1S3-7: The True Meaning Of ‘Blaspheming The Holy Spirit’

 ^“Therefore I have sworn to the family
of ‘Eli that the wickedness of ‘
Eli’s family will never be atoned for
by any sacrifice or offering.”
-1 Samuel 3:14

Today let’s settle a debate that’s been going on for literally centuries.

I’m talking about the true definition of what it means to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

This is the one sin Yeshua said can never be forgiven.

Honestly, the only reason the gentile church has been debating this issue is because they’ve dismissed the Torah as being irrelevant to their faith.

But it’s the Torah that gives us the definition of what “blaspheming the Holy Spirit” means…

And we’re given a perfect example of it in the form of Eli’s 2 wicked sons.

So lemme break it down for you nice and easy.

First, you need to understand the sacrificial system could NOT atone for every sin a man can commit.

It could only atone for what the Torah labels are “unintentional sins”.

“Intentional” or “High-handed sins” could NOT be atoned for.

Here are the verses from the Torah articulating this principle.

“But an individual who does
something wrong intentionally,
whether a citizen or a foreigner,
is blaspheming ADONAI.
That person will be cut
off from his people.
Because he has had contempt
for the word of ADONAI and
has disobeyed his command,
that person will be cut off
completely; his offense will
remain with him.'”
-Numbers 15:30-31

Now the word “intentionally” in the Biblical context doesn’t mean what us modern folks think it means.

For example, according to the Torah, “stealing” is actually an unintentional sin.

But in plain English, we all know you don’t unintentionally steal something, right?

Either way you slice it, theft is a deliberate action motivated by intent.

And it is a sin that is forgivable and can be atoned for.

So what gives?

Well, let’s take a look at the RSV translation of the same Torah verse:

“But the person who does
anything with a high hand,
whether he is native or a sojourner,
reviles the LORD,
and that person shall be
cut off from among his people.”

Ah, that’s so much better!

An “intentional sin” per the Scriptural definition is to do something with a high hand.

It is exceptionally grievous.

We’re talking about an offense that is so serious the Lord will simply not allow the blood of an animal to pay for that transgression.

The one who committed the sin MUST pay for it with his or her life…physical and/or eternal.

So there you go folks.

That’s what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means.

It refers to a sin that’s outside of God’s system of atonement.

When we study the Torah we find there are only 2 types of statutes.

Men committing offenses against men…

Or men committing offenses directly against God.

High-handed offenses committed against God cannot be forgiven by any means…

Even by the blood of Yeshua…

Actually let me rephrase that last bit…

Even if the Lord might have accepted Yeshua’s blood as a just ransom if the sinner truly repented of his high-handed sin…

It would never happen…

Why?

Because the Scripture tells us the Lord will harden that violator’s heart to the point where he or she won’t even be able to repent.

If you wanna know why death bed conversions are so rare, well that’s your answer.

A high-handed sin without repentance results in eternal death.

And Eli’s sons Pinchas and Hophni are perfect examples.

They stole from the worshipper’s sacrifices (God’s holy property) knowing they were sinning directly against the Lord.

And even when their father Eli confronted them about it, they expressed zero remorse or regret for their behavior.

So we can see here that blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is a combination of sinning against God AND not repenting.

Christians are told that to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit” is the only sin that can’t be forgiven.

But they have no idea what it means because they’ve thrown the Torah in the trash.

That’s why you should NOT hold to some ridiculous theology that says the “Old” Testament has been done away with or nailed to the cross.

Because the so-called “Old” Testament which Christians perceive is inferior to the New is where you have to to go to find out what blaspheming the Holy Spirit really means…or any other foundational Scriptural teaching for that matter.

Remember homies, the “Old” Testament IS the Scripture.

The New Testament is definitely NOT…

Heck, it’s not even close to being Scripture…

Except when it quotes the Hebrew Bible.

Now I’ve read a lot of commentary that says the idea that a true believer can blaspheme the Holy Spirit is only a hypothetical thing.

However, the pattern we see in the Scriptures (again referring ONLY to the “Old” Testament here folks) is that not only can a believer commit blasphemy against the Lord, but so can His priests.

I mean that’s exactly what happened with Pinchas and Hophni.

The Lord declared them guilty of blaspheming against Him.

On top of that, he hardened their hearts so they wouldn’t be able to repent.

Which meant their eternal destiny was sealed from that point forwards.

So you tell me whether a believer is capable of blaspheming the Holy Spirit or not.

The pattern in the Scriptures speaks otherwise.

Also consider this…

Why would Yeshua warn us about something if it wasn’t possible?

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

 ^“Truly I tell you,
people can be forgiven all their sins
and every slander they utter,
but whoever blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven;
they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
-Mark 3:28-29