The Unforgivable Sin Part I

Back when I was baptized when I was 12 years old, I was afraid of saying anything about the Holy Spirit, since I understood that the Bible said that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was an unforgivable sin. I was so afraid of committing a sin that has no forgiveness, to the point that I did not wanted to say anything at all in reference to the Holy Spirit.
Interesting is to know that I was not the only one who struggled with this issue. Through out antiquity, the issue of the unforgivable sin had cost much misery to many people. Many Christians who have thought to commit the sin had lost their peace and their conscience drove them into insanity. A good example of that is the English poet who composed the hymn “There is a fountain fill with blood drown from Emmanuel's vein.” William Cowper believed that he was guilty of the sin, and not even the comfort and reasoning of John Newton (the writer of the hymn “Amazing Grace”) was able to comfort him.
In the mist of this uncertainty, there are few questions that we may need to
answer: Should we be so afraid of saying anything about the Holy Spirit, what is the unforgivable sin? What does it consist of and; is it truly unforgivable? To day, I hope to bring light to the harts that have being wrestling with this subject.

Lets beginning by analyzing the passages were references to an unforgivable sin is made, and then, from the analysis of these passages, we will turn to other 3 passages where we find references to other unforgivable sins. After that, conclusion will be made about what is it that the passages are referring to.

The first time that the idea of an unforgivable sin is presented; is in Mathew 12:31-32 where were read: “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be be forgiven. 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.”

The context of this passage is that of Jesus casting out demons. When the people saw Jesus healing the person that was sick by casting out the demon, they wonder if Jesus was the son of David. The Pharisees, when they sow what had happened, attributed the work of Jesus to Beelzebub the prince of the devils. Immediately following, Jesus says that a kingdom divided can not stand, and a city that is divided can not stand, so, if Satan cast out Satan, his kingdom is not going to last very long. It is immediately after that that Jesus says that who ever is not with Him, is against Him. And he that gather not with Him, scatter abroad.
In this passage, it is very clear what the unforgivable sin is. That is: Attributing to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit. In this case, the Blasphemy is limited to the words that a person say with his mouth.

Now, it is important to keep in mind that is possible to blaspheme against God, without saying a world. According to The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament TDNT the Greek word blasfemeo in Classical Greek is used in the sense of giving an “abusive speech, misuse of words, personal mockery and calumniation.” In Demosth. 40.17 it speaks of blasphemy against a deity by: “mistaking its true nature or violating or doubting its power.”

In the LXX it is used in reference to “all ungodly speech and action, especially on the part of the Gentiles.” Is. 66:3, 1. Macc. 2:6.

So, according to DTNT one could blaspheme by:
Traditionally:
1. Speech
2. Mistaking the nature of a deity
3. Doubting the power of a deity

In the LXX
1. Being arrogant (arrogance implies a depreciation of God).
N.T.
1. Any bad or unloving action

So you see, Blasphemy does not necessarily means speaking, for one could blaspheme against God by one's attitude, by the understanding of the deity, or by the words that one says.

So, the word in view here, refers to: speaking falsely, doubting, the power of God, lack of faith, an slandered and attacked in their basic faith passed from Christ to His community, attack on the content of the Gospel, Acts, 13:45, Denning Christ in times of persecution, 1, Cor. 10:30; false teaching that pervert the way of truth 2. Pet. 2:2. Since this is the case, it is proper to quote TDNT when in this word comments “The blaspheme does not have to find verbal expression. Any bad or unloving action can contain it, either because it resists the holy will of God or because it causes the enemies of Christianity to calumniate it (1. Tim 6:1; Jm 2:7; R. 2:24; Tt 2:5).”