What does it mean to "blaspheme against the Holy Spirit"

Jesus said that there is a sin which can never be forgiven...

"But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:"  Mark 3:29                                                  

What does it mean to "blaspheme against the Holy Spirit"?  

In the book of Numbers, there are two kinds of sin.  Sins of ignorance which can be forgiven, and presumptuous sin which cannot be forgiven.  

Sins of ignorance can be forgiven because they do not involve rebellion.  Presumptuous sin is always rebellion because it is sin committed with knowledge that the act is wrong. 

SINS OF IGNORANCE (These were forgiven)

Numbers 15:27  And if any soul sin through IGNORANCE, ....And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that SINNETH IGNORANTLY, .... and it shall be forgiven him.

SINS OF PRESUMPTION (Not forgiven)

Numbers 15:30  BUT the soul that doeth aught PRESUMPTUOUSLY, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth [blasphemeth] the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15:31 Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him."

What if deliberately committing sin IS to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?

In the Numbers text above where it says that presumptuous sin is to

reproach the Lord, the Hebrew word for reproacheth is:  1442  gadaph, a primitive root; to hack (with words), i.e. revile:  KJV-- BLASPHEME, reproach.

EVERY OTHER TIME  this word is used, the KJV translates it as BLASPHEMED or BLASPHEMETH.

For example:  Ezek 20:27

" Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them,   Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have BLASPHEMED  (1442) in that they have committed a trespass against me.

As you can see, they "committed a trespass" and "blasphemed the Lord.  To sin presumptuously is to blaspheme the Lord.

Now please bear with me as I expand that idea further.  When one commits "wilfull sin" does one blaspheme the Holy Spirit"?   I know you are very familiar with the following passage from the KJV...

Heb 10:26-29

26  For if we *sin wilfully* after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

28  He that DESPISED Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:

29  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath  trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith  he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and HATH DONE DESPITE unto the Spirit of grace?

In the Numbers passage above it is clear that to sin presumptuously (wilfully) is to blaspheme the Lord.  In the Hebrews passage the wilful

sin is committed against the direct teaching of the indwelling Holy Spirit

(Spirit of Grace) by those who are "sanctified".  Is this willful sin blasphemy?

Notice that the phrase "hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace" is directly compared to "despising Moses' Law  (verse :28 above)  In the OT those who sinned presumptuously despised Moses' Law and blasphemed the Lord.

In the NT, those who are born of God and sin presumptuously despise the indwelling Spirit of Grace.  The term "hath done despite" is from the Greek:

2662  katapateo-

1) to tread down, to trample underfoot, to trample on

2) metaphorically, to treat with rudeness and insult, to spurn, to treat with insulting neglect

If one who is born of God has truly repented of committing sin (chosen to cease from sin) and then deliberately commits sin he has despised the Holy Spirit, just as the OT the Israelites despised the Law of God. It is blasphemy!

The Peshitta Text (Aramaic) of the New Testament confirms this fact by translating Hebrews 10:29 in this way:

"How much more punishment do you think he will receive who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and has considered the blood of His covenant through which he had been sanctified as ordinary blood and has BLASPHEMED the Spirit of Grace." Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts - Lamsa

KJ Version        "...done despite unto the Spirit of Grace"

Aramaic Text     "...blasphemed the Spirit of Grace

Only the one "born of God" - who has received the indwelling Spirit of

God upon repentance - is able to blaspheme the Spirit who "writes the

law on their hearts."  If he does, there remains for such a one only "a

certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall

devour the adversaries."

I pray that the reader who disagrees will lay this before the Lord with

an open mind. 

Harold Kupp

Ezekiel 20:27-28

Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them,

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that  they have committed a trespass against me.