What is the Unforgivable Sin!

God is our all forgiving and merciful Father Who is abounding in love and grace. To every one who repents and seeks forgiveness He is gracious to forgive. Then why would He not forgive the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

Now to understand what the sin against the Holy Spirit is, we must first know and understand Who the Holy Spirit is. He is a Person.

His distinctive characteristics are:-

1) Knowledge - He Knows the secrets of God and reveals them to us.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT
But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. [11] No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.

2) Will - He Decides.
1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT
It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

3) Emotions - He Pleads for us.
Romans 8: 26 - 27NLT
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.

4) Love - He helps us Love one another.
Romans 15:30 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.

5) Paraclete, Comforter, Encourager, Advocate - He will  never leave us unless we reject Him. He will be with us as our Comforter and Encourager and Guide and will teach us everything and remind us of the Words of Jesus.
John 14:16,26 NLT
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. [26] But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative-that is, the Holy Spirit-he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

6) Person of Authority:- He will instruct us what to do and where to go ( when we are close to Him and are listening to His still small voice)
Acts 16:6 NLT
Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.

7) Person Who appoints people into office - He will appoint each one into the office of what Father God has destined us to do and be (when we are open to hear Him)
Acts 13:2 NLT
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them."
Acts 20:28 NLT
"So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock-his church, purchased with his own blood-over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

The Holy Spirit is a Person and not just a force or power. He is the 3rd Person of God. We cannot ask for more of the Holy Spirit so that we can use Him. He is not a force which we can use. He is not an 'it' but a 'He'! He is the divine Person of infinite majesty, glory, holiness and power, Who is ever willing to dwell in us and ready to use even us, to glorify the Father, if we allow Him. This is so humbling when we consider His greatness and our puny selves.

Now  in Matt 12:31-32 Jesus says that  every other sin will be forgiven but not the sin against the Holy Spirit. Jesus was referring to the Pharisees who said that He, Jesus drove away evil spirits because He had an unclean spirit in Him. Why is this sin unpardonable? Because the Pharisees who (practised meticulous adherence to their interpretation of the Torah as well as their eschatological views and applied Jewish law to mundane activities in order to sanctify the every-day world and believed in the resurrection after death) were learned in the law of Moses and had knowledge of the scriptures, yet insulted and rejected the Holy Spirit, in Jesus. They refused to acknowledge that the Spirit in Jesus was the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of God, the Majestic Spirit, Who comes to every person and gently convicts and prompts him or her to  accept Christ Jesus. Thw Holy Spirit in Acts was poured upon all the people who were listening to Peter speak. They were unbelievers at first but when they yielded their hearts to the Holy Spirit He was able to transform them (Acts 2:1-42). He is the Majestic One Who dwells within the believers of Christ, loves us and patiently waits for us to respond to His call, teaches us everything about Jesus and pleads for us to the Father. He convicts us of our sins again and again and waits patiently for us to change.

When we repeatedly reject the Holy Spirit, this Majestic Spirit, the Spirit Who comes from the Father to dwell within us who are mere sinful creatures,  and when we refuse to be convicted by Him, we actually slight and insult Him.  Continuous rejection of the Holy Spirit hardens our hearts. Our conscience becomes seared. When that happens, sin will no more seem like something wrong but will seem so normal and even 'right' in our eyes.  We then will miss all the opportunities given to us by God, to make all wrongs right. We then will be unable to repent, because we have rejected the Holy Spirit. There will be no conviction of sin without the Holy Spirit.

In summary,  to sin against the Holy Spirit is to reject the Holy Spirit and to live an unrepentant life (becoming the walking dead- spiritually dead although still alive) and die an unrepentant death. When one dies with a seared concience and an unrepentant, hardened heart, his end will be disastrous.  God cannot forgive the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. No repentance, no forgiveness.

Having said that, in conclusion, I would like to add this:-  No one can judge another to say whether he or she has sinned against the Holy Spirit. Only God knows each person's heart. Only God knows each person's motives. God can in His mercy change anyone, anytime and bring him or her to repentance. When we judge others, we are judged with that same measure. Therefore I would urge all believers to sincerely  pray for one another so that no one would be lost. Let us look at our own lives, examine our hearts daily, to see if we have offended the Holy Spirit, repent and change  and bear the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives. 

"Search me oh God and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there be some wicked way in me. Lead me in Thy way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23,24.
Help me always remain pliable in Your hands dear Father. Never let my heart grow cold. Holy Spirit come live in me and never let me go. Teach me Your way  so that I will bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control in my daily life and glorify the Father. Transform me into the likeness of Christ Jesus. I pray this in Jesus' most precious name. Amen!

