The Thirtieth Epistle
Saved,
But Condemned.
DATELINE: Sunday, June 3, 2001.
By Rev. James R. Bingham
Special to corndancer.com
Posted from Memphis, Tennessee
Matthew 12: 31-32
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Because of grace, because Christ died for us, it is all but impossible for the sincere Christian to go to his fleshly grave without making it to heaven. However, there is one subtle form of deceit employed by Satan that can place one's salvation in jeopardy.
Sometimes we violate moral laws because we are simply not aware. That is to say, we sin unknowingly. How much condemnation do we get for those acts? Well, I just don't know. Is ignorance of the law reason enough to avoid charges? It's a good practice to ask for forgiveness for sins both known and unknown. That's what Paul pointed out to the Romans. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
It is written that all manner of sins and blasphemies will be forgiven except that which is against the Holy Ghost.
Blaspheming against the Holy Ghost is not forgiven.
First, what does it mean to blaspheme? According to Webster, to blaspheme is to be contemptuous, to speak in contempt, to be in total disregard.
To Stand In Contempt.
Allow me to use an analogy for clarity. Blaspheming is an act of contempt, on the same order as being in contempt of court. Judges don't like contemptuous behavior. If a person is found to be in contempt of court, the judge can sentence the offender to jail or impose a fine.
On the same order, blaspheming or speaking contemptuously is an insult. To stretch it a bit further, contempt is to abuse freedom of speech. There are some things you just don't say.
Think about the down-to-earth interplay between parent and child. In my day, you just didn't allow certain phrases to come out of your mouth. In my case, biting my tongue was a task in itself.
If I was upset over a decision made by my mother, my smartest position was to tell my sister, my brother, or even my friends, but not my mother. If a child dislikes the disposition of one of his parents, he can tell his siblings, and even his friends. To this closed circle of peers, he can call the offending parent whatever he wants — unless there's a snitch in the circle — but even then, he should never, never, ever call his mother the "B" word. No-no-no, not out loud. Even if he said it under his breath, he's still risking her wrath. A mother's loving wrath is the vehicle that sets the house in its proper order as far as the children are concerned.
Downright Serious,
And Potentially Deadly.
At any rate, we understand what it means to be in contempt. Blaspheming courses through the same vein. Blaspheming is worse than "using the Lord's name in vain." It is worse than the "B" word. It is a downright serious and potentially deadly offense.
Jesus said you can blaspheme against Him. Jesus said you can blaspheme against the Father. In both cases, the sin is forgiven when you ask Him to forgive it. However, to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable.
Why the Holy Ghost? And just who is the Holy Ghost anyway?
Ghost = Soul, Spirit.
Let's start with the word, Ghost.
According to Easton's Biblical Dictionary, Ghost is an old Saxon word equivalent to soul or spirit. It is the translation of the Hebrew nephesh and the Greek pneuma, both meaning "breath," "life," "spirit," the "living principle" (Job 11:20; Jeremiah 15:9; Matthew 27:50; John 19:30). The expression "to give up the ghost" means to die (Lamentations 1:19; Genesis 25:17, 35:29, 49:33; Job 3:11).
So we find that Ghost is breath, life. To give it up is to die. Indeed, life is precious. Breath is precious. When I think of my life, I thank God for every breath I take.
Now, let's move to Holy Ghost. The Hitchcock Biblical Dictionary refers to the Holy Ghost as the third Person of the adorable Trinity. His personality is proved:
(1) from the fact that the attributes of personality, as intelligence and volition (the ability to act on a decision), are ascribed to him (John 14:17, 26; 15:26; 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11; 12:11). He reproves, helps, glorifies, intercedes (John 16:7-13; Romans 8:26).
(2) He executes the offices peculiar only to a person. The very nature of these offices involves personal distinction (Luke 12:12; Acts 5:32; 15:28; 16:6; 28:25; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Hebrews 2:4; 3:7; 2 Peter 1:21).
The Sanctity of Life.
This is very interesting because in our exploration, we just might uncover a misconstrued scriptural extrapolation about the sanctity of life. So pay close attention.
First we must align our thoughts with the higher order of identification that reflects God's revelation of His order to man. It is impossible to conclusively define any of the Triune by gender. However, for the sake of man's earthly association, God has allowed us to receive Himself as a presence. This must be embraced above man's attempts at taxonomy within his limited abilities.
To some who are, understandably, trying to negate the perceived exclusion of women from God's perfect order, it would be an insult to refer to God, or Christ, as anything other than a person, and certainly not "it." However, at the announcement of the birth of Christ, the scriptures quoted the messenger as referring to the child as "that holy thing."
Luke 1:35: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
So-o-o, let's continue to open our minds to God's purpose, and know that a reference to The Holy Ghost as "it" is none other than an effort to indicate a revered presence of worship.
