Before he was executed by stoning, Stephen, the Deacon, was accused of blaspheming God and Moses. Blaspheming means to speak with the intention of causing injury. This kind, compassionate, educated and articulate young man was accused of saying words so unholy that it merited the death penalty. This man, with the face of an angel and the fire of God in his hands was supposed to have said words so injurious that all of his other good works were rendered null and void. The last person one would think would be arrested, tried and executed by a murderous mob is a young man who helped run a “soup kitchen” for needy widows. And yet, that is exactly what happened.
Jesus accused the religious leaders in His day of “straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel.” It seems in Stephen’s case, the members of the Sanhedrin and his other accusers strained out a “gnat” that didn’t even exist. And, similar to Jesus, the false accusers of Stephen didn’t seem to even agree on all the things he supposedly had done wrong.
It’s amazing to me how “devout” people of many different religions feel the need to “protect” their god(s), believing it is their sacred duty to physically punish anyone they think offended their deity. It’s astonishing how many people down through history have been tortured and killed because they said the wrong words about “a god.”
Of course I am not in any way diminishing the serious sin of blasphemy. But perhaps God’s idea of blasphemy and ours are different. When Jesus said the unforgivable sin is the “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit”, He seemed to be alluding to more than just speaking “bad words.” I think the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the “sin unto death” that John cryptically speaks of in his first epistle, fifth chapter. Furthermore, it seems similar to what the writer of Hebrews describes in the 6th chapter:
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age— 6 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.
This unforgivable sin seems to be unforgivable because it is only committed by people who have no intention of ever repenting and asking for forgiveness.
This sin of “blasphemy” can only be committed by Christians who:
Are enlightened
These are people who were transported out of the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light. They are those that experienced the light of the Gospel and responded to it positively.
Have tasted the Heavenly Gift
Jesus is the Bread of Life and the true manna sent down from Heaven. These are people who have “tasted and seen that the Lord is good.” As hard as it is to believe, they received Jesus as Savior.
Shared in the Holy Spirit
These people have experienced the move, gifts, fruit and power of the Holy Spirit.
Tasted the goodness of the Word of God
There is the “milk of the Word” and there is “solid food” or “strong meat”. These are people who have studied, savored and internalized the meat of the Word and moved beyond the “baby” stage of Christianity.
Tasted the powers of the coming age
These are people who have experienced miracles and the Kingdom of God in their midst. In the “coming age”, whether this is referring to the millennium where the power of Satan is severely attenuated, or the age of eternity where we will experience complete transformation and eternal bliss, experiencing anything like that would be truly life changing!
It appears that only a mature Christian can commit this unforgivable sin. The person that commits this sin knows they are committing this sin. And the fact that they know full well what they are doing and still do it means they have resisted (and I would say truly blasphemed) the Holy Spirit who is the One that leads us into all the experiences listed above.
Jesus explained the principle that “to whom much is given, much is required” in the following passage in Luke’s Gospel:
42 And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
45 But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the men servants and maid servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47 That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with a few blows.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.
So, true blasphemy is a “sin unto death.” But we can confidently state that Stephen did not commit this sin.
PRN: Lord, our Lord how majestic is Your Name. Your Name is worthy to be exalted, respected, revered and praised at all times. Please help us never use Your name as a curse word, or in an inappropriate way. And Lord may we finish our race well and never fall into the unforgivable sin we learned about today. Instead, keep us walking in step with Your Holy Spirit from now and for all eternity. In the name of Jesus, amen.
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