Heart to Mouth – Matthew 12:31-37
Is there a sin too great for God to forgive? In v31, Jesus says, “… the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” To understand this, we first need to tackle some questions.
1. What does it mean to blaspheme?
To blaspheme means to “speak evil of”. In the instance of this passage, it refers to speaking evil of the Holy Spirit.
We get a sense that to blaspheme God’s name is a very serious offence, such that a death penalty is warranted (Lev 24:16).
2. What is God’s nature with regards to sin?
In God’s first formal introduction of Himself to Moses, the Lord introduced Himself as a forgiving God (Exo 34:6-7). This is also seen in Psa 86:5. God is also able to make one clean regardless of the sin that is in them (Isa 1:18).
3. One might question the extent of God’s mercy, whether his mercy is able to cover all sins, including blasphemy and other very serious sins.
· In 1 Cor 6:9-11, Paul writes a list of unrighteous and sinful acts/individuals that the Corinthian church had committed but they are washed and sanctified (v11).
· In Mark 14:71, we have Peter who denied Jesus when questioned if he knew Jesus. In 1 Tim 1:13, Paul writes of how he was a blasphemer and persecutor of Jesus and his work. Jesus’s response to those who blasphemed against him, against those who ultimately killed him was one of forgiveness as seen in Luke 23:24.
· The limit of God’s mercy then is not a matter of how serious a sin is but on the individual’s belief on Jesus, his faith in Jesus. This can be seen in John 3:36 where everlasting life awaits those who believe in Jesus but the wrath of God awaits those who do not believe Jesus.
4. What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit:
· Creates (Job 33:4), protects Israel (Isa 63:10-14), dwells within (Gen 41:38)
· Inspires scripture writing (2 Pet 1:20-21), sanctifies (Titus 3:5), baptizes (Rom 6:3-5), seals (Eph 1:13), dwells in believers (1 Cor 3:16), incarnation (Luke 1:35)
The chief ministry of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is to glorify the Son of Man:
· John 15:26 – Testify of Jesus
· John 16:13-14 – guide people to truth, glorify the Son of Man
· Acts 1:8 – only after receiving HS power the disciples proclaim Jesus’ name
How do we link the above together?
The Holy Spirit’s role is to glorify Christ and testify about him. Therefore to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to deny the Spirit’s testimony of Christ – ultimately, a defiant denial of Christ Himself. This denial of Christ reflects unbelief or rejection of Christ and God limits his mercy on the individual, condemning him in this case.
In the context of Matthew 12, Jesus also speaks about judgment given for idle words spoken, justifying someone based on his words (v36-37).
The audience in this context is the Pharisees, described by Jesus as a generation of vipers, evil (v34). The Pharisees typify those whose inner heart is evil, whose heart is dead and unregenerate. The evil in their hearts is revealed through the evil words that they speak, and by those words they shall be judged and condemned.
In contrast, a good heart brings forth words that are pleasing to God (Rom 10:9-10). (Isaiah 6:1-8) Isaiah is an example of one who acknowledges his depravity (v5) in relation to God’s holiness (v1-3), being purified by God (v6-7) and consequently uttering “good things” because of his clean heart (v8).
That being said, every Christian, though not at risk of being condemned for eternity, should be watchful to speak “good things” that reflect the new and good heart that God has given us (Eph 4:25-32). We are justified and are undergoing a continuous process of sanctification. Walking in love and giving thanks (Eph 5:1-4) are the things that we should be focused on, as opposed to idle talk that does not bring benefit.
The core of our hearts needs to be Christ. It is only then that the tree is good and will produce good fruit (v33). The core of the Pharisees’ hearts was evil and a denial of Jesus.
Shortly, after the passage of Matthew 12, the door to the Kingdom for Israel would be closed. That need not be the case for any soul today. The door to Jesus is still open for us in 2018 (1 John 1:9). Let us go to God to give us the right hearts (Eze 36:26) and constantly sanctify ourselves to walk in the right spirit, speak about good things in love to edify others, bring others to know Jesus Christ.
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