"Tell me what to say."
Gary Wm Kuehl kuehl@atl.mindspring.com
Wed, 18 Feb 1998 23:07:09 -0500 (00887882829, 01bd3ceb$d9476d80$f16256d1@hal)
John,
Thanks for your reply.
You said,
>
>So, what you are saying here is that you don't believe Mat 12:31-32?
>
No, I do believe in it. See copy of prior post below:
Regarding, "Mat 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. "
Idea here is not that one "swears" to blaspheme, but rather, since the Holy
Spirit ("HS") is The Truth, to _deny_ the truth unto salvation is the
"blasphemy." Makes sense in that if a person denied the only thing that
could save him, the truth that brings one to faith in Jesus Christ as His
Savior, what would save a person? And, this too would mean that this denial
occurred over one's entire life, since a person accepting Christ right
before he dies, then he is saved. (Remember the parable about the "workers"
and their "pay.")
Finally, every other sin is completely covered by Christ's blood at the
cross, so the only "one" that could not be forgiven is the _one_ that
rejects God's provision for forgiveness for everything else.
Maybe look at it this way. Would you agree since the HS is within us,
blaspheming it is something we can do with our own hearts, without speaking?
And, what would be the most "reviling" and"abusing" thing to do to the
Truth, but to deny it and make it a "lie," if we could?
Consider, 1Cor 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by
the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is
Lord except by the Holy Spirit. In this, two things. First, no one can call
Jesus less than He really is, because doing this is calling Him accursed.
Second, no one can call Him for what He really is without the HS in him.
The HS being denied -- the ultimate blasphemy -- this person is not in
Christ.
Trusting this message finds everyone well, I am,
Gary Kuehl