Chapter 40
BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
(Matthew 12:22-37)
Before we begin our study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father we ask You to please grant us the ability to understand and accept Your instruction. We also pray and ask that You would strengthen our faith, love, devotion and trust in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Almighty God please grant us the spiritual discernment to know and accept what is of You and to reject and turn away from what is of the evil one.
Amen
It is noted that this study is partitioned into the following two parts:
1. Our Lord Jesus Christ's teaching with respect to the sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
2. Some guidelines relative to discerning the validity of supernatural manifestations and/or demonstration of supernatural power.
With this short introduction we begin our study by exploring,
JESUS CHRIST'S TEACHING WITH RESPECT TO THE SIN OF BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Before we begin it would be helpful for us to note that according to Webster's New World Dictionary "to blaspheme" means to speak irreverently or profanely to or of God.
With this definition in mind let us now proceed to read about the incident during which Jesus accused some of the Pharisees of the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. This confrontation occurred after Jesus healed a man who was demon possessed, blind and mute. To explore this incident and Jesus' teaching about this sin we begin by reading about,
THE HEALING AND THE PHARISEES' REACTION
To do this let us read from,
Matthew 12:22-23
"[22] Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. [23] All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
Let us notice the following verse,
23 … By asking whether or not Jesus was the Son of David, the people were asking whether or not Jesus was the promised Messiah or the Christ. The reason for this is twofold. First of all, in the Old Testament it was foretold that the savior or Messiah would come from the house of David. To see this let us read the following prophecy given by the prophet Jeremiah,
Jeremiah 23:5-6
""[5] The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. [6] In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness."
Secondly, the prophets of the Old Testament also foretold that when the Messiah came, He would perform the types of works that Jesus did and was doing. For example let us read the following prophecy given by the prophet Isaiah,
Isaiah 35:4-6a
"[4] Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. [6] Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. ..."
Unfortunately, some of the Pharisees, who were diligent students of the Old Testament, refused to accept the possibility that Jesus was the promised Messiah. With this in mind, let us now read what they said about Jesus as it is recorded in,
Matthew 12:24
[24] But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.""
In other words, instead of recognizing the fact that it was the power and authority of the Spirit of God working through Jesus, the Pharisees accused Jesus of using the power and authority of Satan.
JESUS' RESPONSE
With the above setting let us now read what Jesus said in response to the Pharisees' accusation. It is recorded in,
Matthew 12:25-30
"[25] Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. [26] If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? [27] And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. [28] But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. [29] "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. [30] "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
Let us notice the following verses,
25-26 …Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees that it was irrational for them to believe or suggest that Satan would cast out a demon he had sent to build and strengthen his evil kingdom. In other words, Jesus posed the following question: "Why would Satan destroy himself?"
27 … By asking the Pharisees this question Jesus reminded them that throughout their Jewish history there were various times when God's people, by the power of God, expelled demons. For example, in Volume II of the “Works of Josephus”, the book titled, “Antiquities of the Jews”1, we read that God enabled King Solomon to expel demons. It is also recorded that God did this to bear witness of the fact that King Solomon was beloved by Him. Thus, Jesus was in effect telling the Pharisees that they were very wrong about their assessment of Him and the power He was displaying.
28 … Jesus now made it very clear to the Pharisees that if He expelled demons by the Spirit of God then the Kingdom of God had come upon them.
29 … Jesus also pointed out that it must take someone greater and more powerful to bind a person and then plunder their possessions. The analogy here is that God Almighty is far greater and much more powerful than Satan. This is why it was by the Spirit of God Jesus was able cast out the demons.
Let us now continue our reading from Matthew and read about,
JESUS' TEACHING WITH RESPECT TO THE SIN, BLASPHEMY OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
To do this let us go to,
Matthew 12:31-32
"[31] And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. [32] Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
Let us notice the following verses,
31 …Notice every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven. However, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
32a … After reflecting upon this portion of verses 32 one might raise the question as to; “Why would forgiveness be available for those who speak against the Son of Man?” The answer to this question lies within the fact that Jesus was both true God and true man. To refresh our memories of this fact let us read what the Apostle John wrote in,
John 1:1-4
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
Now let us read from,
John 1:14
"[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Thus, Jesus was true God and true man. Therefore, when Jesus identified Himself as the Son of Man, He was referring to His humanity. That is why, Jesus told the Pharisees that forgiveness would be available for those who spoke against His humanity. An example of this type of sin occurred when Jesus came to His home town of Nazareth. Let us read what happened from,
Mark 6:1-4
"[1] Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. [2] When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! [3] Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. [4] Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.""
Let us notice the following verses,
2 … When the people heard Jesus speak and saw the miracles He performed, they were astonished. The people wondered how, where and when did Jesus receive such amazing wisdom and spiritual power.
