ALONE WITH GOD------

ANSWER: First, I will insert this passage: "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. 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."

The first question to be determined to intelligently discuss these verses is, "What is blasphemy?" Webster defines "blasphemy" as "To speak in an impious or irreverent manner of; to speak ill or to the prejudice of; to use insulting or abusive language." Further Webster defines blasphemy as "evil or profane speaking and irreverence of God, derogating from His power or attributes; the expression of defiant impiety and irreverence against God or things held sacred."

Jesus discusses this matter of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28 and Luke 12:10. The entire context of these Scriptures, which is helpful in understanding and would be good for the reader to read in this connection, is Matthew 12:22-33; Mark 3:22-30; and Luke 12:10. In all these Scriptures we find Jesus using this language, "He that shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him, but whosoever shall blaspheme the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to come." We see here that Jesus uses the terms "speak against" and "blasphemy" interchangeably, and this corresponds with Webster’s definitions given above.

Then, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit would be to speak impiously or irreverently of Him and His power and operations or to hold that attitude toward Him. It is specified in Mark 3:30 that Jesus spake these words "Because they said, ‘He hath an unclean spirit,’" thus downgrading and berating the Holy Spirit and attributing work which could only be done by Him to the devil. Adam Clarke says that it is evident that this and nothing else is what is meant here. I agree that it is.

Let us keep in mind all the time that we are discussing something very specific here and we should discuss it in a specific way and not in any general terms. If we speak in reference to "The sin against the Holy Spirit" let us specify it as "blasphemy" with an understanding of what that term means. All unrighteousness is sin and all sin is against the Holy Spirit and grievous to Him. The common category of sin such as pride, foolishness, an evil eye, uncleanness, backbiting, malice, evil speakings, tale-bearing, gossip, slander, deceit and all such else as may be mentioned in the Word of God are against Him only in the sense that His nature is that of absolute holiness and consequently all unrighteousness and unholiness are grievous and a vexation to His holy nature.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit stands alone in a category all by itself and is declared to be the only unpardonable sin and, therefore, should be referred to in a very specific way and not be mentioned in connection with any of the common catalog of sins mentioned in the Bible. Blasphemous words against the Holy Spirit are the worst kind of sin and are unpardonable. Jesus said, "All manner of sin shall be forgiven unto men." Blasphemy against God, a sin immediately touching His name and honor shall be forgiven. Words spoken against the Son of man shall be forgiven even as it was to those who reviled Him at His death, many of whom repented and found mercy. "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men," said Jesus, "but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him in this world nor in the world to come."

What is meant here is the individual who knowingly, with a fixed purpose and full exercise of his own will, maliciously opposes, defiantly blasphemes and speaks impiously and irreverently of, and despises the person of the Holy Spirit and His operations.

Matthew Henry comments on this point: "It is adjudged in our law that an act of indemnity shall be construed in favor of that grace and clemency which is the intention of the act. Therefore the exceptions in the act are not to be extended any further than needs be. The gospel is an act of indemnity. It is necessarily construed in favor of grace and clemency and its terms are extended as far as they possibly can be without reacting against God’s justice and holiness, in order to make room for everyone possible to be made partakers of its mercy and benefits, and the one and only exception is the person that blasphemes the Holy Spirit and should therefore be construed in the narrowest sense. This one exception, and it a somewhat narrow one, is made not because of any defect in God’s mercy; not because He does not love those who are guilty of it; not because he who becomes a blasphemer of the Holy Spirit was originally overlooked in the "Whosoever will" invitation; not that he was one singled out by Almighty God as an object of contempt and one to be punished from the beginning; but because to be guilty of it inevitably leaves the sinner in infidelity and impenitence."

Now the question remains, "Why is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit so eternally fatal when all other blasphemy can be forgiven?" Jesus said, "All manner of sin and BLASPHEMY shall be forgiven unto men." Note: this statement of Jesus included all manner of BLASPHEMY. Jesus moved right on to say in the same verse, "But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." Why this distinction? The answer is rather simple when we understand the nature of the God-head, the plan of salvation and the unfolding of divine revelation of Himself and His truth unto man.