The Presence of God In Us.
The Holy Ghost is first and foremost the third Person of the Trinity, or Godhead. The Holy Ghost embodies intelligence and volition. The Holy Ghost helps, glorifies, and intercedes. The Holy Ghost is the presence of God that we have in us. The Holy Ghost is God-conscience, the essence of life.
This may be a leap, but I'll suggest that The Holy Ghost, against all odds, is the spiritual force that keeps us alive. Like the song says,
He's all over me,
He's keeping me alive.
Life Matters.
It Is Significant.
To be in contempt of the third Person of the Godhead is to count life as being insignificant.
Previous attempts to understand this vital point of scripture has led men to claim that the Bible says suicide is a sin. Stop. Let's look at the issue of suicide for a moment.
We're talking about life. Suicide is an act intended to take, or give up, one's life.
Instances of suicide include Samson in Judges 16:29,30; Saul and his armor bearer in I Samuel 31:4,5; Ahithophel in II Samuel 17:23; Zimri in I Kings 16:18; and Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:5. Each of these Biblical figures gave up, or forfeited, their life. They gave up the ghost.
I just wanted to shed that light on suicide. It's heinous in our sight. It brings great grief to bear on those left behind, but the Bible does not say, "Suicide is a sin." I don't advocate suicide. Of course not! I'm saying it is dangerous to attribute things to the Bible that just aren't there. To do so is a form of insult to the scriptures.
The Gift of Life.
Blaspheming against life, or the Holy Ghost, is a serious offense. The Holy Ghost is a gift. God gave us the gift of life when he gave His Only Begotten Son to serve as a substitute for our transgressions. John 3:17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Jesus gave us the gift of life when he sent us the Holy Ghost as another Comforter. John: 10:10: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The Holy Ghost gives us gifts. Hebrews 2:4: God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.
Again, for clarification, the Holy Ghost did not appear to men until the Day of Pentecost.
Don't
Look My Gift Horse in the Mouth.
To — as the young people say — "keep it real," I confess, indeed I admit, I get perturbed and somewhat offended when I give someone a gift and he treats it with disregard, or with contempt. I would be lying if I said, "When I give someone a gift, it is theirs. Therefore they can do with it whatever they want." I'm not going to lie. When I give a gift, I give it with good intentions and expect that the recipient would acknowledge the thought behind it by bestowing concern for the gift.
God wants us to respect His son. His Son is God's greatest gift to us.
Jesus, the Son, gave his blood, his life for our sins. Then he gave us The Holy Ghost.
Not only has Jesus paid the price for our sins, he, in turn, gave us someone who helps us when we can't see which way to go; refines or reproves our righteousness; glorifies God in us, giving us a righteous conscious; and intercedes on our behalf when we fall. This is truly a gift of abundant life.
Thank God for Jesus. I said thank God for Jesus!!
Unforgivable and Unpardonable
In This World or the Next.
What a slap in the face it would be to treat His gift with contempt; to treat The Holy Ghost as insignificant, to give credit to Satan for everything the Holy Ghost is doing in our lives; by placing The Holy Ghost where Satan should be, beneath our feet. It's blasphemous! It is unforgivable and unpardonable in this world, or the next!
[NOTE: It is not blasphemy to refer to The Holy Ghost, or to God, as she. What matters is the respect in the acknowledgement. With all due respect, there is no need for any of the Triune to submit to gender recognition. This classification is done to set man as the head, man being the ordered structure of maturity. Man in effect means minds, not male or female. Genesis 5:2: Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. The earth is identified as Mother because Life, physical life, is birthed from earth. God made man, whether metaphorical or not, from the dust of the earth.]
We fall victim to apostasy and blasphemy without even knowing it. Have you ever heard this comment: "I did it. I made this. I overcame. I built this with my own to hands. It took hard work and plenty of blood, sweat, and tears." I ask you, "Whose blood?"
God, Christ, The Holy Ghost deserves the praise!!
Praise, Praise, and More Praise.
We should praise God for every breath we breathe. We should praise Him when we eat our food. Praise God when we romance our mate. Praise Him for the love we have. Praise Him in our dance. Praise Him from the guttermost, because He saves to the utmost!!
Can we avoid blaspheming against The Holy Ghost? Yes, but it's tricky because Satan has cast a net of deceit. Without constant prayer and supplication, we can easily be deceived into thinking that we are making it without The Holy Ghost.
Here is a blessing. The gift Jesus gave us is precious, more precious than silver or gold. Listening and submitting to the unction of The Holy Spirit will bring you God's peace, which he hath beyond understanding.
Here is the good part. It's already yours!! Claim it!
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, Be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. — Jude: 1:24,25
Give God Some Praise!!!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Rev. Bingham
can be reached by E-mail at
jamesrbingham@juno.com.
His phone number in Memphis is
901.785.5691.