Part 2 – Is it possible today?
Well, is it possible for Christians to blaspheme against the Spirit today?
Absolutely!!Every word in the Bible comes from the Holy Spirit as the sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Eph.6:17).
The Spirit of God was sent to the Apostles after Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus had promised them that His Spirit would give them total recall of everything that He had taught them while on earth and would furthermore guide them into an understanding of the complete will of God (Jn.14:26). They, in turn, were to share that Spirit-filled message with the world. Therefore, whenever anyone, Christians included, wilfully refuses or resists what the Spirit of God instructs them to do in God’s word, they are acting against the Holy Spirit. No one persisting in resisting the Holy Spirit can expect to be forgiven while stubbornly remaining in that state.
Take for example the wilful sin against the Spirit by Christians who refuse to meet with the saints. We are commanded to gather in Jesus’ name to worship God, to receive instruction from His word and to encourage one another. Those who refuse to do so or who persist in any wilful sin, negate God’s forgiveness by effectively turning their backs on the sacrificial blood of Jesus. This leaves one in a state where the only reasonable expectation remaining is a certain terrifying anticipation of judgment to come. The writer of Hebrews promises that such will be punished more severely having been warned by the Spirit in advance. Those who resist & refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit (stiff-necked & uncircumcised in heart and ears) place themselves beyond the reach of God’s grace (Heb.10:23-31).
What if we continually refuse to love one another in Christ as the Spirit instructs us to do? What state does this place us in relation to God?
The Apostle John says that any brother or sister who practices such a behavior hates his brother/sister and is therefore regarded by God as a murderer having no hope of eternal life (I Jn.3:10-19). That’s about as serious as it gets.
While the miraculous works of the Holy Spirit are not in evidence among us, the results of such are. He is the author of scripture. Any time that we or those outside of the church deny, defame or disclaim His work in the past and in the present, they reject the means by which God intends to save the world and thus they turn away from any hope of ever receiving forgiveness.
The Holy Spirit is the author of both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Therefore, the principle that we are talking about applied to the Jewish people as well. Those who remained faithful to God under the old covenant were rewarded for their faith. Christians also must remain faithful. In the same way that we once repented of sin, it is also possible to repent of our faith. Those who turn away from faith in Jesus also turn away from all of the spiritual blessings found only ‘in Him’. The Holy Spirit is distressed if, as Christians, we begin to work at cross purposes with His will or to quench His efforts to mature us in Christ ( I Thess.5:19; Eph.4:30).
The point is, that anytime we purposely resist or ignore what God is saying to us in His word we are resisting the Holy Spirit. When we keep that attitude and are unwilling to change, we give up all hope of going to heaven. Why is that? Because in so doing, we have substituted our will for His and have gone our own way.
Envy, pride, and other forms of self-will prevented many Jewish leaders from accepting miraculous evidence that Jesus was the Son of God. They spoke ill of the work of the Holy Spirit attributing it to Satan. Saul took their side and persecuted the church. Yet when he came to faith in Christ and repented of his sin, God forgave him and put him to work in the church. God forgave him as He forgives us.
May we hold the word of God in such high regard that we would never dream of disregarding a single verse. Then the Holy Spirit can guide us, direct us and prevent us from going astray. He will encourage us, instructing and disciplining us right into heaven. This is what the word of God is for. May it fulfill its purpose in your life and mine
“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things into which angels long to look” (1st Pet.1:10-12).
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