Verses 31-32 have caused some people some worries,
asking if they have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit. However, we need to
know that we cannot take these verses in isolation. These verses must be
understood in conjunction with the verses preceding them.
The Pharisees had just accused Jesus of being in
league with Beelzebul. And He had just dismantled the insinuation that His
ministry was effected by the power of darkness. He had, in fact, established
that His ministry was an indication that the Kingdom of God had arrived at the
scene. Jesus’ deliverance and healing in His ministry were all accomplished in
collaboration with the Holy Spirit. And here the Pharisees had attributed it to
the work of darkness. Hence in these verses, Jesus warned them against
blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.
What is blaspheming against the Holy Spirit? It simply
means to attribute what the Spirit has accomplished to the devil. It makes such
as act hard to forgive. The issue is not so much as one won’t be forgiven but
rather that one can’t be forgiven. Why so? It’s because a person who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit has literally cut off the avenue through which forgiveness
would flow to him. Once one has believed that the only stream that can refresh
him is poisoned, he will never come to it to drink from that stream. He has
literally put himself out of reach of the refreshing stream. A person who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit would be such a person. He would be so hardened that he
would no longer be receptive to what the Holy Spirit wants to bring to
him.
In a way, it is a positive sign if anyone worries
about committing this sin. It is an indication that he or she has not committed
it. However, this warning against what kind of conclusion we have reached,
concerning Jesus’ ministry, is critical. It is possible to come to His ministry
and refuse to acknowledge it as coming from God. It would then cut a person off
from the blessings Jesus wants to bring, of which forgiveness is one of them.
Let us learn to be careful when we evaluate any ministry!
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