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Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Dear Saints of Jesus,

Olive Branches of the Church, the Olive Tree, the Body of the Vine, peace to
you and love in the everlasting grace covenant in the blood of the King of
Israel.  I salute you who have drank of the Lord's Passover Cup of the New
Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Matthew 26:28) in His blood.

We are truly THE blessed, chosen, elect, beloved covenant people of the Most
High God!

I'm glad to be in the Jewish Kingdom of God through the New Birth as found
by grace through faith demonstrated in Acts 2:38.  I am thankful to be
baptized in the Holy Spirit as in Acts 2:4.

The weekly bread this week comes from a question asked of me concerning what
is known as the 'unforgivable' sin, blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.  The
doctrine that believers in the Church can fall away and never be able to
come back is commonly accepted and need not be explained.

Hebrews 6

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted
of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

This text says that 'it is impossible' (verse 4)...'to renew them again unto
repentance' (verse 5).

These believers that fell away committed some sin that it was impossible for
them to be renewed again unto repentance for.  Since according to Jesus,
there is only one 'unforgivable' sin, we can draw the conclusion that the
'unforgivable' sin was involved in this Hebrews 6:4-6.

However, you have no need for me to write to you concerning that, because it
is almost universally accepted that Christians could possibly fall away and
never come back because they have blasphemed against the Holy Ghost. 
Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is the unforgivable sin according to Jesus.

Matthew 12:31 - Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall
not be forgiven unto men.

Now you may ask, 'Since we all know that Christians can possibly fall away
and blaspheme the Holy Ghost never to again be renewed unto repentance, why
am I even sending this e-mail out?'

Glad you asked!

I am sending this e-mail out to clarify what is meant by 'the blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost.'  While it is almost universally agreed among us
that believers can commit this sin and be lost forever, I am writing to tell
you and prove to you that UNBELIEVERS ALSO can commit this sin and be lost
forever.  Oh yes, an unbeliever can blaspheme the Holy Ghost and be forever
damned, having never been saved.  Many of us believe that ONLY BELIEVERS can
commit this sin.  This belief is false.

Why do I say this?  First of all, what is 'blasphemy' against the Holy
Ghost?  Second of all, what is the context in which Jesus spoke what He
spoke concerning this issue?  Let us let Jesus teach us now.  Open your mind
then open your Bible.

WHAT IS 'BLASPHEMY' AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST?

Matthew 12:31 - Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall
not be forgiven unto men.

Matthew 12:32 - And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it
shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it
shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to
come.

A very careful read here will reveal what Jesus meant by 'blasphemy.' 
Notice in verse 31, Jesus said 'THE BLASPHEMY' against the Holy Ghost. 
Notice furthermore in verse 32, Jesus says 'WHOSOEVER SPEAKETH AGAINST' the
Holy Ghost.  Thus the word 'blasphemy' means 'to speak against' in this
context, and Jesus is saying that to speak against the Holy Ghost is
unforgivable.  What kind of 'speaking against' here is meant?  What are the
specifics?

To understand this, we MUST keep this Scripture in its context.  Who was
Jesus talking to?  Were the people that Jesus was talking to believers or
unbelievers?  What did the people say to make Jesus give such a reply?  What
was going on at the time that Jesus spoke this?  So on and so on.

According to Jesus, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin which a
person commits with their mouth (Matthew 12:32).  Obviously Jesus means
something spoken here because he uses the word "speaketh".  Someone who
speaks against the Holy Ghost is in danger so all negative speaking should
be avoided.  Let us now go on to the specifics of the context in Matthew 12.

I did want to touch this before I move on.  It is believed that some who say
that the Holy Ghost baptism and speaking in tongues is of the devil, have
blasphemed against the Holy Ghost.  I have witnessed in my own life many who
have blasphemed like this who were never saved and died lost.

THE CONTEXT OF MATTHEW 12:31-32

Matthew 12

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb:
and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out
devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided
against itself shall not stand:

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall
then his kingdom stand?

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them
out? therefore they shall be your judges.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is
come unto you.

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods,
except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me
scattereth abroad.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be
forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be
forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be
forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be
forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree
corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good
things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned.

Dearly beloved, now you have all of the dialogue.  Jesus had cast out a
devil.  This devil had physical effects on the host.  The host was blind,
dumb, and deaf.  Jesus had healed this man.  Look at the text...

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb:
and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

This was a wonderful work indeed.  A devil was cast out, and the one
formerly possessed now could hear, talk, and see!  Truly a man had been
delivered from a devil by the very power of God.  The people were amazed,
and did suggest that Jesus was the Messieh, the son of David.  This is
implied in their subsequent question 'Is this not the son of David?'  The
people identified the miracle which they saw as a definite sign that the man
doing the miracle by the power of the Holy Ghost was possibly the Messieh or
Christ, the son of David who was prophesied to come in the Scripture.

Now here comes the infraction, the sin, the transgression, and whoever sins
this sin shall never be forgiven.  The Pharisees opened their mouths, and
with their vocal cords, lips, and tongue, sealed their eternal destination
right then and there.  The Scripture was truly fulfilled in them, that
'death' is in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).

