Christ’s clarity in a confused world – Part 1

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37b-38

Christian author and evangelist, Larry Moyer, writes, “Some years ago, a commuter train stalled on the tracks moments before a freight train was due to arrive. A conductor ran to flag down the approaching train, and the passengers were assured that there was no need for worry. As they began to relax, the freight train suddenly came bearing down upon them.

“The engineer of the freight train narrowly escaped death by jumping just before the impact. He later testified in court why he had not stopped: ‘I saw a man waving a warning flag, but it was yellow. I thought he just wanted me to slow down.’ Examining the flag in question explained the confusion. The flag had once been red, but long exposure to the sun and weather had turned it a dirty yellow color. The cause of the crash can be stated in one sentence: The message was not clear.” Larry Moyer, Free And Clear: Understanding & Communicating God’s Offer of Eternal Life [Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997], p. 13.) Confusion can destroy lives both now and in eternity.

In a remarkable book published some years ago, Canon Roger Lloyd, an archdemon instructs on an ancient and effective piece of Satanic strategy, “Insert yourself into the simple situations which call for plain and obvious duties and complicate them and complicate them again until at last no one involved in them can make sense of the confusion.” (http://www.biblia.work/sermons/ confusion-2). 

Satan’s strategy is to confuse the world about the identity of Jesus Christ to prevent Him from becoming more well known. We are going to study Christ’s clarity in a confused world in John 7:37-52. First, we will look at CHRIST’S CLARITY ABOUT ETERNAL SATISFACTION (John 7:37-39). The first thingJesus taught about eternal satisfaction is that it is free.

On each of the first seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles the priest led a joyous parade from the Temple area down to the pool of Siloam where a golden pitcher would be filled with water. The priest, leading the procession, would then return to the Temple where he poured the water into a silver basin by the altar of burnt offering. This was accompanied by the recitation of Isaiah 12:3: “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” This ceremony symbolized God’s grace in providing water for the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness and His provision of refreshment and cleansing in the messianic age to come. It also served as a confession of thirst and an expression of prayer for autumn rains after the long, dry season.

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying…” (John 7:37a). The “last day” was the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles. On the eighth day, this water ceremony did not take place which makes Christ’s offer for living water even more amazing. Jesus “stood.” Rabbis usually sat when teaching their disciples, but Jesus stood because of the importance of what He was about to say and so He could be seen and heard better when He gave this marvelous invitation. When Christ cried out this invitation, He was claiming to be the fulfillment of all that the Feast of Tabernacles anticipated. He announces that He was the One, the Messiah, Who could provide Messianic blessings. Jesus’ words compared His own Person to the rock in the wilderness that supplied the needs of the Israelites (cf. Exodus 17:1-7;  I Corinthians 10:4).

There is only one prerequisite to Jesus’ invitation. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37b). “If anyone thirsts…” Only thirsty people drink. God has created us with a built-in need for Him. We are all born with a thirst for God — a longing to know God. For some, there is a deep thirst for significance. They want to feel like they are important and belong. That they are somebody. People whom society overlooks, those who are not wealthy, or handsome, or have strong personalities, thirst to be regarded as important. Some are looking for power – the ability to accomplish things. Jesus says to such. “If that is what you want, come to Me. Enter a personal relationship with Me,” Jesus says, “And your thirst for power and significance will be satisfied forever.”

Physical thirst is the most powerful drive known to man. The sex drive can be contained, you can even deny satisfying hunger for weeks at a time, but one thing you cannot leave unsatisfied is thirst. It becomes a driving force that takes over all your life and makes you think of nothing else but satisfying it.

Like the man crawling through the Sahara Desert when he is approached by another man riding on a camel. As the rider approaches, the crawling man whispers through his parched lips, ”Water … please. Can you give … water?” “I’m sorry,” replies the man on the camel, “I don’t have any water with me. But I’d be delighted to sell you a necktie.” “Necktie?” whispers the man. “I need water!” “They’re only four dollars apiece.” “I need water.” “Okay, okay, two for seven dollars.” “Please! I need water!” the man exclaims. “I don’t have any water, all I have are ties,” replies the salesman, as he heads off into the distance.

By now the man has lost all track of time, crawling through the desert seemingly for days. Finally, nearly dead, with clothes tattered and skin peeling under the relentless sun, he comes to an oasis with a restaurant. Summoning his last bit of strength, he staggers to the door and confronts the headwaiter. “Water … can I get … water,” the dying man pleads. “I’m sorry, sir. Neckties required.” I know – bad joke.