The God-head is a Trinity composed of Three in One God the Father, God the Son, (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. These three have all cooperated together in the plan of salvation in their various roles and capacities. God devised the plan of salvation and sent His Son into the world to confirm it and then sent the Holy Spirit into the world to execute it. God had a dispensation in which He dealt with man directly and personally. Men in general did not understand God and consequently were not true in their allegiance to Him. Then He dealt with men in a more indirect and impersonal way through the law and the prophets and in different types, shadows and figures tried to reveal Himself more clearly to men through the types and rituals of the law. Though they did not understand Him and love and serve Him as they should, He was merciful unto them and long-suffering with a purpose to send His Son, Jesus, into the world to reveal Himself fully in Him; and perchance men would be convinced of their error and turn to Him. Hebrews 1:3 declares the Son to be the "...Brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person,..." Colossians 1:15 and II Corinthians 4:4 declare that Christ is the "Image of God." In John 14:9 Jesus said, "...He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;..." Colossians 1:19 says that all fullness dwelt in Him. Therefore it was a part of the mission of Christ to reveal God to mankind in a full and complete sense and to bring men to God.

Many were gained and brought to God through His revelation of God to them, but in general they did not understand Him nor believe in Him either. That was not necessarily fatal because there was still another Who was to come and reveal Christ to them in a full measure and convince them of the error of their ways. This was the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:14, "He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." Also He said in John 16:8-9, "...He will reprove the world of sin,...because they believe not on me." We see here it was the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to men and convince and convict them that they had missed the mark and erred greatly in not believing in Him and accepting Him. All who accepted the witness of the Spirit and were convinced of their error and humbled their hearts to Him and acknowledged their sin were granted repentance and were saved. Paul was one who had been a blasphemer but obtained mercy when convinced of his error through the operation of the Holy Spirit. (I Timothy 1:13.) There were many more.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and completes the God-head. This is His dispensation in which we now live and it is the last one. God’s Word said in Acts 2:17, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:..." and Peter declared this that happened on the Day of Pentecost to be a fulfillment of a prophecy found in Joel 2:28. But the Holy Spirit was to be poured out upon all flesh in the LAST DAYS and the last dispensation of time. There is no other to come after the Holy Spirit to accomplish anything more in the salvation of men. This is IT! It is now or never! All who fail to be convinced of their error in rejecting Christ through the convicting power and influence of the Holy Spirit but continue on in their unbelief and blasphemy are now, and were then, sinning against the last remedy for sin and are left without pardon. The Holy Spirit is the last agent of conviction and the last means of access to God. Jesus said, "No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:..." But the Holy Spirit is the agent through which God draws men unto Himself and without His drawing, convicting power we cannot get to God at all.

Since the Holy Spirit is the last remedy for sin and the last means of access to God, to despise and irreverence Him leaves one without any other source of help and means of access to God and consequently doomed. To blaspheme Him inevitably leaves one in total and permanent impenitence and consequently unforgiven and therefore eternally condemned.

QUESTION: Please comment on John 20:22: "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." I have heard that some people teach that is the way to receive the Holy Ghost.

ANSWER: First of all, I would like to say that there is no special specified way for people to receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19:6 the Holy Spirit was received through the laying on of the apostle Paul’s hands. Again in Acts 8:17 they received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the hands of the apostles Peter and John. These were the people of Samaria who had heard and believed the preaching of Philip as he preached Christ unto them, and were consequently ready to receive the Holy Spirit. Again in Acts 10:44, as Peter preached Christ unto the household of Cornelius, they opened their hearts and minds to the Lord and believed the words they were hearing, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. In this case there was no laying on of hands nor breathing on anyone or any other kind of maneuver just an open heart and mind reception of the Word as it was preached unto them. Also in Acts 2:1-4, the apostles and their companions (about 120 in number) tarried before the Lord in fasting and prayer for about ten days; when the day of Pentecost was fully come, the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled all of them. In this case there was no one doing anything at all to anyone; but they were just all fasting, praying, and waiting as they had been instructed to do. Again in Acts 4:31, we read, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,..." This was a company of about 5000 men who were all believers and were under persecution and threat; they prayed, consecrated, and dedicated their lives unto God and literally laid their lives on the line before God; He accepted their sacrifice and filled them with the Holy Spirit. In all these cases we see there is no specified way, or maneuver, or ritual for the receiving of the Holy Spirit but just meeting the conditions to make them eligible for receiving the Holy Spirit consecration, dedication, obedience and faith.

Also, I consider John 20:22 as a rather prophetic statement of something to come, and do not believe that the apostles received the Holy Spirit at that time for the following reasons. The first nine verses of the first chapter of Acts describe the last meeting on this earth between Christ and His apostles. In verse 4, He "...commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father,..." Then in verse 5, He clarifies what He was referring to : "...Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." It seems clear here that they did not yet have the Holy Spirit at this time. Also Luke 24:49 is another scripture which runs parallel with this one: "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." Luke 24:36, 53 contains a description of Christ’s last meeting with His apostles, and it is again clear that at this time they did not have the Holy Spirit.

The apostles were instructed in Luke 24:49 to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. But when was this to be? Acts 1:8 gives the answer; "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you:..." The infilling of the Holy Spirit is the source of this power to witness effectually for Christ, so again it is clear they did not yet have Him.

Jesus said in John 16:7 that if He did not go away, the Comforter would not come; but if He went away he would send Him. In John 14:26 Jesus declared that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Jesus had been gone back to heaven about ten days when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost.

For all of these reasons I believe that Jesus’ statement in John 20:22 was a kind of prophetic statement of something yet to come. His "breathing" on them possibly corresponds with the creation of Adam, and God breathing the breath of life into his nostrils and he becoming a living soul. In this case, Jesus’ breathing on His apostles seems to have been a kind of symbolic imparting of spiritual inspiration and vision (without which no person can possibly be an effective witness and servant of Christ) to bring a quickening and regenerating grace into men’s souls which these apostles did not realize and possess in its fullness until they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

QUESTION: I do not understand Matthew 12:31-32. Please explain.

ANSWER: First I will insert this passage, "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. 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."

The first question to be determined to intelligently discuss these verses is, "What is blasphemy?" Webster defines "blasphemy" as "to speak in an impious or irreverent manner of; to speak ill or to the prejudice of; to use insulting or abusive language." Further Webster defines blasphemy as "evil or profane speaking and irreverence of God, derogating from His power or claiming His attributes; the expression of defiant impiety and irreverence against God or things held sacred."

Jesus discusses this matter of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-29 and Luke 12:10. The entire context of these scriptures, which is helpful in understanding and would be good for the reader to read in this connection, is Matthew 12:22-33, Mark 3:22-30 and Luke 12:10. In all these scriptures we find Jesus using this language, "He that shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him but whosoever shall blaspheme the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come." We see here that Jesus uses the terms "speak against" and "blaspheme" interchangeably and this corresponds with Webster’s definition given above.

Then, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit would be to speak impiously or irreverently of Him and His power and operation or to hold that attitude towards Him. It is specified in Mark 3:30 that Jesus spake these words, "Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit," thus downgrading and derogating the Holy Spirit and attributing work which could only be done by Him to the devil. Adam Clarke says that it is evident that this and nothing else is what is meant here. I agree that it is.

Let us keep in mind all the time that we are discussing something very specific here and we should discuss it in a specific way and not in any general terms. If we speak in reference to "the sin against the Holy Spirit" let us specify it as "blasphemy" with an understanding of what that term means. All unrighteousness is sin and all sin is against the Holy Spirit and is grievous to Him. But the common category of sin such as pride, foolishness, an evil eye, uncleanness, backbiting, malice, evil speaking, tale bearing, gossip, slander, deceit and all such else as may be mentioned in the Word of God are against Him only in the sense that His nature is that of absolute holiness and consequently all unrighteousness and unholiness is grievous and vexatious to His holy nature.

But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit stands alone in a category all by itself and is declared to be the only unpardonable sin and, therefore, should be referred to in a very specific way and not be mentioned in connection with any of the common catalog of sins mentioned in the Bible. Blasphemous words against the Holy Spirit are the worst kind of sin and unpardonable. Jesus said, "...All manner of sin...shall be forgiven unto men:..." (Matthew 12:31.) Blasphemy against God, a sin immediately touching His name and honor shall be forgiven. Words spoken against the Son of man shall be forgiven even as it was to those who reviled Him at His death, many of whom repented and found mercy. "...All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:..." said Jesus, but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, "...it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." (Matthew 12:31-32.)

