Church of God, New World Ministries

Could You Be Guilty Of Blasphemy?

Blasphemy is a most dangerous sin. Yet many who would not think of blaspheming may be at this precise moment committing this great sin!

When you hear the word “blasphemy” what comes to mind, and what does the word blasphemy mean?

Blasphemy is not just swearing or taking God’s name in vain. There are many forms of blasphemy, and some of these ways of blasphemy bring dire consequences. Don’t be ignorant. Study this article and be sure you stop every form of blasphemy now!

Random House Webster’s Dictionary says: “Impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things. Impious means to be disrespectful.

Smith’s Bible Dictionary states: “Speaking evil of God”.

The Jews considered blasphemy to be punished by stoning to death. So we see that blasphemy is a most dangerous sin.

Notice this Bible proof that blasphemy and swearing or cursing is not the same thing. In Lev. 24:10-16 “Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: And this Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp. And the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed.”

Now notice that he did two things: “he blasphemed the name of God and cursed.” For this terrible sin he was put to death.

“And the Lord spoke to Moses saying (v. 13); whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whosever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death” (vs. 15-16).

So, in this law it is made clear that cursing and blaspheming are two separate offenses. Notice too, that blasphemy is an offense punishable by death.

Now the Bible’s definition covers much more territory than man’s definition of blasphemy. So the real truth as to the spirit of the law may surprise you.

The Hebrew word translated blasphemy in Lev. 24 means to violently poke holes through, or jab at or perforate.

So what does this have to do with us today? The God given prophecy written by Paul of these days we live in reveals the fact that blasphemy would abound. “This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, ‘BLASPHEMERS,’ disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (II Tim. 3:1-2).

So today, we live in a world that is full of blasphemers, our own nation which writes on our money “In God We Trust” is filled with blasphemers. Notice the prophesied condition that would exist now. “Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? They that rule over them make them to howl, said the Lord; and my name continually everyday is blasphemed” (Isa. 52:5).

How many millions of times each day do you think God’s name is taken in vain, used in gutter filth, cursed as a means of venting anger?

God says through Ezekiel, “And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel saying, they are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them” (Ezk 35:12-13).

This prophecy was against Mount Seir, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever. So He hears the great blasphemies spoken against Him in this nation.

Of this land today God says, “For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourns” (Jer. 23:10). Even the very land mourns underneath the mountain of sin caused by swearing. In the next verse God tell us that even the prophet and priest are profane in this land. Yes, even many of them swear. Swearing even occurs over televisions, in churches, in the so-called high society of “nice people.” And even some in God’s Church today are swearing and do not realize it. And remember that swearing is a form of blasphemy.

Even in the early days of television, swearing was there, words like, “Gee, Gosh, Golly, Darn, and various combinations of these words are actually swearing words; derivatives of the names of God. What these words do, they form a more polite way of swearing. And members of God’s Church use these words in their conversation; we need to stop this form of blasphemy.

Why is it so easy to swear or blaspheme? Because the carnal mind is hostile against God, the natural mind does not want to praise God, or bless His Holy Name. God has put in human nature the downward pulls of sin, and one of those pulls is blasphemy.

Notice what Jesus said in Mark 7:21-22 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness wickedness, deceit, lewdness, and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” It is part of human nature, then, to blaspheme, but Paul tells us we must overcome our human nature. “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8).

When Hezekiah was king of Judah, Sennacherib planned to invade and conquer the nation of Judah. He boasted against Judah; and here is what he said: “Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord saying. The Lord will surely deliver us: this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

“Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern.” (vs. 18, 20) “Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, the Lord will deliver us. Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

Here the king of Assyria challenged God. He tried to bring God down to the level of an idol, that of physical things. This king spoke intentionally defying God and His power to deliver Judah and Jerusalem. God called it blasphemy.

“And Isaiah said to them. Thus you shall say to your master, thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me”. (v. 10) He blasphemed again in verse 23. God said that this king blasphemed against Him.

Do men or nations get away with blasphemy against the Most High God? God said He would defend Jerusalem and He accepted the challenged given by the king of Assyria. Who won? “The angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrian one hundred and eighty-five thousand: and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses, all dead.”

Notice that this was blasphemy, but the king of Assyria never did curse God’s name, he showed irreverence and indignity to God, and he challenged God and His power.

What are some of the other misdeeds that God labels blasphemy in His Word?

“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, thus says the Lord God: In this too your fathers have blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me” (Ezek. 20:27). They blasphemed God by trespassing or sinning against God, and this particular sin that they did was to pervert the way of worshipping God.

They sacrificed to idols and established their own religion after God gave them the blessings of the land. This is happening today in the United States of America. The people of this land has polluted the true religion of God.

We in God’s true Church must be careful that we don’t add or detract from God’s Word. We must be careful that we don’t participate in idolatrous worship. This is what the House of Israel did and God calls it blasphemy.

To participate in pagan holidays (that is what today’s churches are doing) is idolatrous worship condemned in Ezk. 20:27-28. This worship is a form of blasphemy.

Another form of blasphemy brought out is in Rev. 2:9: “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou are rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”

God considers it blasphemy for people to say they are Jews, spiritual Jews. What is a spiritual Jew? According to Romans 2:29 it is one who has been circumcised in the heart, that is, therefore, a Christian. There were people then saying they were Christians, true spiritual Jews, but who were not. God calls this blasphemy. Therefore to profess to do what is right and not to do it is blasphemy according to this principle. How many are doing this very thing?

A spiritual Jew is someone who has received the Holy Spirit and is a Christian. So there must have been people back them, (as well as today) that were saying they were Jews.

How many are doing this very thing? How many in God’s Church today, profess to be a Christian, profess to keep His laws and the Sabbath, but in fact are not doing it at all?

There are those in God’s true Church, claiming to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, but yet constantly putting up with sins that they know they have, never bothering to overcome these sins and weakness? Are you one of those just content with the same faults day after day, yet all the time claiming to be a spiritual Jew? This is blasphemy!

Another way to blaspheme God is shown in Acts 13:44-45 “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.” These people were coming to hear God’s Word and Jesus said that the word of God was truth. John 17:17. Now, notice verse 45, “But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.” What two things did they do? (1) They contradicted. (2) They blasphemed.

Brethren, do we see what Paul is telling us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? When a person speaks against the things spoken by one of God’s ministers, that person is blaspheming the very God they profess to worship. How many in God’s Church does this, and speaks against God’s truth?

Now notice it didn’t say that it is blasphemy if you don’t agree or can’t understand. But it is blasphemy to speak against the True Word of God spoken by His ministers.

Understand this, when we blaspheme we border on the most dangerous sin of all, we are getting close to the cliff that will topple us into the “lake of fire.”

You may be one who is not blaspheming directly yourself. But you may be the cause of blasphemy to God and His Word. If you are, then you are at least 50% guilty of the sin of blasphemy. If by your actions you cause others to blasphemy the name of God perhaps you are guiltier than they of this sin. “You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles, because of you.”

The Jews were responsible for causing God’s name to be blasphemed. Through their bad examples and sin-filled lives, they caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the very name of God Almighty.

So how is your example in front of unconverted neighbors and your relatives? What kind of example are you setting? Did you give occasion for them to speak against the Church of God, the very Body of Jesus Christ? If you have done this, you have participated in the sin of blasphemy!

Notice this example in the Old Testament. Look what it cost king David, a man after God’s own heart, for doing what some of us have done. After being told of his terrible sin of adultery and murder, David said: “I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die” However, because by this deed (his sins) thou have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die” (II Sam. 12: 13-14).

It cost his son because he participated in this sin of blasphemy by giving the enemies of God the opportunity to speak against the religion and way of God. We need to set the right and holy example before the world by keeping God’s Commandments. We need to be polite, thoughtful, kind and neat and clean in all our ways.

But being human we always insist on paying a dear price to learn the consequences of sin. Stop and think for a moment, God hears every word uttered. He hears the blasphemy of atheists, and skeptics. But by our misdeed and foolish actions, we may cause more to blasphemy, blasphemy that would otherwise never have been spoken. What a Sin!

Are we in God’s Church more guilty in one sense than those who do the actual blaspheming? We who profess to do God’s will and then cause others to blaspheme God because of our foolish and wrong actions? Blasphemy is dangerous. And, it ought to be considered so because one form of blasphemy is what the Pharisees did in Matt. 12:22-32. In these verses these men seared their consciences and hardened their hearts to the point they could never repent. Therefore they could never be forgiven.

The point is this, if we get into a habit of blaspheming God, His Word, His doctrine by our words and misdeeds, we are only a step away from blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. We are walking close to the cliff so to speak, it is a dangerous walk, and one slip could mean our eternal end.

Let us put away all forms of blasphemy, even eradicate words from our speech, such as gee, gosh, which are polite forms of swearing. All these things are included in the sin of blasphemy. If we hardened our hearts to the extent that the Pharisees did we shall have committed the sin of which Jesus Christ said: “It shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matt. 12:32).

 
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