Daily Bread 2010
Matthew 12
30"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
There is always much dialogue about the “unforgiveable sin”. Throughout the bible we see God’s unfailing forgiveness both in the Old Testament with the people of Israel and all the Gentiles who truly sought God, and also in the New Testament for all who came to faith in Jesus. How then do we reconcile a “forgiving God”, with this teaching of Jesus, “One who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Though it is generally believed there is not a sin that a person can commit that isn’t “forgive-able”, the general teaching in church history is that this sin is an “eternal sin” because anyone who rejects the Holy Spirit, rejects the means by which we come to faith. It is only by the Spirit’s power that we can be “born again” or regenerated, it is a work of God not us.
There is much to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the key to our coming to faith, our growing to become like Christ, and finally gives us gifts and anointing to build up the body of Christ. Paul says in Ephesians, “Keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit is a person and like any person needs to be engaged on a continual basis to benefit most for the relationship. As we experience the power of the Holy Spirit to feel God’s presence and act in His power, we see a whole new way to live. It is in this sense that the Holy Spirit makes “the tree good” and thus we are able to bear fruit that last. Without the Holy Spirit you will never bear fruit that is from being connected to Almighty God.
I invite you to invite the Holy Spirit into your life on a daily basis. The Spirit helps us to pray, discern what the bible means, and will even give us the words to say when we have a chance to share the hope that is within us because of Christ. As we pray in the Cursillo movement (a movement designed to help Christians experience renewal in the Holy Spirit), “Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love; Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.”
Prayer: God we need more of Your Spirit to be who you created us to be. May we never blaspheme or do anything to put out the flame of Your Spirit in our hearts and minds. Thanks be to God for His Powerful Spirit, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
30"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
There is always much dialogue about the “unforgiveable sin”. Throughout the bible we see God’s unfailing forgiveness both in the Old Testament with the people of Israel and all the Gentiles who truly sought God, and also in the New Testament for all who came to faith in Jesus. How then do we reconcile a “forgiving God”, with this teaching of Jesus, “One who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Though it is generally believed there is not a sin that a person can commit that isn’t “forgive-able”, the general teaching in church history is that this sin is an “eternal sin” because anyone who rejects the Holy Spirit, rejects the means by which we come to faith. It is only by the Spirit’s power that we can be “born again” or regenerated, it is a work of God not us.
There is much to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the key to our coming to faith, our growing to become like Christ, and finally gives us gifts and anointing to build up the body of Christ. Paul says in Ephesians, “Keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit is a person and like any person needs to be engaged on a continual basis to benefit most for the relationship. As we experience the power of the Holy Spirit to feel God’s presence and act in His power, we see a whole new way to live. It is in this sense that the Holy Spirit makes “the tree good” and thus we are able to bear fruit that last. Without the Holy Spirit you will never bear fruit that is from being connected to Almighty God.
I invite you to invite the Holy Spirit into your life on a daily basis. The Spirit helps us to pray, discern what the bible means, and will even give us the words to say when we have a chance to share the hope that is within us because of Christ. As we pray in the Cursillo movement (a movement designed to help Christians experience renewal in the Holy Spirit), “Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love; Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.”
Prayer: God we need more of Your Spirit to be who you created us to be. May we never blaspheme or do anything to put out the flame of Your Spirit in our hearts and minds. Thanks be to God for His Powerful Spirit, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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