According to Unger’s Bible dictionary, there are two general forms of blasphemy:
1. Attributing some evil to God, or denying Him some good which we should attribute to Him. (Leviticus 24:11; Romans 2:24)
2. Giving attributes of God to a creature – which was the form of blasphemy the Jews charged upon Jesus (Luke 5:21; Matthew 26:65; John 10:36). The Jews, from ancient times, have interpreted the command, Leviticus 24:16, as prohibiting the utterance of the name Jehovah, reading for it Adonai or Elohim.
The Jews had severe punishment for blasphemy. When a person committed blasphemy through thoughtlessness or weakness of the flesh, they could atone for their sin.. But, if it was a impious rebellious act against Jehovah, it was punished by stoning (Leviticus 24:11-16).
In the New Testament, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10), mentioned in the gospels would appear to have been referring to people who attributed those unquestionable miracles which Jesus performed by ‘the finger of God,’ and by the power of the Holy Ghost to the power of Satan. It is questionable whether it may be extended beyond this one limited and special sin. Therefore, only those people at that time were guilty of this sin. There have been others who interpret blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as “People that have a fully conscious and stubborn hatred against God and that which is divine as it exists in its highest development.” Generally, these people believe that this sin is unpardonable not because the grace of God is not sufficient for its forgiveness, but because it springs from a state of soul in which is too far gone to ask for repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, those who are in worry about whether they have committed this sin show by their concern that they haven’t because they are anxious about offending God. That is not to say that those who persist in sinning have great reason to fear that they won’t reach this state of being too far gone to want to come to repentance! (For a brief explanation on how you can walk with God and not carry out the desires of the flesh, please visit www.greatcom.org/spirit)
Christianity, unlike all other religions, is developing a relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ. In order to have a relationship with God, you need to understand four principles that govern your relationship with God. If you want to become a friend of God, please visit www.greatcom.org/laws.
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