But have you ever really been thirsty? When you are thirsty, there is not much else you can think about, like appropriate clothing attire for fine dining. When you are thirsty, you cannot get it out of your mind. It is all you think about. That is what Jesus means. If you feel yourself driven, wanting something, restless and thirsty and longing for satisfaction, then His invitation is, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37b). Jesus says, “If anyone…”Regardless of your background, education, ethnicity, intelligence, or social status, Jesus says to come to Him for eternal satisfaction and it is free. You don’t have to pay a cent. You don’t have to work for it. You simply come to Christ as you are.

The second thing Jesus tells us about eternal satisfaction is that it is by faith. “He who believes in Me…” (John 7:38a). The way to come to Christ is by faith alone apart from any good works. The word “believe” (pisteuō) means to  be convinced that something is true and then trust or depend on that something.

For example, years ago, three men were fishing on the Broadback River in northern Quebec. A violent storm arose and gale force winds overturned their canoe. The men knew they couldn’t save themselves. They noticed the large ice chest that had been in the canoe now floating on the water. They were convinced the ice chest could hold them up, so they pulled the ice chest underneath them, rested their weight upon it and trusted it to save them. And it did.

What Jesus is saying is we are to come to Him just as we are – as sinners, understanding that He died in our place to take our punishment and rose again, so that all we must do is believe or trust in Him alone for the free gift of salvation. The moment we trust in Christ alone for salvation, “As the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38b).

What “Scripture” is Jesus thinking of? I agree with Zane Hodges who argues that it refers to Ezekiel’s vision of the future Millennial Temple in Ezekiel 47 (Zane C. Hodges, “Rivers of Living Water – John 7:37-39,” Bibliotheca Sacra 136:543 (July-September 1979):239-48). “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east…south of the altar… it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep… And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.” (Ezekiel 47:1, 5, 9).  Ezekiel is talking about the Temple of God in the future 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth.

There is a link between the altar and the water ceremony which reminds us of Ezekiel 47. The waters issue forth at the right side of the altar of the Millennial Temple and the priest would pour water on the right of the altar during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Also, the waters of Ezekiel’s prophecy have similar properties as the rivers Jesus speaks of, “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.” (Ezekiel 47:9).  Those waters are properly described as living waters. This will be a life-giving river that flows from the Temple in the future kingdom that will bring blessings to all it reaches.

If the Millennial Temple was to become the source of living, healing waters, could the destiny of those who believe in Christ be any different? Jesus tells us that when we come to Him as we are and believe in Him as our only hope of heaven, out of our innermost being will flow rivers (not just a river, but “rivers”) of living water. The great thing about what Jesus offers is that it will never run dry. We will always have more than we need. When we are filled with the water Jesus offers, it does not stop with us. It gushes out of us! It keeps coming and touches those that we touch. We become, pipes, so to speak – pipes for Jesus – that in effect, allow Christ’s living water to flow through us to others.  We are former thirsty people who now show thirsty people how to get a drink. God wants these rivers of living water to flow out of our lives to bless others.

So the third thing that we see about the eternal satisfaction that Jesus freely offers, is that it focuses on others. When we come to Jesus and He more than satisfies our spiritual thirst, we start to show concern for others. The satisfaction that we found in Christ leads us to reach out to needy people around us and to minister to them. Why not be a pipe for Jesus and let His blessing flow through you as you step out in faith to share the gospel with those who don’t have Christ in their lives? Be the channel through which the unsaved can discover how much God loves them and wants to bless them with eternal life. God saved you so that you can become a blessing to others as His rivers of living water flow through you to satisfy the need of other people.

John identifies what the living water is. “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39). The living water is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would not be given until after Jesus was glorified, that is, after His death, resurrection and return to the Father in heaven. This giving of the Holy Spirit took place on the day of Pentecost (cf. John 15:26; 16:7; Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:1-13; I Corinthians 12:13). Jesus is announcing that the Holy Spirit would come on believers in a new way, namely, to regenerate (John 3:3-8; cf. Titus 3:4-7), baptize (John 1:33; Acts 1:4-5; I Corinthians 12:13), indwell (John 14:16-17; I Corinthians 6:19), seal (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30), and empower them (cf. Acts 1:8).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your clarity in the midst of a very confused world. You alone are the Messiah-God!!! You created me with a spiritual thirst that only You can quench. I once tried to quench my thirst through the things of this world, including religion. But they only left me more dissatisfied. Thank You for freely giving me eternal satisfaction the moment I believed in You. I now have rivers of living water flowing through my inner being which can never run dry. As I continue to abide in You and Your Word, Your rivers of living water can flow through me to others who are searching for Your eternal satisfaction. Please grant me the boldness and clarity to proclaim Your eternal satisfaction to those who would otherwise die forever in confusion. Thank You for hearing my prayer my Lord and my God. In Your holy and powerful name. Amen.

