Believers are constantly being accused by the accuser of committing the unpardonable sin or “blasphemy of the HOLY SPIRIT!” But what exactly is that? Have you ever thought that you had committed it? Let’s take a look in the Scriptures and see if we can gain a better understanding of this concept.
The actual word “blasphemy” is first used in the Scriptures in 2 Kings 19 in describing King Hezekiah’s despair as the result of the King of Assyria’s threat to destroy Israel. It reads like this in verse 3-4; “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” (Isaiah records this same text in Isaiah 37:9)
The Hebrew word “ne atsah”, translated blasphemy, means; to scorn, abhor or despise. So we see the word is applied in this text, to the nation of Israel, that they are scorned, abhorred and despised in either the King of Assyria’s eyes or ultimately in YHWH’S eyes, in order for their destruction to be possible…
We then see MESSIAH YESHUA using this word (as transliterated from the Hebrew) in Matthew 12:31-32. “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32Anyone 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.”
The Greek word “blasphemia”, translated blasphemy in the New Testament, means; to vilify, to slander, to darken the character of, to rail against, to speak evil of (esp. GOD). The verses in Matthew are those which send that certain shudder down the spine of a believer who is concerned that he/she has committed some random sin that cannot be forgiven! But is that what the context of this passage is alluding to?
The context is set in a discussion between those of the day who were considered to be (mostly among themselves, I might say!:>), the “pious, righteous, religious” crowd in Jerusalem, and this new young rabbi (YESHUA) espousing, what many thought, was a new doctrine throughout the city! But was it new? They thought so because by the time that YESHUA came as the fulfillment of The Torah, the sectarianism of Israel had almost negated the Scriptures that YHWH authored, and had instituted their own versions, inculcated with their own doctrines, commandments and traditions! Sound familiar?
Anyway, here we see HIM telling them that there is a time coming, when the SPIRIT will be given. When that takes place, the SPIRIT will say and do things in and through true believers that will cause those steeped in man’s religion to speak against HIM! This announcement should not have been anything new to these so called “scholars”! They should have known what YESHUA was referring to! It is written in their own Scriptures!
Isaiah 44:3 “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;”
Ezekiel 36:27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
So, contextually, MESSIAH YESHUA is saying in Matthew 12:
- There is a time coming, as spoken of by the Prophets, when HIS SPIRIT will be poured out…
- When that time comes, HE will make HIS Words known to those who are thirsty and who receive the work of HIS SPIRIT…
- The proof of this will be that HIS SPIRIT will cause them to walk in HIS statutes, to keep HIS judgments and do them…
- At that same time, there will be those who will scorn, despise, reject, slander and speak evil of (blaspheme) HIS SPIRIT and what HE is doing in and through those who, by their lives bear witness to HIS Word because their lives will be in opposition to the accepted practices of those who are caught up in “the commandments and doctrines of men!”
Proverbs 1:23-26 “Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I pray that those who might truly be guilty of blasphemy, as it is described in HIS Word, would realize the error of their ways and come to biblical repentance, In YESHUA…
This is spot on! I believe you are correct in that this is exactly what Yeshua was saying, and what we’ve been experiencing. Bless you brother. Keep bringing the Truth, and let those who have ears hear the Voice of the Spirit of Yeshua.