Hi there,
So there has been some question about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, from time to time - as people grapple with whether they are beyond forgiveness or not. Some people say "I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit!" but they don't know how or to what extent. Other people give answers like "if you have to question whether you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit: you haven't done it" - which is encouraging. What I want to do here is set out, precisely what it would be to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, from a meaningful perspective.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - to put it simply - is different for everyone, but the Sinful Arrester. Just like Jesus was able to draw all people to Himself, but the son of perdition, the Sinful Arrester is not tempted to blaspheme differently to everyone else. This is both a blessing and a curse: Men will doubt they are able to resist sin, but will find resisting the temptation to blaspheme the Holy Spirit easy; on the other hand, Men will be tempted to disregard the Holy Spirit, because He brings conviction including resistance to sin. The point is that either way, for all but the excluded, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is different from person to person (that's why you have people saying "I think I've done it" when they have no way of showing how they sin is different from the rest).
Why is the Sinful Arrester omitted from blaspheming differently? That the weight of the scripture be felt. Just as Jesus could not draw the son of perdition, that scripture be fulfilled, so the Sinful Arrester cannot vary the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, that the weight of scripture be felt. If the scripture can be felt, it can be revealed in power; if it can be revealed in power, it can change lives; if it can change lives, it can justify greater conviction. This is the power of the scripture! What we should want, is for this to have meaning; if this has meaning, we will not be tempted to ignore repentance and if we don't ignore repentance, we will have bold witness.
I hope this has been of some encouragement to you.
God bless.
So there has been some question about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, from time to time - as people grapple with whether they are beyond forgiveness or not. Some people say "I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit!" but they don't know how or to what extent. Other people give answers like "if you have to question whether you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit: you haven't done it" - which is encouraging. What I want to do here is set out, precisely what it would be to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, from a meaningful perspective.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - to put it simply - is different for everyone, but the Sinful Arrester. Just like Jesus was able to draw all people to Himself, but the son of perdition, the Sinful Arrester is not tempted to blaspheme differently to everyone else. This is both a blessing and a curse: Men will doubt they are able to resist sin, but will find resisting the temptation to blaspheme the Holy Spirit easy; on the other hand, Men will be tempted to disregard the Holy Spirit, because He brings conviction including resistance to sin. The point is that either way, for all but the excluded, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is different from person to person (that's why you have people saying "I think I've done it" when they have no way of showing how they sin is different from the rest).
Why is the Sinful Arrester omitted from blaspheming differently? That the weight of the scripture be felt. Just as Jesus could not draw the son of perdition, that scripture be fulfilled, so the Sinful Arrester cannot vary the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, that the weight of scripture be felt. If the scripture can be felt, it can be revealed in power; if it can be revealed in power, it can change lives; if it can change lives, it can justify greater conviction. This is the power of the scripture! What we should want, is for this to have meaning; if this has meaning, we will not be tempted to ignore repentance and if we don't ignore repentance, we will have bold witness.
I hope this has been of some encouragement to you.
God bless.