BIBLICAL BRIEFS 18
The concept ‘sin against the Holy Spirit’ does not appear in the Bible. There is certainly a reference to “blasphemy against the Spirit”, that shall not be forgiven (Matt. 12: 31-32). From the context of this passage, appearing in three gospels and elsewhere, three possibilities regarding this concept could be deduced: (1) an obstinate rejection of the Spirit of God through persistent disobedience and to harden your heart when you hear His voice (Eph. 4: 18, Heb. 3:15 and 4: 7); (2) by labelling the works of the Holy Spirit as demonic and by uttering slanderous words about it; (3) to, after being baptized with the Holy Spirit and having received enlightened eyes of the mind, and having tasted your rhema word as well as your identity in Christ, subsequently reject it and wilfully choose to lead your own life (Heb. 6: 4-6). Everybody does stumble sometimes, is sometimes disobedient, or even backslides – nevertheless we must remember Jesus has nonetheless compassion with our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15) – “For He Himself knows our frame (What we are made of); He is mindful that we are but dust”. (Ps. 103: 14). There is according to 1 John 5:16 certainly a sin that leads to death, but this is all about believers who miss their mark or divine purpose, to whom therefore, everything under the sun – as for the disobedient and disillusioned Solomon (Ecc. 1: 2) – seems futile. To conclude: if you are worried at all that you may have slandered the Holy Spirit, stop immediately worrying about it, because if you have done so at all, you would not even have thought about it! Besides, even though we may have consciously or unwittingly blasphemed in the past, like Paul (1 Tim. 1:13), God will snatch you like a branch from the fire (Zec. 3: 2). With God, all things, including forgiveness, are possible (Mark 10:27) – and thus we can boldly say: “There is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8: 1). Jesus did not come to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him (John 3:17).
Dr. Tom Gouws