When the Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want for protection

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil.” Psalm 23:5a

When David writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil,” he has a picture in mind of shepherd life in Palestine. Charles W. Shemming, who has written a lot about shepherds in the Middle East, says that when a shepherd comes to a new field in which to feed his flock, he inspects the field closely, looking for grass that could poison the sheep. He also inspects the field for poisonous snakes. These snakes live under the ground and have a way of popping up out of their small holes and biting the noses of the sheep. Their bite is poisonous and sometimes the inflammation from their bite will kill the sheep.

The shepherd leaves the sheep outside any such infested field. Then he walks up and down the field until he finds the holes of the snakes. He takes from his belt a bottle of thick oil. Then, raking over any long grass with his staff, he pours a circle of thick oil at the top of every snake’s hole he can find. As he leads the sheep into the field, he anoints the head of each sheep with the oil. When the snakes come out of their holes to do their deadly damage, the oil keeps them from getting out. Their smooth bodies cannot pass over the slippery oil. Moreover, the oil on the sheep’s head acts as a repellent. So if a snake gets near the nose of a sheep, the smell drives the snake away. Literally, then, the sheep are allowed to graze in plenty in the presence of their enemies.

What the shepherd did for his sheep, God does for His people. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has sent you to live in a dangerous place. Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16a). Jesus was known as “a friend of sinners” because He spent a lot of time with those who were considered outcasts by the religious establishment (Matthew 11:19). The religious leaders of Israel crucified Christ because He loved needy people who saw their need for a Savior.

Jesus wants us to take His message of grace to the world (Mark 16:15; John 20:21). Anyone can minister in the confines of a church or a home, but it takes the power of God to live that life in a world opposed to Jesus Christ. One reason we do not cultivate friendships with non-Christians is because we are afraid. We fear that their values will become ours. “Wolves won’t become sheep, but sheep can become wolves,” we say to ourselves.

Yet Christ calls us to go (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15) and He gives us the power to do so through the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; I John 2:20, 27). Jesus gives us authority to be in the world and His presence protects us. Our Good Shepherd leads us to dangerous places and it is there that He feeds us. You and I are far safer in such a place with God than we could possibly be anywhere else without Him.

In the summer of 2013, the Lord led me to go with one other American and a few Filipino translators to a critical area in the southern Philippines to preach the gospel in public schools. We were warned ahead of time that Australian missionaries had been killed there by militant rebels the week before we went. But I still believed God was calling me to go to this area to share the love of Christ with these people.

During the week that we were there, I experienced an incredible peace from my Good Shepherd as we went from school to school to share the good news of Jesus’ love and grace. It was obvious that He had prepared the fields of harvest beforehand and His Holy Spirit gave us the boldness and clarity needed to preach Christ crucified. By God’s grace, thousands of people professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their only hope of heaven!

During these difficult and uncertain times, it is important to see our Good Shepherd as the source of our protection. He is for us and not against us. And because He is with us and has us anointed us with His Holy Spirit, we can respond to dangerous situations with His boldness and love that can melt the hardest of hearts. Christ changes hateful and hurtful people into people of love who begin to help others heal. What a wonderful Savior and Shepherd we have!

Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, I needed to hear this message this morning. So much fear-based sensationalism is in our world today. People are afraid to go out of their homes because of all the terrible reports. Please give me the eyes of faith so I may see that it is You Who may lead me into a dangerous place to feed me there. You are the One who goes before me to prepare the way. You are able to teach me things there that I could never learn anywhere else. Thank You for the Holy Spirit Who comforts me and empowers me to carry out Your mission on planet earth. I pray He will prepare unsaved people in the world to hear and believe the saving message of Your death and resurrection (John 16:7-11; I Corinthians 15:1-8). Please give me creativity and wisdom to reach out to those You are preparing to be saved. Lead me, Good Shepherd, to those who need Your saving grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There is hope even if I don’t know how to pray

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

As we face the many challenges presented to us by the coronavirus, we may not know how to pray to God. And we can lose that sense of hope that says things will get better. Maybe you are feeling that way now. Maybe you have an ache in your heart over a loss of some kind. It may be the loss of connections with people through social distancing. Or your loss may revolve around finances… a job… a friendship … your own health… or the loss of a loved one.

