Blasphemy

Exodus 22:28 “You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.”

The term blasphemy – literally means to be slow (sluggish) to call something good(what God defines as good) – and slow to identify what is truly bad (that which is really evil). Blasphemy blasphēmía) “switches” right for wrong (wrong for right), i.e. calls what God disapproves, “right” which then exchanges the truth of God for a lie.

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Isaiah’s description of a blasphemous person is someone who has their value system flipped upside down. It’s not uncommon to see this attitude among people who don’t believe in God’s Word. The values expressed in the entertainment industry, among politicians, or in colleges and universities are values the world deems as good but God deems as evil.

There are political parties that have built their platform on saying it’s better that a woman has the right to making her own decisions that end the life of the person growing inside of her—they are calling evil good and good evil. The world says it’s better to help a child explore their transgender potential than it is to train them up in righteousness—they call evil good and good evil.

Our local government thought it was a brilliant idea to start introducing small children to sex teaching, including homosexuality. Our libraries invite gender confused men to read stories to kids, unleashing pedophiles and deviancy to the detriment of innocent minds.

All of this twisted thinking blasphemes God’s Holiness and yet God does not stand still, you can be assured His vengeance will be swift.

When someone uses the name of Jesus as a curse word, they blaspheme Jesus’ name. When a person uses the expression “Oh my God”, they blaspheme the name of their creator–the Lord alone is worthy of much greater honor. Unless someone is referring to a lesser god or an idol of some sort, when speaking God’s name in a useless phrase, I propose they carelessly profane the name of God.

Knowing God

Does the world really know anything about God? In some cases a person may know of Him and just carelessly tosses out an expression of shock or excitement. At other times, some people lack any form of knowledge of God and therefore have no idea the magnitude of their words or knowledge of who God is. Of course the world doesn’t know God, some people might have some knowledge but knowing God comes from relationship with God.

The people of Israel had just left Egypt and had traveled to Mt. Sinai. Moses was concerned whether God would continue with them on the journey and so we pick up the conversation in Exodus 33.

Exodus 33:3 “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”

The people had just blasphemed God by making a golden calf and worshipped it. The anger of the Lord burned against those people and the Lord was about to destroy them.

Moses’ response was found in vs. 13 “Now if indeed I have found favor in Your sight, please let me know Your ways, that I may know You and find favor in Your sight. Remember that this nation is Your people.”

Moses knew the people were in trouble and so he asked the Lord to consider his faithfulness in their stead. Moses became a type and shadow of the coming Messiah, the One who would take our place upon the cross.

Vs. 14 “And the LORD answered, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Moses knew that if God didn’t accompany them, their journey would be all for nothing. The people of Israel were called to represent God’s name before the world, how could they fulfill their calling without the One by whom they are called?

Verse 17 “So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

Then Moses asked a question…..

Verse 18 “And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

God’s reply was then one that gave insight into His name….

Verse 19 “Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

The summary: God’s goodness, His name and His glory are all synonymous.

The audacity of declaring any act of God as evil is an act against God’s very name. The act alone violates God’s 3rd commandment—-“You shall not take the Lord your God’s name in vain”. When God moves, He is always ‘good’. When God works through the life of a believer who is submitted to His Spirit, His work is good. When someone declares that work as evil, they blaspheme the name of God.

When someone claims to be a believer, they represent Christ to the world. If someone lives contrary to what Jesus taught, they profane the name of Jesus and blaspheme Him before others.

God’s Glory

A brief examination of how God has displayed His glory will reveal more depth of insight:

*Jesus was and is glorified by the Father in John 8:54

*The glory of God is expressed among His people in Psalm 3:3, 2 Corinthians 3:18

*The signs God gave the Egyptians was a reflection of His glory in Exodus 7, Numbers 14:22.

Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Those who attribute creation to random biological mutations blaspheme the name of God. Evolutionary theory itself, is an affront to God’s goodness and His glory. This theory may seem like harmless conjecture, those who try to fit creation into an evolutionary model, blaspheme His name.

So, why do people dishonor God in such a regular basis? Is it because they don’t realize they are doing it or do they just not care whether they do or not?

Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”

Those who disregard God’s Holiness, know they disregard something or someone that reflects that Holiness. The majesty of God is displayed in the complexity of a child being knitted in the womb, of a homeless person devastated by abuse or shame, in the glory of the heavens and in the world of the atom, His glory reaches every level of creation.

Blasphemy against the God is simply to deny His work. To blaspheme the Father would be to deny His sovereignty. To blaspheme the Son would be to deny the significance of His death and resurrection. When we consider the work of God revealed in the person of the Holy Spirit, blasphemy takes on a different scope of understanding.

Denying Salvation

Matthew 12:31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.”

This scripture has probably caused more consternation among the faithful as any scripture in the Bible. The thought of committing this sin has been a point of confusion for many who fear losing God’s forgiveness. When I was a kid the idea of not being forgiven terrified me. I thought if I messed up and accidentally committed this offense, all hope would be lost. I’ve known many who would reflect on their past and wonder if they ever said the wrong thing against the Spirit and if they did, would they be sealed for destruction?

In reality if your worried about blaspheming the Spirit of God, in all likelihood, you haven’t done it!

The way to look at any warning is to consider the context of what it is saying.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

How does the Father draw people to Himself?—-Through the work of the Holy Spirit!

Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Since the primary way we are called to salvation is through the work of the Spirit, how can you be saved if you deny the Spirit’s call? The Father through the Spirit leads people to repentance. When someone rejects His call, they reject or (blaspheme) the Holy Spirit and subsequently cut off any hope of being forgiven for sin.

There is no other way to be saved than through the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin and waits for you to respond. If you harden your heart to this call, you keep yourself in a position of enmity against God. You cannot do enough good deeds to merit God’s favor. If you’ve broken one part of God’s moral law, you’ve broken the whole law and you stand condemned. The Holy Spirit calls you to receive the Love of God as expressed through Jesus on the cross. God’s love is received only by believing in the Son of God and then turning from your ways and following Him in repentance.

The good news: Jesus’ love is offered to all and for all who receive it, they will be called children of God. No amount of profanity, cursing of God’s work or action that denies His goodness can withhold you from receiving His promise of righteousness imparted.

You really can’t “accidentally” blaspheme the Holy Spirit. There will be a time when God’s call reaches your ears, He opens your understanding enough to see His hope and glory, and then you will have the right to choose yourself. If you openly reject God’s call, it will be impossible to renew you to repentance.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age— and then have fallen away—to be restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame.”

How can God come to you with anything less than who He is? If you reject Him, you reject everything.

The Revelation of God

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is the exact representation of God. When you see Him, you see the Father. The children of Israel struggled with following after God for many reasons, namely their own lust and desire for pleasure got in the way. It was easier for them to make up their own god in the form of a golden calf than it was to accept God’s standard of holiness.

Many people today blaspheme God by changing what they think of Him. They will make claims to what He deems important and then follow their own idea of God in a display of twisted idolatry.

The Lord has clearly defined who He is. Jesus revealed His love and now the Spirit of God calls people to repentance that is found only in Christ alone. How you respond to His call will echo forever. Eternity stands before you, how you respond to Jesus determines where you’ll spend that eternity.

When the call comes….what will you do with it? *That decision is the single greatest decision you will ever make in your life.