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John
Burnett: 32 Whoever [a]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever [b]speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. This gives you an idea of the importance of the Holy Spirit.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak [c]what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 The good man brings out of his good treasure [d]what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure [e]what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every [f]careless word that people [g]speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 For [h]by your words you will be justified, and [i]by your words you will be condemned.” I
love how Jesus calls the Pharisees a brood of vipers. Those who preach
a false gospel will be condemned, those who speak the truth of the
gospel will be justified, sanctified, adopted, imputed righteousness,
and co-heirs and rulers with Jesus Christ. I am too careless with my
words too often Lord, please help me to use words that are pleasing to
you and help me grow in Holiness.
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Allen Michaels: 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who
speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. The Pharisees had blasphemed against the Spirit by attributing the power by which
Christ did miracles to Satan (12:24),
instead of the Holy Spirit. The unpardonable sin is the deliberate
refusal to acknowledge God’s power in Christ. It indicates a deliberate
and irreversible hardness of heart. Sometimes believers worry that they
have accidently
committed this unfortunate sin. But only those who have turned their
backs on God AND rejected all faith have any need to worry. Jesus said
they can’t be forgiven—not because their sin is worse than any other,
but because they will never ask for forgiveness.
Whoever rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit removes himself or
herself from the only force that can lead him or her to repentance and
restoration to God.
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will
be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in
him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in
him.
36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jesus
reminds us that what we say reveals what is in our hearts. We must
always be conscience of what words come out of our mouths. That is an
indication of what our hearts are really
like. We can’t solve our heart problem, however, just by cleaning up
our speech. We must allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with new attitudes
and motives; then our speech will be cleansed at its source.
I
have always avoided verse 23. I didn’t want to know what that verse
actually said because I was afraid that I would say or think something
that would cause me eternal damnation. The
above info came out of my NIV Application Study Guide. To me this is
one of the most important verses in the Bible, and for years I have
questioned myself if I really have hope or not. It’s very easy for our
thoughts to mislead us so it’s very important that
we understand what this verse is really saying. I found the below info
online that helps explain verse 32 a little better.
What
is the unforgivable sin which Jesus warns us to avoid? Jesus knows
that his disciples will be tested and he assures them that
the Holy Spirit will give them what they need in their time of
adversity. He warns them, however, that it's possible to spurn the grace
of God and to fall into apostasy (giving up the faith) out of cowardice
or disbelief. Why is blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit reprehensible? Blasphemy consists in uttering against God,
inwardly or outwardly, words of hatred, reproach, or defiance. It's
contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. Jesus speaks of
blaspheming against the Holy Spirit as the unforgivable
sin. Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the scribes and
Pharisees had attributed his miracles to the work of the devil instead
of to God. A sin can only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible.
If someone repeatedly closes his eye to God and
shuts his ears to his voice, he comes to a point where he can no longer
recognize God when he can be seen, and when he sees evil as good and
good as evil (Is. 5:20). To fear such a sin, however, signals that one is not dead to God and is conscious of the need
for God's grace and mercy.
There
are no limits to the mercy of God, but any who refuses to accept his
mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and
the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. God gives grace and help to
all who humbly call upon him. Giving up on God and refusing to turn
away from sin and disbelief results from pride and the loss of hope in
God. What is the basis of our hope and confidence
in God? Jesus' death on the cross won for us our salvation and
adoption as the children of God. The love and mercy of Jesus Christ, the
forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit are freely given
to those who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and
Savior. Is your hope securely placed in Christ and his victory on the
cross?
"Lord
Jesus, your mercies are new every day. Help me to turn away from sin
and cooperate with the purifying grace and work of the Holy
Spirit in my life."
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