3 … The people of Nazareth only remembered Jesus and the things He did when He was a boy, teenager and young man. In other words, they were all too familiar with His natural family and His humanity. Hence, they could not see past His flesh to see His divinity. In Matthew 12:32a Jesus told the Pharisees that blasphemy such as this is forgivable. However, when it comes to God the Holy Spirit it is an all together different situation. To see this let now return to Matthew 12 and notice the following verse,
32b … Jesus is now teaching us that if we attribute the works of God the Holy Spirit, specifically the casting out of demons, to Satan, then this is not forgivable. To better understand this let us not forget there is only one God. This truth is clearly revealed to us in,
Isaiah 44:8
"[8] Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.""
Hence, if we call the third person of the Holy Trinity unclean or Satanic; we have then identified Almighty God as Satanic. This is unforgivable.
This leads us to the questions of: "Why? Why is this sin not forgivable?" The answer to this question surfaces from the following three Biblical truths:
First of all,
There is no savior besides God
God clearly stated this truth through His prophet Isaiah. It is recorded for us in,
Isaiah 43:10-11
""[10] You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. [11] I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.""
Secondly,
There is no other name other than Jesus Christ by whom we are saved
The Apostle Peter made this truth very clear at the end of his defense to the Sanhedrin as to why he was preaching about Jesus Christ. Remember the name Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” This is why in Peter’s closing statement, we read the following,
Acts 4:12
"[12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved.""
Third,
It is God the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us for salvation
To see this truth let us prayerfully read from,
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
"[13] But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. [14] He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Let us notice the following verse,
13 … It is the sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit that plays a major role in our salvation.
This now brings us to,
JESUS' CLOSING EXHORTATION
Jesus' closing statement to the Pharisees then and now to us is recorded in,
Matthew 12:33-37
""[33] Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. [34] You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. [35] The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. [36] But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. [37] For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.""
Let us notice the following verses,
34b ... In other words, if a person says that God or His works are unclean or satanic, they are reflecting what is within their hearts. To see this let us read from,
Matthew 15:10-11
[10] … He said to them, “Hear and understand: [11] Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
Thus, at this time, there is no forgiveness because they have completely and totally rejected the only Person who can forgive and save them.
36-37 … Notice why it is extremely important for us to carefully weigh and consider what we speak or say to God and to our fellow man.
The above study is not intended to convey the message that all supernatural manifestations or displays of supernatural power are of God or from people sent by God. In fact, throughout the Bible we are warned that false prophets and false teachers will come to try and deceive even the elect of God. For example, while on his way to Jerusalem the Apostle Paul interrupted his journey to give a farewell address to the elders in Ephesus. In his address Paul gave a somber warning about false prophets and teachers. This warning is recorded in,
Acts 20:28-31
"[28] Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. [29] I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. [30] Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. [31] So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears."
With this brief introduction let us now proceed to the second portion of this study which provides,
SOME GUIDELINES TO DETERMINE THE VALIDITY OF SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATIONS AND/OR DISPLAY OF SUPERNATURAL POWER
These guidelines are presented in response to the following four questions:
1. Are demons only cast out by the power of God?
2. Are those who drive out demons sent by God?
3. Are we to test any and all supernatural manifestations and exhibition of spiritual power?
4. What are the tests to be utilized to determine the validity of a supernatural manifestation or display of supernatural power?
With the above in mind we begin with the question of,
ARE DEMONS ONLY CAST OUT BY THE POWER OF GOD?
The answer to this question is yes. To see this let us recall what Jesus said to the Pharisees after they accused Him of casting out demons by the ruler of the demons, who is Satan or Beelzebub. To do this let us read what He said as recorded in,
Mark 3:22-27
"[22] And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub ! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." [23] So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25] If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. [26] And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. [27] In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house."
Let us notice the following verses,
22-26 … In other words, Jesus was teaching the people then and now us that it is irrational to believe or suggest that Satan would destroy his own kingdom or house.
27 … As we saw in the previous section of this study, Jesus pointed out that it must take someone greater and more powerful to bind a person and then plunder their possessions. The analogy here is that God Almighty is far greater and much more powerful than Satan. This is why, by the Spirit of God, Jesus was able cast out the demons.
This now brings us to the question of,
ARE THOSE WHO DRIVE OUT DEMONS SENT BY GOD?
The answer to this question is not necessarily. To see this let us read the following words of caution Jesus gave during His sermon on the mountainside.
Matthew 7:15-23
""[15] Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. [16] By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. [21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
Considering the above words of caution, there are two points to be made.
The first point to made is that,
Even a person not sent by God can utilize the all-powerful Name of Jesus Christ to cast out demons.
To see this let us reread the following Scriptures,
Matthew 7:21-23
""[21] Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
The second point to be made is that the true or false prophet, teacher or worker of miracles can be identified by their fruits. Specifically, as Jesus said,
By their fruits you will know them
The Bible teaches us that those who are living under the control and authority of God the Holy Spirit will have the fruits of the Holy Spirit manifested and growing from within them. Thus, it is by the presence or absence of these fruits in their lives we can know whether or not they have truly been sent by God.
To help us to have a clear and crisp understanding of what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are, the Bible also identifies the works or fruits that come from our flesh or sinful nature. A subset of these fruits is identified in,
Galatians 5:19-21
"[19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
It is interesting to note that in addition to what we normally think of as sins, such as: idolatry, murder, sorcery, etc., sins such as: selfish ambition, envy and fits of rage are also fruits produced by our sinful nature.
