Luke 12-13

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2012-13&version=ESV

Luke 12:8-10 "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

The Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Have you committed this sin? This has caused so many Christians consternation that they may have blasphemed against the Third Person of the Trinity.

I think today we should really try to understand what this blasphemy is. So below is the study note from the ESV Study Bible on verse 10 of the twelfth chapter of Luke:

Luke 12:10 Speaks a word against … will be forgiven versus blasphemes against … will not be forgiven. Jesus closes this occasion of teaching his disciples (v. 1) with one of the most enigmatic, debated, and misunderstood sayings of his ministry. Key to understanding this passage is the distinction Jesus makes between, on one hand, the extreme case of blasphemy against “the Holy Spirit” and, on the other hand, the lesser case of speaking in an dishonorable way against “the Son of Man.” One who asks to be forgiven for disrespectful words hastily spoken against Jesus (the Son of Man) will be forgiven. (Note, e.g., Peter's rejection of Jesus [see 22:54–62] and his subsequent restoration [John 21:15–19].) But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—that is, the persistent and unrepentant resistance against the work of the Holy Spirit and his message concerning Jesus (cf. Acts 7:51)—this, Jesus says, will not be forgiven. The person who persists in hardening his heart against God, against the work of the Holy Spirit, and against the provision of Christ as Savior, is outside the reach of God's provision for forgiveness and salvation. Christians often worry that they have committed this sin, but such a concern is itself evidence of an openness to the work of the Spirit (see also notes on Matt. 12:31–32 and Mark 3:29).

Friends the conviction you have if you are a Christian is conviction of the Holy Spirit. And thus having such conviction proves you have not committed this blasphemy.

Should we now sin more because we know we can't commit this blapshemy. Of course not.

Instead, pray that the Holy Spirit would make your heart soft toward His convictions. That you would have a repentant heart, and not a prideful one.

Our God is a God of grace. The same grace that is involved in our justification is involved in our sanctification.

Don't think that you are justified and then you can live like a pagan. That kind of justification is often based on a false profession of faith. A true justified Christian will bear fruit and live an obedient live towards Christ. Not perfectly obedient, but one should be growing in obedience. Friends, people have devalued God's grace. They have taken it for granted.

God's grace radically changes our disposition towards sin and self, and changes it towards holiness and God. Pray to God today that God would continually work on your heart so that you would love what He loves and hate what He hates.

I saw a short clip on YouTube yesterday that talked about people who are in sexual sin and know they are wrong, but they still do it. Here is what the author wrote, and I find that it pertains not only to sexual sin but all sin, so read this and aplly it to the sin or sins you are struggling with:

For those who have no desire to change you should ask yourself why. Why do I want what I know is wrong? Behind the answer to this question is evidence that we cannot change ourselves. Our desires are depraved. Someone outside of ourselves must change us. We don’t just need forgiveness: we need transformation. For someone who does not want to repent of sexual sin or any other sin that is habitual, this is the place to start.

Titus 2:11-14 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

Soli Deo Gloria.

Today's post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer.