8217	Forums / Theology Forum / Blasphemy Of The Holy Spirit?	on: November 18, 2006, 04:25:18 PM
Quote Shalom, all. Look, I'm not just talking through my hat here. "Blasphemy" is an English TRANSLITERATION of the Greek word "blasphemos," and "to blaspheme" is an English TRANSLITERATION of the Greek word "blasphemia." Hey, after the way that the discussion has been going here, the way that sites cited from Our Daily Bread, GotQuestions.org, and John MacArthur Jr. have rendered the word, and the way that Strong's Concordance defines the words, it's NO WONDER that there's confusion! Strong's Concordance defines "blasphemia" as "vilification" and "blasphemos" as "scurrilous, calumnious, or impious." Who talks like that anymore?! Webster's New World Dictionary defines "vilify" as "to use abusive language about or of; defame" and "scurrilous" as "vulgarly abusive," "calumniate" as "to slander," and "impious" as "not pious; specifically, lacking reverence for God." From its Greek parts, "blepto" and "pheme," it means "to hurt (one's) fame." "Vulgarly," by the way, does NOT mean "to use vulgar language"; it means "to treat in a common way." Today, we would simply say "to put someone down" or "to dis someone." The word means "TO BELITTLE someone!" Retrobyter It cannot possibly mean that speaking a word against the Holy Spirit is the blasphemy. The whole focus of sin is not on the words but on what comes from the heart of man. There is no intermediate power in the finite realm that can change the heart of man than Christ who is the only mediator between God and man. He alone decrees salvation.  The mouth of man cannot effect any regeneration's change . Forgiveness is not earned by the process of renewal as if man can act in an intermediate role. Only Christ can forgive and it is free and there is no earning that kind of gracious peace. Make renewal the means of forgiveness and then you will only feed the pride of man. Make renewal a prerequisite of forgiveness and you will end in glorifying man. Christ alone gets all the glory. So is the Spirit who moves where He pleases as the wind blows. He causes life. He is only in the I-Thou dimension and any other intermediate processes degenerates into the I-It dimension. Thus we loose super-naturalism. When healing has renewal as its object then grace becomes no more grace. Mans tongue is corrupted from the corruption of his entire being. The words of mans mouth are corrupted. The heart of man is in the process of death and his words are corrupted with the death in them, all his words! THe only renewal power is what Christ has done and the promises the Spirit reveals to us in our resting in Christ. To blaspheme the Holy SPirit is only in unbelief since faith  is given by grace man is responsible because of his identification with Adam. If blaspheming the Holy Spirit were any other way then we would all think that we deserved salvation more than the next guy. What kind of pride would that be?