UNDERSTANDING "THE BLASPHEMY" [PART 1]
By Rolan D. Monje

One issue that has caused some confusion is the concept of "the unforgivable sin" or "the blasphemy". It was good for me to struggle with this topic myself. The results are rewarding; thorough, unbiased study can clear away the mystery surrounding this topic. Please bear with me as I try to approach this from what I firmly believe in the best place to start - the Old Testament.

Roots in Judaism

We must remember that first century Christianity was largely imbedded in Judaism. A cursory look at the Pentateuch reveals a "sensitivity" about God in that He somehow acknowledges that some sins are done inadvertently. Thus Judaism distinguished between deliberate sins--sins of open rebellion against God that were punishable by death--and unintentional sins (Tagalog hindi sadya) that can be atoned for (Lev 4; Nu 15:22, 29). In a way, the average Jew would then be aware that there were sins that were considered "unforgivable" by the fact that his/her life would be ended right away, i.e. offences that deserved the death penalty. Here's some examples (list is not exhaustive):

Examples of OT sins that were "unforgivable" and warranted the death penalty

1. Adultery (Lev20:11)
2. Bestiality (Ex 22:19, Lev 20:15)
3. Blasphemy/cursing God (Lev 24:15+)
4. Breaking the Sabbath (Num 15:35)
5. Contempt of court (Deut 17:12)
6. Cursing parents (Ex 21:17, Lev 20:9)
7. Falsely worship or prophecy (Deut 13:10)
8. Idolatry (Ex 22:20, Deut17:2)
9. Incestuous relations (Lev 20:11+)
10. Kidnapping (Ex 21:16, Deut 24:7)
11. Priestly arrogation (Num 3:10, 18:7)
12. Rape of a betrothed virgin (Deut 22:25)
13. Sodomy (Lev 20:13)
14. Witchcraft (Ex 22:18)

Seeing this would cause the Jew to be more careful not to be led to those "kinds" of sins or offenses. First-century Judaism (and that includes Jesus' time) somehow retained this pattern for deliberate and inadvertent sins.

Now let's look at some verses that refer to these deliberate sins (bold-faced words show my emphasis):

Nu 15:30 " `But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people. 31 Because he has despised the LORD's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.'

1 Sa 2: 25 If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.

Here are some verses that apparently refer to a 'forgivable' sin:

Nu 15:27 " `But if just one person sins unintentionally, he must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28 The priest is to make atonement before the LORD for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven. 29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien.

2Sa 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."

Ezek 18: 26 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. 27 But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. 28 Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, `The way of the Lord is not just.' Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

Ezek 18:30 "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.

Insights from the Gospels

In the gospels, 3 parallel passages can be taken to enhance our understanding. These are Matt 12:22-32 (a complete story), Mk 3:28-30, and Lk 12:8-10.

MT 12:22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. 30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

In Matt 12:22-32 (and passage should be taken as a whole and in comparison to Jesus' other discourses with the Pharisees), the issue is a revelation of the hardness of heart of the Pharisees. Time and again the Pharisees doubt Jesus, even attributing his work to the power of Satan. First, Jesus 'defends' his stand by saying that Satan would be self-destructing if he (Jesus) was working with demonic power. Then he challenges the religious hearts by warning them that there is a point where sin is no longer forgiven.

Verse 31 and 32 cannot be made to mean that there is a bias between the Son and the Spirit. The point is that the role of the Spirit (seen in John 16) is to comfort, guide, convict, and lead. Someone who disobeys or rebels against the Spirit thus "speaks against" the Spirit. And that's what was happening to the religious leaders of Jesus' time. They got to a "point of no return" and the Spirit could no longer move in their hearts!

Now let's look the two other passages.

Mk 3:28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."

Lk 12:8 "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 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.

To summarize, here are our observations:

1. These 3 references to the "unforgivable sin" are written within a context of opposition
(toward Jesus in Matt 12 and Mark 3, and toward the disciples in Luke 12)
2. In Matt 12 and Mark 3 the remark is made to show the state of heart of the Pharisees
3. Jesus' intended hearers must have understood this in a Jewish context ("When you reach a point of rejection, you lose your chances of repentance")

Thus we can see from the Law to the Gospels, Jesus somewhat reinstates the deliberate sin as a state of constant rejection of God. This becomes even more clear when we come to Paul's writings.

Insights from Paul's Writings

Interestingly, Paul calls himself a blasphemer before he was baptized (1 Tim 1:13). He claims to even have forced people to blaspheme (Ac 26:11). He spoke against Jesus and thus was "against" the Spirit. He clearly was not in the Spirit's path. In a way, he was "rejecting" Christ or "cursing" (by denial) God. For sure, Paul understood the concept of blasphemy from the Old Testament. Notice that it is more than just a verbal fault.

Ezek 20:27 "…your fathers blasphemed me by forsaking me…"

Neh 9:26 "They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies…"

Isa 37:23 Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!

Paul understood and wished to convey a deeper meaning to blasphemy. It is not just "taking the Lord's name in vain" as many think today. Blasphemy in its deeper sense refers to a state of heart rather than an utterance of the mouth. Look at how Paul further uses the term:

Ro 2: 23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

1 Tim 1:19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

Paul understood that blaspheming was not a matter of just saying something against God; it was a heart condition opposed to God. The Pharisees if you notice, accused Jesus of blaspheme when he would hint at his deity (Mt9:3), but Jesus was exposing the true kind of blaspheme which was in their hearts. Their condition is called apostasy in some versions and it is like forsaking or ignoring or insulting the Spirit. Thus we may say that blasphemy is closely related to "falling away".

[end of Part 1]