Roman Catholic Doctrine and Perdition

[Ovedya]

i have a question for god-man - what exactly is blasphemy against the holy spirit? i've read through the entire thread and didn't find an explanation (although i may have skimmed over it). the reason i'm asking...i can remember as a kid learning about this one unforgiveable sin and being scared that i'd commit it without realizing i had. any insight?

In the Old Testament (Hebrew) blasphemy is contempt or provocation. In the New Testament language, Greek, however, blasphemy is slander or speech that is provoking or injurious. It is speaking evil of someone.

According to Scripture, specifically, Matt. 12:31, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is speaking evil against the Spirit. According to this verse all manner of blasphemy against man is forgiven by God through the blood of Jesus Christ. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is that one sin that God cannot forgive. There have been a lot of debates as to exactly what this kind of sin entails,* and whether or not a believer in Christ can commit this kind of sin and go to hell. But there is nothing in Scripture that indicates a believer, that is, one who has the life of God, would ever actually do this in the first place. Once a person believes into Christ he is given a new life and a new nature. And even though a believer can slip back into a former manner of living, I believe the Spirit will forbid him from speaking evil against God and against His Spirit. The Prodigal Son is a picture of a believer leaving His Father and squandering his inheritance in the world. Yet at no time in that parable do you read that the son spoke evil of his father. Even though he pursued the lusts of the world and its riches, and was left destitute he never spoke one word against his father.

Now, in the context of Matthew 12:31-32 our Catholic friends have said that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit includes speaking evil of the works of the Holy Spirit. This certainly seems to be true, since the Pharisees were accusing the Lord of casting out a demon by the power of Beelzebub (cf. 2 Kings 1:2. Beelzebub was the god of the Ekronites.). I believe that this is actually Satan and that, knowing that Beelzebub was, at the very least, the ruler of the demons, the Pharisees accused the Lord with the most vile and evil of accusations. Yet the Lord did nothing of His own power, but by the Power of God's Spirit (John 14:10). Therefore the Pharisees knowingly accused the Lord Jesus of doing the work of Satan, rather than by God. Not only was this the absolute rejection of the Lord, but it was a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

So we get back to the point of what Douay wrote earlier concerning the Catholic church. He agreed with my summary of his responses, that contending with the doctrines of the Roman church is equal to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. However, the example does not support his argument. First of all, Matthew 12:31-32 is not related to doctrinal teachings, but is related to a specific working of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God. Everything the Lord did was absolutely according to the Spirit, and by the Spirit. Yet we cannot confess that everything that the Roman church does, and has done, is absolutely by the Spirit. Secondly, the Bible tells all believers to discern and test the Spirits to see if they are true (1 Cor. 12:10; 1 John 4:1). This is related to doctrinal teachings, and is the duty of every believer. Therefore, when we come to a certain teaching, we must discern whether it is of the Spirit or whether it is of another spirit, a false spirit. It is altogether a spiritual matter. Contending with a certain teaching therefore is not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, nor can it ever be such. Otherwise the Bible would not instruct us to do so.

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* For example, some say that insulting the Spirit is equal to blasphemy (Heb. 10:29), but this actually differs from blasphemy. It is actually a matter of being disobedient to the Spirit - which many believers do - and this is forgivable under the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7,9).