Did You Ever Weep Over Jerusalem? The Lord Jesus Christ did! He knew that an unbelieving Israel would pass through times, of hatred, massacre, and exile such as no other nation has ever endured. If you knew the heartaches of these scattered sheep of the House of Israel and cruelties they are suf fering even today, some of it at the hands of so-called Christians, your heart would bleed, and you would cry with Jeremiah of old, Oh that m y head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughters of m y people! Jeremiah 9:1. Somehow, we are persuaded that in this r a p id ly c lo s in g hour of grace, when the sinister shadow of Antichrist hovers nearer and near er, there is a special urgency in God’s desire that Israel shall re ceive kindness and mercy from His true followers. The Abrahamic covenant is still valid, and God will bless him who brings blessing to the Jew. There is no greater blessing than the acceptance of the Gospel and salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. W ill you become a partaker with Him of His sorrow and love for Israel? W ill you hold us up in prayer as we seek by His power to publish widely and fearlessly the message of “ Behold your God” ? God’s interests are centered on Israel. Are yours? The Chosen People is sent to all contributors. “ Come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.” Numbers 10:29. AMERICAN BOARD OF M ISSIONS-------- TO THE JEWS, Inc. 236 West 72nd Street, Dept. 8 I | New York 23, N.Y. I Canadian Office: | 39 King William St., Homilton, Ont., Canada I do want to help the Jews. Here is $............... i Use it os God directs, to make known the I saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ to | Israel. I Name......................................................................... I I Address.................. 1 C ity ........................ Zone...... State.................. i
The B lasphemy Against the Ho ly Spirit
P ractically all ministers of the gos pel at one time or other speak on the blasphemy or sin against the Holy Spirit. There are differences of opinions as to what the actual sin is but it is usually said to be unbelief. What is this sin? There is no doubt that many men and women are great ly troubled concerning it, and need lessly so. Cases are on record where those harassed by the thought that they had committed this sin have attempted suicide or needed to be confined to an insane asylum. It is possible to be in spiritual and mental agony because of a lack of knowledge of the truth. The occasion that gave rise to the sin against the Holy Spirit is given in Matthew 12:22-31 (parallel pas sages — Mark 3:22-30; Luke 12:10). Christ had just healed the demoniac. It was a notable exhibition of the power of the Holy Spirit working through Christ. The Pharisees could not deny the miracle so they threw a slight on the source of its power. They claimed Christ wrought the miracle by the power of Beelzebub, that is, Satan. They actually said Christ had Satan in Him and behind Him instead of the Spirit of God. The third person of the blessed and holy trinity was being called Satan. For this there was no forgiveness (because no repent ance) in the age then present (the law age) or the one to come (which was the millennial age or the Age of the Messiah, for they knew nothing of the intervening chinch period). It is the only sin that is not forgiven (cf. Mark 3:28-30). The enemies of Christ had sinned more than once against Christ in saying He was gluttonous, a wine- bibber, a Samaritan, one possessed of a demon. These were sins against the Son of Man. But when they saw a man delivered in a manifest way through the Spirit of God, then to assign that work to the power of Satan, this revealed an extreme of deliberate rejection of any divine testimony. It was to take sides with the nature, of Satan and so to share his end. God’s grace remains just as
sufficient and efficacious but the sin ner has placed himself in the position where he has excluded its power in his life. Like food for the body, grace can be rejected until the power to re ceive it is lost. In this, one is remind ed of the “ sin with a high hand” of Numbers 15:27-31. Of course, the sin of the Pharisees arose from unbelief and rejection of Christ but the context forbids us to make the sin against the Holy Spirit any sin persisted in. Everyone who disbelieves and rejects Christ does not commit the unpardonable sin. This sin is never forgiven when once com mitted. Is this true of unbelief? No, multitudes disbelieved many times before they were saved. Some point to Genesis 6:3 to prove that unbelief and striving against the power of the Holy Spirit are the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Genesis 6:3 had its application before the flood and to the whole race in their sin. God’s Spirit did cease to strive with the men of Noah’s age when the flood came. Only physical death (or the coming of Christ) can place a man beyond the striving of the Spirit of God today. When a man rejects Christ and then finally dies, he is guilty of all his sins, not just his final and last rejection of Christ. Scripture teaches degrees of punish ment, taking into account all the sins of the unsaved. Can the sin against the Holy Spirit be committed today? No mention of this sin is made after the resurrection of Christ. No Warning against it is found in the gospels. Paul never speaks of it nor does any other writer of the New Testament. In order for this sin to be committed today, the same conditions would have to be present, as when Christ was attesting His Messiahship by visible miracles of power in the Spirit. Such conditions do not obtain today, for that particu lar ministry of Christ is unquestion ably past. No man can commit this sin now is the view of many students of the Word, with whom this writer agrees. (Note: This is the second and last in the series on the word blasphemy.)
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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