Romans 8:26-27 tells us, 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” These verses are telling us that if you are a Christian, you can have hope through the indwelling Holy Spirit Who “helps us in our weaknesses” (8:26a). When we encounter pain and suffering (Rom. 8:18-25), we may not know exactly how to pray to God, so the Holy Spirit helps us by praying on our behalf (“makes intercession for us”) to God the Father (8:26b).

The word “groanings” expresses feelings of compassion for our weak condition. The Holy Spirit requests the Father’s help for us with deep compassion (cf. Eph. 6:18). However, we should not confuse these “groanings” with praying in tongues. These “groanings … cannot be uttered” by the Hoy Spirit. This is not an audible prayer language to the human ear. Besides, this passage promises all Christians God’s help, not just those who had the gift of tongues. Furthermore, the Scriptures never connect the gift of tongues with intercessory prayer. The main point of verse 26 is that even when “we do not know what we should pray for,” the Holy Spirit prays to God the Father on our behalf, telling Him exactly what is on our hearts (8:26).

Even though we cannot hear the Holy Spirit’s intercession for us, God the Father can hear and understand Him. So not only does the Holy Spirit pray on our behalf, but we have a heavenly Father “who searches” our hearts and “knows what the mind of the Spirit is” (8:27a).The Holy Spirit makes our hearts understandable to the Father. We can be assured that the Holy Spirit’s prayers for us are effective in securing God’s help for us, because the Spirit prays on our behalf “according to the will of God” (8:27b).

For example, when our children were infants, my wife would tune in to each child’s wordless cry. She learned to distinguish a cry for food from a cry for attention, an earache cry from a stomachache cry. To me the sounds were identical, but not to their mother who instinctively discerned the meaning of the helpless child’s cry. The Holy Spirit has resources of sensitivity beyond those of the most discerning mother. The Spirit of God can detect needs we cannot articulate. So as the Spirit prays for us, He gives content and expression to our heavenly Father as to the deep things of our hearts. He makes us understandable to the Father. When we do not know what to pray the Holy Spirit fills in the blanks.

I remember visiting a church member in his home several years ago after he had battled an illness that made it difficult for him to put his thoughts into words. He told me there would be times with the Lord that he would be unable to finish his prayers and this greatly disturbed him. So I turned to Romans 8:26-27 and explained to him that even when he was unable to finish his prayers, God the Holy Spirit would finish them for him. The Spirit would pray to God the Father on this man’s behalf, telling the Father exactly what was on his heart. The Holy Spirit made him understandable to the Father. And not only that, the Spirit prayed on his behalf according to the will of God. These truths gave this man hope that God truly did understand his deepest longings and needs that he was unable to put into words.

So when we feel uptight about our inability to pray about a particular need or situation, we can rest in the promises found in Romans 8:26-27. We are assured that God will help us in our weaknesses because the Holy Spirit makes our needs and longings known to the Father by praying to Him on our behalf. During difficult times, we need to know that God understands us. Even if we can’t express ourselves well, our compassionate Father in heaven will understand how we feel and what we need because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. When we feel understood, we really begin to experience hope. Because if God understands our hearts and our needs, then He can do something about them.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, during these uncertain times, it can be difficult for me to find the words that express my deepest longings and needs to the Father in prayer. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for praying to the Father on my behalf according to God’s will even when I do not know what to pray. Knowing that You make my heart’s desires understandable to my compassionate Father in heaven gives me hope in the midst of these difficult times. Because when my heart’s deepest longings and needs are understood by You, then You can do something about them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Can a Christian commit Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:31-32

Many Christians fear that they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and will not go to heaven when they die. Is it possible for a Christian to commit this sin? Let us look at the context of this passage in Matthew 12:22-37 to determine first, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirt, and second, who can commit this sin. 

After Jesus healed a “blind and mute” demon-possessed man “the multitudes” asked if Jesus could be “the Son of David,” the descendant of king David who would be their Messianic King (12:22-23). The Pharisees could not deny that Jesus performed a miracle, so they attributed the power by which He cast out this demon to “Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (12:24). The Pharisees knew Jesus performed this miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:2), yet they offered a different explanation so that the multitudes would not conclude that Jesus was their Messianic King.  

