ARE YOU REALLY A CHRISTIAN?

What is the unpardonable sin? Jesus said in Mt 12:31 and 32, and Mark 3:29 that anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven..in this world or the next.

Blasphemy is described as insulting the honor of God (the Holy Spirit in this case) by man. Jesus says this is a capitol offense….unforgivable.

The context of the verses in Matthew and Mark is the Pharisees accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the power of satan. This is pretty clear. They have lowered the Holy Spirit to the level of satan…a definite and clear blasphemy. They did this so they would look better to the people….remember their reason.

The other place where the term is used is in Acts chapter 5. The story of Annanias and Saphira. The members of the Christian church at that time voluntarily donated to take care of the widows and orphans. Many of them sold property and donated the money. This was voluntary, and they could give whatever amount they wanted to give. Ananias and Saphira decided to lie about their sale. They said they sold it for less, because they wanted to keep some money, but still get credit for giving the whole thing to the church.

This was designated as blaspheming (testing) the Holy Spirit.—-the unforgivable sin.

What about us today? To be saved, we need to give our lives to Jesus…all of
Our lives. How many of us have said a prayer once, and have only given part of our lives to Him? …or none? How many just wanted to escape the perils of hell, but didn’t want to be a “religious fanatic”….How many wanted, like Ananias and Saphira, to look good, but not really have to give everything up? Really, we all need to think if we have said we’re saved and have the Holy Spirit in us, when, truth be told, we just said a prayer, went to church a few times, and weren’t changed on the inside?

THAT, is no different than what Annanias and Saphira did, or what the Pharisees did. Lying about the Holy Spirit….Lying to the Holy Spirit….to look good without paying the price…….

Another time that this type of thing was done is in Genesis 28:9. It simply says that Esau went to the Ishmaelites and took a daughter of Ishmael for a wife to add to the others. Remember, earlier, Esau married Canaanite women, which broke the hearts of his parents, Isaac and Rebecca.
Jacob was sent to the home of his mother to get a wife of their kin, Rebecca’s
Brother Laban.

And, Jacob was always his mother’s favorite….and, as it turned out, God’s favorite also. (we’ll see why in a moment, that the Bible says of God, “Jacob has He loved, but Esau has He hated”) So Esau wanted to look better in his parents eyes by marrying into the “family”. (remember, Isaac was Abraham’s son of Promise, given by God for the spiritual inheritance, and to become the Jewish nation,  while Ishmael was the son who was sent away by Abraham at God’s command, and became the Arab nations)

I can imagine his conversation, in modern language going something like this:

Esau: “Hey, Mom and Dad…meet Mahalath, my new wife!!! You’ll be happy to know she is kin of ours….she’s a daughter of Ishmael, Dad…your brother!!! See, I married into the family, just like Jacob!! I did the right thing… or close enough, right….family is family, right?   Now I can be in your good graces, right?”   Not so, Esau!!!…Compromise, artificial…not sincere…selfish motives…not from the “Son of Promise”….grieving (blaspheming) the Holy Spirit!!!

That sounds dangerously close to a common hypothetical conversation now-days:

“Yes, I’m saved. How? Well, I said a prayer at one of those revivals…ahhhh, I think it was in 1983, or 4—yeah, 1984. I repeated the sinners prayer, and now I’m saved……going to heaven no matter what…I believe in ‘once saved, always saved’…don’t you?    What?   Bible?     Um…
Yeah, I think I have my Grandma’s Bible in the closet somewhere. Oh, I don’t have time to read it much…anyway, I can’t understand that stuff…that’s what preachers are for, isn’t it?     They can understand it, and they pray for us.
That’s what God made them for.     Holy Spirit?       Of course I have the Holy Spirit in me. He came that time I said the prayer…..yup—I’ll be on that Glory Train!!! Haleluia!!!”

Sounds like Esau, doesn’t it?      Compromise, …. Artificial…not sincere….
Selfish motives…not from the “Son of Promise”…grieving (blaspheming) the Holy Spirit.

If the unforgivable sin is Insulting the Spirit of God, are nominal “Christians” guilty?

You decide. I wouldn’t let the sun set on being in that situation.

Published by liveinthelightofourlord

View all posts by liveinthelightofourlord