What did they say that got them death, eternal damnation?  What did they say
which caused all hope for their souls to disappear?

Here is the text...

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out
devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

These Pharisees looked at the work of God, and called it the work of the
devil.  For this, there was no forgiveness.  The Holy Ghost was doing the
works.  Jesus as a man was not doing the works, but the power of the Holy
Ghost was doing the works.  This is why Jesus said that if any spoke against
Him, they could be forgiven.  If they blasphemed Jesus, they could be
forgiven.  However, to call the works of the Holy Ghost, the works of the
devil, for this blasphemy, there was no forgiveness.  Follow the context
above on out to see that I tell you the truth.

JESUS DID WORKS BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST

The first point to make here, is that Jesus conceived in the womb of Mary
'of the Holy Ghost.'

Matthew 1:20 - But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of
the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost.

The second point to make here, is that Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost.

Luke 4:1 - And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and
was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

The third point to make here, is that Jesus said that it was the Father that
dwelleth in Him who did the works.  In other words, it was the Holy Spirit
who did the works of Christ, and not a mere body of flesh that did the
works.  Now the titles Father, Holy Ghost, and Holy Spirit, describe the one
and selfsame Spirit, the Lord God Almighty.  We believe this because we are
of course Oneness and not Trinitarians!  God is One Spirit, not Two or Three
separate and distinct spirits which would then be considered polytheism and
not true monotheism.  The Father is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost.

John 14:10 - Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in
me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father
that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

So the Holy Ghost was doing the works.  The Holy Ghost was casting out
devils.  Satan will not work against Satan, for if he did then his kingdom
could not stand.  Jesus said this when He asked the Pharisees the question
'how can Satan cast out Satan?'  Jesus said that he cast out devils by the
'finger of God,' which ironically is the same which wrote the Ten
Commandments!

Luke 11:20 - But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the
kingdom of God is come upon you.

Deuteronomy 9:10 - And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone
written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the
words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the
fire in the day of the assembly.

So when a person calls the work of the Holy Spirit, the work of Satan, that
person has committed the unforgivable sin, speaking against the Holy Ghost. 
That person, which can be an unbeliever or a believer, will never be saved. 
These kind of blasphemers have no forgiveness.

THESE PHARISEES WERE UNBELIEVERS

You must keep in mind that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, warning them about
the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost.  These Pharisees, obviously unbelievers,
attributed the work of the Holy Ghost to the work of the devil.  Jesus told
them that blasphemers of the Holy Ghost have no forgiveness.

Since Jesus was talking to unbelievers and he warned THEM about the
consequences of committing the sin of the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost,
obviously unbelievers can be in danger of committing this sin!  Keep this
Scripture in its context and you will see this truth.

CONCLUSION

A man had been delivered by the power of the Holy Ghost in Matthew 12:22. 
This man could now hear, speak, and see.  His dumb mouth was opened, his
deaf ears were opened, and his blind eyes were opened.  There were some
wiser Jews who saw Jesus open the eyes of the blind by the power of the Holy
Ghost and made the following remark.

John 10

19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings (of
Jesus).

20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a
devil open the eyes of the blind?

Now this is a good and wise question in verse 21, 'Can a devil open the eyes
of the blind?'

The Pharisees called this opening of the eyes of the blind in Matthew 12:22
by Jesus through the power of the Holy Ghost, the work of Beelzebub the
prince of devils.  The work of God, which is good, was called the work of
the devil, which is evil.  Calling God's work evil!  Calling the miracles of
the Holy Ghost evil!  God delivers a man from the stronghold of Satan, and a
blasphemer calls it evil!

The abomination which operates in the carnal mind of a man or woman talking
like that, invokes the fierceness of the anger of God Almighty and causes
that person's soul to be lost forever.

Truly the Scripture is also fulfilled in those Pharisees who blasphemed
against the Holy Ghost, which says this...

Isaiah 5

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for
light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for
bitter!

Now who exactly has truly blasphemed the Holy Ghost?  Only God can judge
their hearts.  I will not judge their hearts.  I pray that all men would
have a mind to repent, be baptized in water in the Name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of their sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.  Some men
though, according to Jesus in Matthew 12, may never get there.

The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is the most terrible sin that a person
can commit with their mouth, vocal cords, lips and tongue.  With the tongue,
you can condemn yourself forever!  Let us who think we stand then, take
heed, lest we fall.

Let us meditate on this e-mail and its reprocussions.

With this new insight into an unforgiveable sin of the tongue, let us go and
give James 3 a very slow and careful read.  Good insight into the tongue
there.

I close finally with Jesus' words to those unbelieving and blaspheming
Pharisees in Matthew 12.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned.

In Jesus,

Under the throne of His father David,

In the tabernacle of His father David,

Brother Charles A. Johnson III

An Apostolic Minister of the Holy Blood Covenant

Website:

http://www.johnson.jesus-messiah.com

Message Board:

http://olivebranch.proboards3.com/