In a recent conversation with a friend, I learned that Satanists practice a ritual in which they publicly blaspheme God as a part of their worship ceremonies. They do this on social media as well, not only to mock the Lord and Christianity, but also because they want to become “unsavable.” They have been told that if they blaspheme the Lord, they can never be saved from the lake of fire in the future. Many do this out of rebellion during their teenage years.
Even within the church there are some who follow this line of thinking. They have been convinced that blaspheming the Lord in their past was such an egregious sin that they cannot be saved, even though they now believe in Jesus. The result is that they live in fear, unassured of their salvation because they once blasphemed the Lord out of youthful arrogance or stupidity. Thankfully, the Bible tells a different story. In short, eternal life is still offered to everyone, even the blasphemer.
According to Webster’s dictionary, to blaspheme means “to speak in a way that shows irreverence for God or something sacred.”
The primary meaning is to speak evil of, mock, or slander the Lord. The Satanist is an obvious example of one who mocks the Lord and Christianity. However, it should be noted that anyone—from the mocking atheist to the Calvinist who ridicules “cheap grace”—can technically be a blasphemer. Blasphemers come in all shapes and sizes. We see this during the Lord’s crucifixion. The soldiers who beat the Lord were certainly blasphemers (Luke 22:63-65). While Jesus was on the cross, Mark records that those who passed by blasphemed Him (Mark 15:29), wagging their heads, and mocking the Lord by challenging Him to get Himself off the cross. The chief priests likewise mocked the Lord, saying that since He saved so many others, He should be able to save Himself (Mark 15:31-32a). The last group of blasphemers were the two thieves beside the Lord, who also “reviled Him.” (Mark 15:32b).
In this last example, we find a beautiful picture of the grace of our Lord toward the blasphemer. According to the Gospel of Luke, while the first thief continues to mock the Lord (Luke 23:39), the second thief changes his view as the day progresses. He eventually defends the Lord and rebukes the other thief (vv 40-41). Finally, in v 42, the thief turns to the Lord and asks that He remember him when He comes into His kingdom. The Lord, full of grace and truth, responds to his request and tells this former blasphemer that he will soon be with Him in paradise.
Another example of a former blasphemer is the Apostle Paul. In 1 Tim 1:12-13, the apostle describes himself prior to being saved saying:
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (emphasis added).
When dealing with this issue, many within Christendom would say that if someone comes to faith later in life, this means they didn’t “really” blaspheme the Lord. However, the Apostle Paul’s statement shows otherwise. He admits to his previous sins, including blasphemy. It should also be noted that Paul admits to making others blaspheme the Lord during his days of persecuting the early church (Acts 26:9-11). Therefore, was Paul not only a blasphemer, but also a maker of blasphemers. Yet, despite the list of depravities that Paul committed before coming to faith, including blaspheming, he goes on to present himself as a pattern to those who are going to believe in Jesus for everlasting life (v 16). Thus, the offer of eternal life was not nullified by his sin of blaspheming.
Whether a person was once a Satanist, a legalistic Pharisee, or a murderous thief, the grace of our Lord extends to us all. Even if you once blasphemed the Lord, you can still, by His mercy, come to faith and receive the gift of eternal life.
