The Unforgivable Sin

My daughter asked me if there was a sin that could not be forgiven. Without mch hesitation I replied, "Of course not; Jesus die for all of our sins." 

To which she replied, "Well, I had heard that blasphemy is unforgivable." 

She is right. In Matthew 12, Jesus is teaching us such a valuable lesson, especially in the climate that America has been melting in... a house divided against itself is will not stand. And he knows that without this "rule" that he cannot rally the people and perpetuate his cause. This has been an elemental requirement for any society since the dawn of time. Socrates' appeal in the "Apology" was to consider the state (one's society) before determining one's personal descisions. He states, "I did not go where I could do no good to you or to myself; but where I could do the greatest good privately to everyone of you, thither I went, and sought to persuade every man among you that he must look to himself, and seek virtue and wisdom before he looks to his private interests, and look to the state before he looks to the interests of the state; and that this should be the order which he observes in all his actions." Concurrently, each country has a threshold of tolerance to which they determine is dangerous to the good of the whole. It is called treason. The bottom line in

Matthew 12 is:

  30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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.

However, I wasn't completely wrong either. One could only blaspheme if they were on the outside looking in. When we make our committment to God, when we invite Jesus into our hearts, we must be all in. There is no waffling. There is no half way. We willfully shed our old ways and are born again with new minds, with new hearts, with new lives. So one could not blasphemy the Holy Spirit if one were in love with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ and 100% committed to God.

God speed!

In Touch

In my search of a holy and righteous life I earnestly follow the Lord through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It's a daily commitment and one I gladly choose, though it is often a struggle. I can get thrown off track so easily throughout the day when I'm around several people. No one in particular mind you, but I tend to be a loner and spend fair chunks of time by myself. Of course during those times I can easily commune with God. Its when I get around others that I loose focus and it seems that I fall down more than I stand up. But that's on my mind and I know in my heart that I need to be more of a stand up person for God. I also know that this comes about the same way one gets to Carnegie Hall; practice, practice, practice. I know that my time spent reading and studying God's word in the bible is the key for what we learn we can recite. Yet it's troubling that I so easily fall into the worldly ways of griping and gossip. I promise to have a better report in the very new future.

God speed!

Dear Friend, I'm Born Again...

Dear Friend,

You have been on my mind so much and the reason why might surprise you; it is because of a conversation we had quite a long time ago. I’d like to share with you my experience and the part you play in it. I can’t remember when we talked, but I remember chatting with you on the phone and for some reason we were talking about the church and some thoughts on Christianity. Within the course of our conversation you mentioned that, at that time, you didn’t really believe that people had to be born again. At the time I offered no opinion due to my embarrassment of being naïve in my faith; however in my spirit I thought the contrary.

This brings us to today. I have driven highway 231 in Alabama many times over the last two months and I have to pass a big white sign with bold black letters that reads, “Ye Must Be Born Again” (John 3:1-7). I have two thoughts every time I see that sign, the first of which is you. I wished I had been strong enough in my understanding to speak to you intelligently on the topic that day on the phone. I feel a tinge of regret whenever it comes to mind so you can understand that this letter is written as much for me as to you. Obviously you know the story of our lives as children; it was an unpleasant and confusing environment. That experience mixed with the other experiences out in the world has a large bearing on our development into the adults that we are today. And we have spoken about the many attempts to learn methods and coping skills to improve the quality of our lives. In that never ending quest to heal old wounds and prevent new ones, my journey lead me away from Christianity and then back to it. It was a circuitous and scenic trip that led me to meet a person who prayed with me. With his guidance I was able to accept that God knows me just as I am and still loves me and forgives me for my thoughts, my lifestyle, my transgressions, my mistakes, my sins. I admitted to myself what I had always known, that Jesus is the son of God and loves me and wants to carry my burdens but it is up to me to learn how to give my cares to him. Yes, I was saved; I was reborn with a newness in my heart. I was born again. It was like the heavy weights of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders and I knew things would be different and my life was going to be better; and it is.

The second thought that I have when I pass that sign is a reminder to me that being saved is not the final destination but just the beginning of life’s journey. Being born again takes us back to being a baby spirit with unlimited possibilities and potential. It is nothing more than renewing our mind to tune into our heart and spirit; to connect with God on a new level. This rebirth is a fresh start to become the person God intended me to be; to be myself. I think it is a misconception that we are saved and the world then conforms to our perfect place. The world does not and never will change; instead, we change. We are motivated by and look out at the world through our eyes of love instead of fear. Fear traps us in our own minds and continually feeds us the lies we want to believe. Love releases us to see through our hearts, to forgive, leave the baggage behind and keep moving higher. As we grow into more mature spirits we should be getting wiser and applying our knowledge to life. The world will continue to present challenges but the lessons that Jesus taught now have new meaning and in our Spirit we are developed, balanced and well adjusted to overcome each challenge. The result is, when the world is chaotic we are calm; when the world is in disarray we see clearly; when the world is a mess we are free and clean. In the end, it never ends; it is a process of maturing spiritually, a continual growth and enjoyment in the peace of the journey.

At this point my growth has steadily progressed since our conversation that initiated this so long ago and I appreciate you taking the time to read this. Of course my two thoughts lead to many more but I’ll spare you those for another time. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have it all figured out but I wanted to share this with you and let you know that I’m trying and do think of you all the time. I value you and feel blessed for your friendship.

God speed!