Holy Spirit Blasphemy - A Reflection on Luke 12:8-12



“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”

 

“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” I remember reading this soon after I had returned to Jesus. I became very anxious because I knew that in my days as an unbeliever I had spoken against the Holy Spirit several times. Had I committed an unforgivable sin? I worried. I am sure there are many of you who have had similar anxiety, so it might be a good thing to reflect upon this today. Have we committed a sin that is unforgivable? 

 

But is there such a thing as an unforgivable sin? Scripture clearly states that everyone can be saved. Scripture says that Jesus “is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). Elsewhere, Scripture says that “all the prophets testify about Jesus that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43).  And in yet another place, Scripture says that “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

 

It is in these very verses, however (and similar ones) that we find our answer. God is able to save all who approach him. Everyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins. If we confess our sins we will be cleansed from all unrighteousness. BUT when we don’t do this, we are basically telling God that we don’t need his salvation or his Holy Spirit; effectively blaspheming the Holy Spirit. What forgiveness is there to be obtained when none is sought?

 

The context of this verse makes this even more evident. Prior to talking about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, Jesus said that he would acknowledge everyone who acknowledged him before others, but would deny those who denied him before others. While on one level this suggests we should not to be embarrassed talking about Jesus to others (are you embarrassed talking about Jesus to your friends?), on a more serious level it means that we should not deny acknowledging he is the savior of humankind. 

 

There are those who say that Jesus was merely human. They will grant that he was a wise human, a great human even, like a prophet, but still human. There are others who say he is a myth, a fairy tale. There are still others who say that he is just one God among many Gods. All these theories imply that Jesus was not the Son of God who came to save us from eternal damnation. How can one be saved if one does not acknowledge the Savior? Know what I’m saying?

 

So, as Peter instructed, let us repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. And we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38). If we already have repented and been baptized, let us rest assured that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

 

 Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:  https://youtu.be/mcOTia3lC9M

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let’s Get Healed - A Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1

Image
  Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, an
Read more

Patience - A Reflection on Luke 2:33-35.

Image
  And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”   This is probably the shortest passage that we have reflected upon this year. In it, we find a man named Simeon making a prophecy about three things. One, about Jesus. Two, about the people of Israel. And three, about the pain that Jesus’ mother Mary would go through. We have seen all his prophecies came true. But who is Simeon? And what can we learn from him? Ok. On the 40th day of his birth, Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to the temple to be officially inducted into the Jewish faith. When they were there, a man named Simeon came in to see them.   He is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the H
Read more

Dying and Killing

  The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier,
Read more