Mark 3:28 “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." 30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."
The exact interpretation of this passage is one that leads many people into debate. What is it to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? What is it to be guilty of an eternal sin? The firmness of language that the Lord speaks with in this passage is intense in its directness. The thought of being guilty of an eternal sin seems to speak of a permanence and separation from mercy that no person should find themselves guilty of, whatever it is! Even though this passage is subject to the debate of many verse 30 places these words of Jesus in the context of His intended meaning with such clarity that it is hard to deny. “He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”
It is truly remarkable to notice the spirit in which Jesus reacts to this accusation. It seems that the Lord was highly offended that the pure works of the Holy Spirit could be labeled as the works of the devil. His words of warning are placed clearly in this context of demonstrating God’s offense at this presumption. So what it is the point of this passage? If taken literally it is impossible to miss the clearly defined statement that to call the powerful works of the Holy Spirit something from the devil is not just offensive but blasphemous. This passage is a warning to be careful how we judge!
Throughout the body of Christ there are many people who argue passionately against the working of God’s Spirit because they are uncomfortable with how those expressions are demonstrated. Many are very comfortable making bold statements and calling various signs and wonders demonic deceptions. Oh how dangerous this would seem to be. Even if taken as general principle rather than clearly expressed statement the least we can grasp from this passage is the knowledge that God cares deeply that no one should call the works of the Holy Spirit something that are evil. This warning should call every heart to a place of great care in judging supernatural signs that we are not familiar with. Instead of being quick to assume something is false because it doesn’t fit our paradigm this passage would seem to encourage the opposite. Assume that power demonstrations are from God unless clearly proven otherwise if they are performed in Jesus name! The signs are about the name! Who gets the glory? In who’s name are they performed.
This passage would seem to call to each one of us and encourage us to open our hearts to the possibility of God! This passage would seem to call us to look for God in the miraculous and only when something is clearly demonstrated to be done in another name or to the glory of someone other than Jesus should we disqualify the possibility of God as the source! Too often it is not the final outcome that people are reacting to; it is the process that stumbles. It was not that Jesus healed, but that He healed on the Sabbath. It was not that Jesus cast out demons but that they concluded the source of His power was demonic. Jesus did not manifest God’s power in a way that the leaders could control or dictate. The law that moved the heart of Jesus was the law of mercy! As a result He was a stumbling block to traditionalists. Don’t be stumbled by the works of God. Do not hinder the work of God by passing judgment by how things appear. Instead, look at the heart of what is being done, the name that is being lifted up and judge by the Spirit of God not the traditions of men.
No comments:
Post a Comment