168 GOOD MORNING, HOLY SPIRIT
Holy Spirit is a member of the Trinity and yet is different
from the Father and the Son. And it made it possible for me
to fit together the pieces of the puzzle called "the
unpardonable sin."
Insult and Slander
Exactly what does Scripture say?
Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees, said, "He who is not
with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me
scatters abroad. Therefore I say to you, every sin and
blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against
the Spirit will not be forgiven men" (Matt. 12:30-31). Then,
making it even clearer, He said: "Anyone who speaks a
word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but
whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be
forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come" (v.
32).
What does the word blasphemy encompass? The word
has several meanings, including
To speak evil of
To rail (or scoff)
To revile—or to abuse, reproach or speak profanity ofTo defame—to speak with injury
To slander—or to accuse falselyTo insult
Some may ask, "How do you defame the Holy Ghost?"
Or "How do you insult Him?" It is a willful act. The book
of Hebrews speaks directly to the issue:
If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of thetruth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain (^)
fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which
will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses'law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three (^)
witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God (^)