What is meant here is the individual who knowingly, with a fixed purpose and full exercise of his own will, maliciously opposes, defiantly blasphemes, impiously and irreverently speaks of and despises the Person of the Holy Spirit and His operations.

Matthew Henry comments on this point: "It is adjudged in our law that an act of indemnity shall be construed in favor of that grace and clemency which is the intention of the act. Therefore the exceptions in the act are not to be extended any further than needs be. The gospel is an act of indemnity. It is necessarily construed in favor of grace and clemency and its terms are extended as far as they possibly can be without reacting against God’s justice and holiness in order to make room for everyone possible to be made partakers of its mercy and benefits and the one and only exception is the person that blasphemes the Holy Spirit and should therefore be construed in the narrowest sense. This one exception, and it a somewhat narrow one, is made not because of any defect in God’s mercy; not because He does not love those who are guilty of it; not because he who becomes a blasphemer against the Holy Spirit was originally overlooked in the "Whosoever will" invitation; not that he was one singled out by the Almighty God as an object of contempt and one to be punished from the beginning; but because to be guilty of it inevitably leaves the sinner in infidelity and impenitence."

But now the question remains, "Why is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit so eternally fatal when all other blasphemy can be forgiven?" Jesus said, "...All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:..." (Matthew 12:31.) Note: This statement of Jesus included all manner of blasphemy. But Jesus moved right on to say in the same verse, "...But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." But why this distinction? The answer is rather simple when we understand the nature of the God-head, the plan of salvation and the unfolding of the Divine revelation of Himself and His truth unto men.

The God-head is a Trinity composed of three in one God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. These three have all cooperated together in the plan of salvation in their various roles and capacities. God devised the plan of salvation and sent His Son into the world to confirm it and then sent the Holy Spirit into the world to execute it. God had a dispensation in which He dealt with men directly and personally. But men in general did not understand God and consequently were not true in their allegiance to Him. Then He dealt with men in a more indirect and impersonal way through the law and the prophets, and in different types, shadows and figures tried to reveal Himself more clearly to men through the types and rituals of the law. But though they did not understand Him and love and serve Him as they should, He was merciful unto them and long-suffering with a purpose to send His Son, Jesus, into the world to reveal Himself fully in Him and perchance men would be convinced of their error and turn to Him. Hebrews 1:3 declares the Son to be the "...brightness of his glory, and the express image of His person,..." Colossians 1:15 and II Corinthians 4:4 declare that Christ is the "image of God." In John 14:9 Jesus said, "...He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;..." Colossians 1:19 says that all fulness dwelt in Him. Therefore it was a part of the mission of Christ to reveal God to mankind in a full and complete sense and to bring men to God.

Many were gained and brought to God through Jesus’ revelation of God to them, but in general they did not understand Him nor believe in Him either. But that was not necessarily fatal, because there was still another who was to come and reveal Christ to them in a full measure and convince them of the error of their ways. This was the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:14, "He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." Also He said in John 16:8-9, "...He will reprove the world of sin,...because they believe not on me." We see here it was the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to men and convince and convict them that they had missed the mark and erred greatly in not believing in Him.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and completes the God-head. This is His dispensation in which we now live and it is the last one. God’s Word said in Acts 2:17, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:..." and Peter declared this that happened on the day of Pentecost to be a fulfillment of a prophecy found in Joel 2:28. But the Holy Spirit was to be poured out upon all flesh in the last days. Therefore this is the last days and the last dispensation of time. There is no other to come after the Holy Spirit to accomplish anything more in the salvation of men. This is it! It is now or never! All who fail to be convinced of their error in rejecting Christ through the convicting power and influence of the Holy Spirit and continue on in their unbelief and blasphemy are now and were then sinning against the last remedy for sin and were left without pardon. The Holy Spirit is the last agent of conviction and the last means of access to God. Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:..." But the Holy Spirit is the agent through which God draws men unto Himself and without His drawing, convicting power we cannot get to God at all.

Since the Holy Spirit is the last remedy for sin and the last means of access to God, to despise and irreverence Him leaves one without any other source of help and means of access to God, and consequently doomed. To blaspheme Him inevitably leaves one in total and permanent impenitence and consequently unforgiven and therefore eternally condemned.