The unpardonable sin, few thoughts

[8thdaypriest]

I was answering a question put to me on this, and I had a few new thoughts - at least new to me.

To "blaspheme" is to speak falsehood.  To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, would be to speak falsehood against God (Who "is spirit" John 4).

Jesus was condemned for blasphemy.

John 10:33 The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." (NAS)

Stephen was stoned for preaching the same "blasphemy" - that Jesus was God's son. 

Every believer who  preached "the Gospel" of Jesus Christ was guilty of "blasphemy" - according to the Jews. 

To preach that Jesus Christ was/is "the Son of God" - that God's Son had "come in the flesh" -  was THE all time worst "blasphemy" (according to the Jews). 

But it was NOT blasphemy.  It was the truth.    To resist THIS TRUTH - is Antichrist, according to John. 

1 John 4:2-3 "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world." (NET)

2 John 1:7 "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." (NAS)

So the two sides are defined: 

1.  Spirit of God - Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who has come in the flesh

2.  Spirit of Antichrist - Jesus is not the Messiah, was not from God Son who came "in the flesh". 

To continually say that Jesus was only a man (not God's Son who came "in human flesh") - is "blasphemy" against the "Spirit from God", and is the message of Antichrist.

So - it boils down to believing that God "gave His only begotten Son" - Jesus born of Mary - in flesh, OR denying Jesus.  The Bible sure has many ways to say the same thing. 

I wonder who told the Jerusalem authorities to charge Jesus with "blasphemy".  He had not claimed openly, to be God's very Son.  Even His disciples weren't sure.  We finally have Peter affirming it, but only late in the game.  But Jesus told Peter that God had revealed this to him.  The disciples knew that Jesus had claimed to be the only "way" to God the Father.  So who passed all this on to the ruling Council?  Judas - of course.  Judas didn't just tell the Council where to find Jesus, to arrest Him quietly.  He also told the Council what crime to charge Jesus with. 

I would of course, point out that many have resisted against the Gospel of Christ, who later repented of their resistance.  Paul being a chief example.  Wonder if that's why Paul called himself "a blasphemer".  Certainly Paul wasn't swearing, or using God's name in a coarse way.   It is only when one has "resisted" to the point of hardness, that one is "lost".