Mary Augustine

(Special mention:- thanks to Br Vinay for helping to check for errors)

The Kingdom of God!

There have been countless debates with regards to the Kingdom of God. Many wonder what it is, where it is and what it will be like, living in there!

Some think that the Kingdom of God is in heaven and only in heaven. But Jesus said otherwise. Even John the Baptist was ushering in the Kingdom of God and when the promised Saviour came, He, Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is within you!" Luke17:21

First of all let us see what a Kingdom is. It is a land or place ruled by a king. So obviously the Kingdom of God is where God rules. Therefore wherever God rules, whomever God rules, His Lordship, His Rulership, His Kingdom, His Government is established there.

Let us examine what Jesus said about God's Kingdom.:-

In John 3:3-7, Jesus said,
"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again"
"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

Therefore to get a glimpse of  God's Kingdom and to enter in and experience it, one must be born again of the water and the Spirit of God. Therefore only baptised believers, who are born again of the Spirit of God, can enter God's Kingdom.

In Matthew 11:12, Jesus said, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."

God's kingdom has been forcefully advancing through John the Baptist who shouted, "Repent and be baptised!" ;  Through the Son of God who forcefully gave up His life for us and later through the apostles and disciples who forcefully preached the Word. We too are called to advance His Kingdom. We can only do it if we are violent enough and grab it. That means we must know what it is and work wholeheartedly and selflessly in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and establishing God's Kingdom every where we go, despite our circumstances and the danger we go through. We must go and pray for people, get them healed, tell people about Jesus, teach them about His ways and get them baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit, in order for God's Kingdom to be established in their hearts and around them.

Now the question is can we experience it on earth? Yes we can! That is why Jesus came. He wants us to live under His rulership and experience the joys of the Kingdom of God even while here on earth. Then finally when our journey on earth ends, we will be forever united with Jesus in His Kingdom in heaven.

How then can we experience God's Kingdom while on earth? Well, if a king is a tyrant then his subjects will be suffering under his tyranny. But we know that our God is abounding in mercy, kindness and love. Therefore in His Kingdom, wherever God rules and reigns, be it your family or your heart or your workplace, there will be peace, love and joy unending there.

How can one continually live in peace, love and joy when there is so much of chaos, sickness, turmoil  and war on earth, you may ask! Let us see what Jesus said about this. In John 16:33 Jesus told His apostles, " These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus also said in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."

Jesus also said one more important thing about God's kingdom, in Luke 18:17 (NASB)

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."

First we must be child-like. What are the qualities of a child? Innocence, a trusting heart, humility and faith in Christ. Yes these are the qualities we need, to receive the kingdom of God. The most important of all is the free gift of faith from God. All other gifts flow through faith, which acts as a channel. Then, when we receive God's kingdom with child-like faith, we can enter into it. 

Conclusion:- In God's Kingdom there will be unending peace, love and joy. In this world you can't find that. To enjoy the benefits of God's Kingdom, we must be a baptised Christian, one who is born again and fired up by the Holy Spirit and one who has faith in Jesus and abides in Him at all times. In this world we may face sickness, problems, lack, but when we have Christ in us, we will be living in unending peace, joy and love.

That is why Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name. Let Your Kingdom come and let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

When we begin living under the Lordship of our Father in the Kingdom of God, we can safely proclaim with Paul, "We give you thanks Father, You Who have qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For You have delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of Your Beloved Son!" (Col 1:12-13)

Mary Augustine

Who Do You Say I Am?

Who do others say I am? Kind, loving, caring, patient helpful, artistic, hardworking, pious,etc?

How is that going to help me when I stand before my Creator God?  Can I carry the praises of people with me when I die? Or, are the angry words of those who misunderstand me send me to hell? Do I live for the praises of people or do I live to hear my Lord tell me, "Well done my faithful daughter! Welcome home!"

Now what I am concerned about is not what or who others think I am, but what Jesus thinks of me!  Ultimately, only what Jesus thinks of me will matter!

In Mark 8:29 NLT
Jesus asked his disciples, "But who do you say I am?"

But here I am asking, the same question in reverse.
"Jesus my Lord, who do You say, I am?"

Only He knows the real motives of my heart. My inner thoughts are made bare before Him. When I stand before Him all my works which are not of pure motive will be burnt to ashes like straw.  I can pretend before men, but not before my Jesus!

So Jesus, please tell me, who am I to You?  I want to be Your child. I want to be Your friend. I want to be one worthy of Your suffering and death on the cross. I want to be wholly Yours!

Am I obedient to Your commands? Am I faithful to You? Have I borne the fruit of the Spirit in my life? Have I remained in You Lord?

Help me always be conscious of my position before You my Saviour!

I want to be, who You want me to be Jesus!

Mary Augustine