How Believers Can Blaspheme God

Last updated on: August 27, 2018 at 4:30 am by Jack Wellman

How Believers Can Blaspheme God 2018-08-21T13:07:44-05:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is it possible that believers can blaspheme God? The answer might surprise you.

Old Testament

The Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicolas Poussin.

There were serious penalties for blaspheming the name of God in ancient Israel. The law of God said that “Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death” (Lev 24:11), but there are other ways to blaspheme God and His holy Name, and that’s by bringing shame to the name of Christ by not living by the words of Christ. Ancient Israel was originally called to be kings and priests, and to be a light to the pagan nations of the world. When the nations around Israel saw how Israel was blessed and living in safety and security, the nations would see Who is the One, true God, but Israel’s obedience usually didn’t last for long. Their prosperity brought their decline. They trusted in their abundance and not in the Lord, so they fell into idolatry, at one point, even falling so far as to offer child sacrifices in the fire, so God instructed Ezekiel to tell Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by dealing treacherously with me” (Ezk 20:27b). They blasphemed God’s good name by their treachery of God. They substituted things made with hands, like stone, wood, or other carved images for the true God, the very Creator of these things. That means they began to worship the creation instead of the Creator. The Apostle Paul said of those in his day that “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (Rom 1:25). That’s blaspheming the One, true God.

Conduct and Blaspheme

Years ago a couple who had been living together and in sexual immorality. They felt guilty about it and sought counsel of whether this was sin or not. Then, they openly rejected the counsel they had been given. The marriage counselor was a Christian and said that the Bible says that there should be no sex outside of or before marriage. Sex was designed for the marital relationship and not between friends or acquaintances, or even those you’re engaged too. Apparently, they only wanted him to condone their choice, but he wouldn’t budge from the Word of God. It wasn’t long before their non-Christian neighbors began to slander the church or the name of Christ because they could see that this couple lived no differently than others they knew who were not Christian. They reasoned, if that’s Christianity, they want no part of it. When David committed adultery and murder through conspiracy, Nathan confronted him about these sins, so “David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die” (2 Sam 12:13-14; NASB). David had brought shame to the throne, to the nation, and to the God he served. His conduct gave “occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” God’s name.

Works and Blaspheme

The Apostle Paul knew well enough about blaspheming God’s name by a person’s conduct, and so he wrote that “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Rom 2:24). Ouch! That hurts. They were not only requiring circumcision and observance of the law, but they were even “breaking the law” (Rom 2:23). There were actually written reports about the Jews doing this and these reports were contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had a plan of salvation rather than looking to the Man of Salvation. These Jews were blaspheming God and His free gift of grace (Eph 2:8-9) by trying to add works to it. They attempted to save themselves by works, or law-keeping (Rom 2:17-24), and required others to do it too. By the way, it’s impossible to keep the law perfectly, but I think that’s the point. It shows we cannot save ourselves by works and so we must run to God for His mercy and grace. And that’s just what He wants! On the Day of Judgment, many will discover just how worthless their works are (Matt 7:21-23).

Unforgivable Sin

There are other articles that address the so-called “unforgivable sin,” and deal better with this issue than I can right here and now, but most have read Mark 3:22-30 where Jesus, in speaking to the scribes, said that “all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:28-29). Why did Jesus tell this to the scribes? Because “they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:30). The scribes must have known better since they did much of the work in copying the Old Testament. Scribes were in one of the most important and sacred of duties that could be given, and that’s being given the responsibility of recording the very words of God. This means they knew the Scriptures better than most, and Jesus clearly fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophecies about Him. The scribes had seen Jesus’ miracles, and yet they accused Him of using satanic powers. They were blaspheming the Holy Spirit by accusing Jesus’ working miracles by Satan when it was actually the Holy Spirit’s work.

Conclusion

The Bible is full of historical figures who blasphemed God by their behavior and their lives ended badly. The Apostle Paul wrote of those who rejected the grace of God, and “By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1 Tim 1:19-20). James saw blaspheming God’s name and being partial to the rich and discriminating against the poor. He wrote, “But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well” (James 2:6-8). Anything that looks like sin to the world may not actually be sin, but if we abstain from every appearance of evil (1 Thess 5:22), the world will have less reason to disdain the name of Christ by whom we identify. We will therefore not blaspheme God by our lives but rather bless God by our lives. And in turn, perhaps, bless others and draw them to Christ.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is a writer at Christian Quotes and also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

August 24, 2018

5 Things About The Grace of God

Next Post

August 29, 2018 With Gentleness And Respect

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Blessed are the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the meek. Where was this sermon delivered?

Select your answer to see how you score.

In a synagogue On a mountain In the temple By the sea