In part 1, I hoped to establish that blasphemy is an “unpardonable” sin according to OT Mosaic law. In addition to the information I included there, it is worth considering that in the Ten Commandments, referring to taking the Lord's name in vain, it says "the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."(Exod. 20:7, Deut 5:20). This is a type of blaspheme which is extremely common and might seem harmless from a human relationship/justice perspective (no one gets hurt), but it is very serious to God and He promises to personally hold guilty the one who commits it. All sin is against God, but sin that is directed toward/against God (blasphemy), is treated with a special seriousness.
Before we can go further, we must clear up any misconceptions about who is or can be forgiven for any sin, let alone the unpardonable sin. Salvation is found in Christ alone (John 14:6), by His grace alone (Eph. 2:1-10) and received through faith alone (Rom. 3:21-26). Further, it is the Holy Spirit who is given credit for our initial salvation and assurance/completion of salvation (John 3:3-5, John 6:37-40, John 10:26-29, Rom. 8:8-11, 1 Cor. 12:3, Titus 3:3-7, I John 4:13-15). While I will hold that all sin, including that of OT saints, must be atoned for by Christ at the cross, for this argument I desire only to prove and move forward on the assumption that for NT post-resurrection people, salvation requires faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, is possible only through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, and is secured forever because it is the work of the Holy Spirit.
So far we see –
A. Blasphemy is an “unpardonable” sin according to OT Mosaic law.
B. No sin, of any kind, is forgivable except by grace through faith in Jesus Christ!
C. The Holy Spirit is the initiator and guarantor of our salvation.
In part 3, I will consider who is the intended audience of the teaching about the "unpardonable" sin.
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