In contrast to the above, the fruits of the Holy Spirit are identified in,
Galatians 5:22-24
"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."
Hence, only those who exhibit these fruits, which are the fruits of God the Holy Spirit, have been sent by God. All others are suspect.
This now brings us to the general case. Specifically,
ARE WE TO TEST ANY AND ALL SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATIONS OR EXHIBITIONS OF SPIRITUAL POWER?
The answer to this question is absolutely yes. In fact, the Bible instructs us to do exactly that, which is to test all things. To see this let us read the following instruction that was given to the church of the Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
"[19] Do not put out the Spirit's fire; [20] do not treat prophecies with contempt. [21] Test everything. Hold on to the good."
We must never forget Jesus warned us that false christs and false prophets will come and perform great signs and wonders. He gave this warning during the time He explained to His disciples of what will come in the last days.
Let us read what He said as recorded in,
Matthew 24:24
"[24] For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible."
In the Book of Revelation, we read that the coming false prophet will even be able to call fire down from heaven. This is recorded in,
Revelation 13:13
"[13] And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men."
Not all of us may be in the position or feel capable to objectively determine the fruits of those who are or have performed supernatural signs, wonders and displays of supernatural power. Hence, the following question,
ARE THERE MORE OBJECTIVE TESTS (IN ADDITION TO THE FRUITS) WE CAN UTILIZE TO DETERMINE THE VALIDITY OF A SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATION OR DISPLAY OF SUPERNATURAL POWER?
The answer to this question is yes. In fact, the Bible provides us with five tests to determine whether or not a supernatural phenomenon is of Him. Specifically, when confronted with a supernatural manifestation or display of spiritual power the Bible instructs us to address and answer the following five questions.
1. Does the message or intent of the supernatural manifestation or display of power change or alter the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
This test is documented in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians. Specifically, it tells us that any angel or person who preaches or teaches a gospel other than the one described in the Bible is accursed. To see this let us read from,
Galatians 1:6-9
"[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- [7] which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! [9] As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
Consequently, anything or anyone who preaches, teaches or purposefully attempts to change or alter the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not from God. Hence, the following words from,
Galatians 1:8-9
[8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! [9] As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
2. Does the message or intent of the supernatural manifestation or display of spiritual power profess or bear witness to a different Jesus?
As we discovered earlier in this study, the Bible clearly teaches that there is only one name or person by whom we are saved from our sins. Specifically, that name is Jesus Christ. This truth is clearly spelled out in,
Acts 4:12
"[12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.""
Thus, any supernatural manifestation or display of power that professes or bears witness to a Jesus other than the one revealed in the Bible or promotes an alternative way to be saved from our sins is not of God.
3. Does the message or intent of the supernatural manifestation or display of spiritual power profess and bear witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord, which means the Lord of all things?
This test was also given through the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. It is recorded in,
1 Corinthians 12:3
"[3] … I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit."
4. Does the message or intent of the supernatural manifestation or display of spiritual power denies that Jesus Christ came in the flesh?
Earlier in this chapter we clearly saw that Jesus Christ was true God and true man. Thus, if anything or anyone denies this truth or does not profess and/or bear witness to it, is not from God. This test is clearly spelled out in,
1 John 4:1-3
"[1] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
And finally,
5. Does the message or intent of the supernatural manifestation or display of spiritual power give glory and bear witness to Jesus Christ?
The Bible teaches us that one of the functions or purposes of God the Holy Spirit is to bear witness to Jesus Christ and to give Him glory. Jesus revealed this when He told His disciples that when He returned to Heaven, He would send them the Holy Spirit. To read the pertinent excerpt of what He said let us read from,
John 15:26
""[26] When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."
And again,
John 16:13-15
""[13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you."
Consequently, any spirit or supernatural phenomenon that does not bear witness to Jesus Christ and give Him glory is not from God the Holy Spirit.
As one reflects upon the above instruction, the following question may arise: "What are we to do when confronted with a supernatural manifestation or display of spiritual power that is not from God?" To answer this question, let us read what Jesus said to His disciples with regard to this issue. His instruction is recorded in,
Matthew 24:23-26
"[23] At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. [24] For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. [25] See, I have told you ahead of time. [26] "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it."
Let us notice the following verses,
26a … Do not go there or put another way, STAY AWAY!
26b … Do not believe it. Let us remember the warning Jesus gave us about false prophets. To read what He said we go to,
Matthew 7:15
[15] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
ONE LAST POINT TO BE MADE
Specifically, before we close this study let us address the following significant question: “Am I lost forever or cannot ever be forgiven if I hastily or wrongly identified the move of the Holy Spirit to be satanic?” To address this question let us read what we must do when we discover we have sinned against God or man. The action to be taken and God’s promise is recorded in,
1 John 1:9
[9] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
To expand upon this we go to,
1 John 2:1-2
[1] My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. [2] And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Amen and Amen