Jesus responds to this charge of the Pharisees by giving three reasons why it is false:

  1. Satan would not empower Jesus to cast out a demon because that would divide his kingdom and bring it to destruction (12:25-26).
  2. Since the Pharisees believe that Jewish exorcists cast out demons by God’s power, it is inconsistent for them to charge Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power (12:27). The Pharisees knew that “If” Jesus casts out demons “by the Spirit of God” (and He does), then it means “the kingdom of God has come upon them” (12:28). 
  3. Before a robber can enter a strong man’s house, he must have more power to subdue the strong man, meaning if Christ can cast out a demon He must be stronger than Satan (12:29). But Satan would not give Jesus more power than his own. So Jesus refutes this false charge of the Pharisees on three counts.

Jesus invites the crowd to decide to either be “with” Him or “against” Him (12:30). Then He acknowledges that a God-Man (“Son of Man”) living among people may not be fully understood so He says, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him” (12:32a). It is possible for a non-Christian to blaspheme (“slander, defame, speak against”) Christ and later seek His forgiveness as in the case of Saul (Acts 9:3-5; 26:9-11; Philippians 3:6, 9; cf. Luke 23:34). However, “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit…will not be forgiven” (12:32b). 

“Blasphemy” (12:31) has the idea of uttering false charges which defame or damage another person’s reputation. In this historical context, blasphemy of the Holy Spirt involved attributing to Satan the works which were knowingly performed by the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. The religious leaders of Israel, the Pharisees, knew that what Jesus did was the work of the Holy Spirit. They knew Jesus was from God because no one could perform the miracles that He performed unless “God was with Him” (John 3:2). Yet they knowingly attributed the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus to Satan. 

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven by God or is impossible for God to forgive. No, He says blasphemy of the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven men…will not be forgiven him” (12:31b, 32b). God is willing and able to forgive any all sins (cf. Psalm 103:2a, 3a; Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19b). He is also willing and able to forgive those who seek His forgiveness (Psalm 86:5; Acts 10:43). The form of the Greek statement in Matthew 12:32 is not saying that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. It is saying that there is no case or example of forgiveness for this sin “in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:32). So instead of referring to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as “the unpardonable sin,” it is more accurate to refer to it as “the unpardoned sin.” 

Can a Christian commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Absolutely not, because the Word of God clearly teaches that anyone who believes in Christ receives at that moment a positional forgiveness for all of his sins – past, present, and future (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 1:7; Col. 2:13-14). This forgiveness is perfect, complete, and permanent (Heb. 10:10-18). Therefore, a non-Christian who later believes in Christ for eternal life is not capable of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because he seeks and obtains God’s unlimited forgiveness when he believes in Jesus for His gift of salvation (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 2:8-9). It is also impossible for a Christian to commit this sin because he not only has permanent positional forgiveness of sins the moment he believed in Jesus (Acts 10:43), but he also has available to him when he confesses his sin, God’s daily fellowship forgiveness (I John 1:9; cf. Matthew 6:12, 14-15). 

What causes the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? In Matthew 12:33-37, Jesus teaches that a person’s words reflect the condition of his heart. The words of the Pharisees were a manifestation of their hardened hearts (cf. Matt. 15:19 which says “blasphemies” arise out of an evil “heart”). It takes a hardened heart to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit and then knowingly attribute that power to Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus was from God (John 3:2), yet they attribute the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him to the devil. Although the Pharisees had been given an enormous amount of light from Jesus who is “the Light” (John 1:4-9; 8:12), they deceitfully attribute it to the kingdom of Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus healed the demon-possessed man by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they offered a different explanation to deceive the crowds from moving toward faith in Jesus as their Messianic King. So instead of Jesus being recognized as God in human flesh (John 1:1, 14), He was regarded as the incarnation of Satan!

Any individual or religious system that attributes the power of God in and through Jesus Christ to Satan will not be forgiven because his heart (or their hearts are) is too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, any individual or religious system that denies that “Jesus is the Christ,” the Messiah-God in human flesh who is equal with God the Father, is “antichrist” (I John 2:22-23). 

In summary, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is knowingly attributing the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ to Satan. Who can commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Non-Christians whose hearts are too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 10:43). 

If you are afraid of having blasphemed the Holy Spirit, ask yourself, “Am I willing to seek God’s forgiveness for this? Do I believe in Jesus Christ alone to give me eternal life and complete forgiveness of all sins (John 3:16; Acts 10:43)? If so, according to Jesus Christ, you will go to heaven. Sometimes Christians are overly introspective and miss out on the joy of being forever secure in Christ. Doesn’t that sound like the work of the devil who has “come…to steal…kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10a) the joy of believers being secure in Jesus Christ? Dismiss the devil’s lies and embrace the truth that you are forever secure the moment you believe in Jesus for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:16; 6:35-40; 10:28-29).