Thought of the Day !!

In two of my Bible studies the issue of Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit has come up. At both it was claimed that denial of Christ is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but I simply couldn't accept that easy of an explanation. This would mean that a person who denies Christ at age 20 cannot be saved later in life and should be given up on. Also, we all deny Christ with our lifestyles at times. So I've done some meditating on this subject and would like to share my thoughts. Feel free to do the same with me if you so choose. We'll use this passage from Matthew 12:22-32(NRSV) to discern what it means.

Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.”

The Pharisees were indicating that Jesus was using the power of Satan to cast out demons. Jesus goes on to explain how this is a foolish notion.

He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.

Jesus now shows that it is by the Spirit of God that he casts out demons. He is not working with the devil, but with God. It is His Holy Spirit that is at work.

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

"People will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy". (Obviously this is if they repent and turn to Jesus.) It is one thing only that will not be forgiven. This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. But before we finish that thought, lets go to the next sentence. Jesus also says if we speak against the Son of Man that we will be forgiven. So if we speak out, or in my mind even say something like "I deny you Jesus", this can be forgiven. (Again, if it is repented of.) "But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

Let's remember that the Pharisees here were speaking against the miraculous casting out of demons that Jesus was doing and attributing these things to Satan. Attributing the workings of the Holy Spirit to Satan would surely seem to me to be blasphemy. This leads me to believe that by reading this passage in the context that it was written, that Jesus is saying that if you know the power of God's Spirit and claim that He is in cahoots with Satan, working along side Satan, then you are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. This would be knowing the truth and goodness of God's Spirit and still choosing to attribute it to the devil.

Some have told me that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is rejecting God's work in their lives until the very end when they have no more chances. Though this is true and unforgivable seeing as how when we die we don't get any more chances to choose Christ, blasphemy by definition is speaking ill of something. It is not rejecting something.

So I say it would be a bad idea to do either, speak ill of God's Holy Spirit, attributing His work to the devil, and reject Christ's work in your life until it's too late. For either would lead to an eternity away from Christ and with Satan.

In the love of Christ,

greg