Word@Work Luke202 - Luke 12:10
Published: Thu, 09/30/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
UNFORGIVABLE BLASPHEMY
Luke 12:10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. (NIV)
This is not an easy verse. Although there is a similar statement in Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:29, the context of those verses is of people who attributed the work of God to the power of Satan. In Luke's account, the context is of those who stand up for Jesus or who disown Him. Yet, Luke records Jesus as saying that forgiveness is possible even for those who once condemned Him - indeed He prayed for His executioners to be forgiven when He was on the cross.
And many who were converted after Pentecost, including the Apostle Paul, were people who changed their minds about Jesus. So what is this unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Clearly it did not apply to those who heard Peter's Pentecost sermon because they were 'cut to the heart' (Acts 2:37), repented, believed, were baptised and received the Holy Spirit. But for any who refused to repent, having heard the gospel and experienced the weight of the Holy Spirit's conviction, there was no other way to be saved and forgiven.
The apostles-in-training were being taught the frightening lesson that the Holy Spirit demands a positive response from all who hear the gospel. To reject the message of salvation through Christ alone, was to reject the Holy Spirit who propelled it into people's hearts. Resisting His voice would leave no remedy for the rebellious soul. The apostles, whose task was to take the gospel of Jesus to the world, needed to know that their message was not just interesting or useful information for the religiously curious. It would demand a heaven or hell response. And so, apostolic preaching was marked by both passion and persuasion. The same challenge should stir the heart of every follower of Jesus, and especially those who are released from other responsibilities to be the mouthpieces of the Holy Spirit. We owe it to Him to pray for these people and realise our own responsibility too. Wherever you travel, the Holy Spirit goes with you; whenever you speak in the Name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is speaking too.
Prayer: Almighty God. It is amazing to me that You should have entrusted the growth of Your kingdom to human beings, who proclaim Your word in the power of the Spirit. Please forgive me when I have failed to communicate Your life-changing gospel or have forgotten its potency. Forgive me for being slack in praying for gospel-bearers, and for underestimating the radically different eternal destinations of those who respond to the Holy Spirit and those who reject His voice. Please give me a refreshed compassion for those who have not heard Your command to repent; a new prayerfulness that each believer I know may be a faithful witness to the gospel; and a revived passion to work with the Holy Spirit so that His voice is clearly heard. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
This is not an easy verse. Although there is a similar statement in Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:29, the context of those verses is of people who attributed the work of God to the power of Satan. In Luke's account, the context is of those who stand up for Jesus or who disown Him. Yet, Luke records Jesus as saying that forgiveness is possible even for those who once condemned Him - indeed He prayed for His executioners to be forgiven when He was on the cross.
And many who were converted after Pentecost, including the Apostle Paul, were people who changed their minds about Jesus. So what is this unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Clearly it did not apply to those who heard Peter's Pentecost sermon because they were 'cut to the heart' (Acts 2:37), repented, believed, were baptised and received the Holy Spirit. But for any who refused to repent, having heard the gospel and experienced the weight of the Holy Spirit's conviction, there was no other way to be saved and forgiven.
The apostles-in-training were being taught the frightening lesson that the Holy Spirit demands a positive response from all who hear the gospel. To reject the message of salvation through Christ alone, was to reject the Holy Spirit who propelled it into people's hearts. Resisting His voice would leave no remedy for the rebellious soul. The apostles, whose task was to take the gospel of Jesus to the world, needed to know that their message was not just interesting or useful information for the religiously curious. It would demand a heaven or hell response. And so, apostolic preaching was marked by both passion and persuasion. The same challenge should stir the heart of every follower of Jesus, and especially those who are released from other responsibilities to be the mouthpieces of the Holy Spirit. We owe it to Him to pray for these people and realise our own responsibility too. Wherever you travel, the Holy Spirit goes with you; whenever you speak in the Name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is speaking too.
Prayer: Almighty God. It is amazing to me that You should have entrusted the growth of Your kingdom to human beings, who proclaim Your word in the power of the Spirit. Please forgive me when I have failed to communicate Your life-changing gospel or have forgotten its potency. Forgive me for being slack in praying for gospel-bearers, and for underestimating the radically different eternal destinations of those who respond to the Holy Spirit and those who reject His voice. Please give me a refreshed compassion for those who have not heard Your command to repent; a new prayerfulness that each believer I know may be a faithful witness to the gospel; and a revived passion to work with the Holy Spirit so that His voice is clearly heard. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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