Luke 12:10 (ESV)
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.
Luke 12:8-12 is a challenging
passage. At the heart of it is the interesting statement that speaking against
Jesus is forgivable, but blaspheming the Holy Spirit is not. That statement is
sandwiched between Jesus’ teaching that our response to him here determines our
destiny in eternity, and an encouragement not to worry about what to say when
we are attacked for our faith. How do those apparently disparate statements
come together?
It is the Holy Spirit that
convinces us to trust Jesus and it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us what to
say when we are unexpectedly attacked. At the heart of life with Christ is the
ministry of the Holy Spirit. Say what you will about Jesus. Peter denied he knew
him, yet he was forgiven. Reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit who convinces
us concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11); reject the Holy
Spirit who bears witness about Jesus (John 15:26) and you reject Jesus. Apart
from him there is no forgiveness. The Holy Spirit is at the heart of this passage,
and he is foundational to the Christian life.
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