I've called myself everywhere, since Matthew seems to be taken wherever I need a user name.

Thanks for the information! So, if someone has commited blasphemy in the past but is sorry, there's a chance they can be forgiven?

Dear Matthew:

The key word here is REPENT.

As long as you have breath, and are repentant, the Lord will forgive, as He gives us the grace to repent.

The psalmist wrote: "If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts." The Lord gives us grace, but we can reject it.

As long as you are truly sorry for any serious sin, you are already forgiven. The church will need to confirm your repentance and absolve you before you can receive Holy Communion.

Lovingly yours in Christ our God,
Elizabeth

 

[thereselittleflower]

A few years back, a Greek Orthodox parish president was carrying around a replica of the burial cloth of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ during the Good and Holy Friday Procession. As he did so, he started telling blasphemous jokes about Christ, His Holy Passion and death, and His Holy Resurrection. The priest told the ushers to bring that man to him for a correction; however, before that could happen, the ushers returned saying that the parish president had died of a massive coronary. The paramedics were shocked. This man was young and had a perfect heart. There was no explanation except that this man had been struck dead by God for his blasphemy.

Our God is Holy.

Prayerfully yours in Christ our God,
Elizabeth

Elizabeth, that is a very powerful story! It is like that in Acts when 2 lied lied to the Holy Spirit, and dropped dead on the spot!

Do you know where this happened?

Peace in Him!

 

[Orthodox6]

. . . however, before that could happen, the ushers returned saying that the parish president had died of a massive coronary.

NO COMMENT !!
[as in struck dumb by this annecdote]

Is this "hearsay"? or can you document this?

["Set a watch, O Lord, about my mouth. . ."]

 

[MariaRegina]

Elizabeth, that is a very powerful story! It is like that in Acts when 2 lied lied to the Holy Spirit, and dropped dead on the spot!

Do you know where this happened?

Peace in Him!

Dear Little Flower and Orthodox 6:

This story is true. My parish priest told us this happened in 1999, but would not mention the Greek Orthodox parish to protect the innocent.

In 1995, paper icons of the Theotokos which were given to children at a Greek Orthodox Summer camp started crying tears of 100% pure olive oil with a fragrance of heavenly flowers. The children were asked to bring these paper icons to church the following Sunday, and the whole church smelled of this heavenly fragrance.

At St. Nectarios Church in Covina, California, many people are being cured from cancer, blindness, etc.

So there are many miracles that are taking place within the Orthodox Church.

Lovingly yours in Christ our God,
Elizabeth

 

[Orthodox6]

PLEASE (!) keep supplying us with "true life" stories of the contemporary Church! That is SOOOO beautiful about the children's icons!!!

My dh and I read every book we can find with the lives of the contemporary elders and eldresses; happily, more and more are being translated into English! Dh just returned from the (vaguely) nearby monastery with our latest treasure: "Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit", by H. Middleton, available from http://www.protectingveil.com.

Is St. Nectarios your parish?

BTW, what branch of linguistics are you in? (I peeked at your profile.) (Many cat lives ago, I was combining Russian and linguistics.)

 

[MariaRegina]

Dear Orthodox 6:

No, St. Nectarios is not my parish. It is a shrine and is advertised in the Orthodox Observer (USA). They also have a website. If you wish, they will send you holy oil with which you can anoint your loved ones. They have a small rib of St. Nectarios at the shrine and many people visit it every year.

God is wonderful in His Saints!

Lovingly yours in Christ our God,
Elizabeth

 

[MariaRegina]

BTW, what branch of linguistics are you in? (I peeked at your profile.) (Many cat lives ago, I was combining Russian and linguistics.)

I'm studying Communicative Disorders and General Linguistics right now. Since I've joined the Orthodox Church, I been exposed to many different languages and have to sing these languages sometimes: Greek, Arabic, Church Slovanic, Romanian, Spanish. Spanish, French, and Latin are the languages which I studied in college.