OCTOBER 25TH, 1943

OCTOBER 25TH, 1943

^[p. 324] BELOVED BROTHER, — It seems to me that what it is to speak injuriously against the Holy Spirit may be gathered from Mark 3: 30, “Because they said, He has an unclean spirit”. See also Matthew 12: 22 - 32.

There was every evidence that the power of divine goodness was operating in Jesus, and that men were being delivered from the power of evil and its consequences. There could be no question that God was with Jesus in infinite goodness, and that He was spoiling Satan’s house after having first bound him. But the Pharisees, knowing this, for it was plainly before their eyes, said out of the pure wickedness of their hearts that Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. They knew that divine goodness was there, operating to deliver men from Satan’s power, but they said it was Beelzebub. It was a question of the character of the power that was operating; was it “an unclean spirit” or was it the Holy Spirit? They knew better, but their wicked hearts attributed what was of the Holy Spirit to Satan. It was charging the Holy Spirit with evil, and for this sin there was no forgiveness. Resisting the Holy Spirit is not quite the same as charging Him with evil.

Man as fallen has the knowledge of good and evil, though it is only those who are the subjects of a divine work who have their senses exercised for distinguishing the two in a spiritual way. But man does know the difference between good and evil. Man knows that evil is of Satan and good is of God, and if he says that good is of Satan it shows him to be morally perverse in his will. It is not that his judgment is at fault, but his will; he hates the good.

The Holy Spirit was the power by which all the works of Jesus were wrought, and they were wrought amongst a people who had not only the knowledge of good and evil but had also the Scriptures of the Old Testament. They had every means of knowing what was of God and what was of Satan. But notwithstanding all this, when the works of the Holy Spirit were before them in the miracles of Jesus, they said those works were wrought by the power of Beelzebub. For this there was no forgiveness; it made manifest that they were of their father the devil.

We must remember that now there is no such public manifestation of good in power as there was when Jesus was on earth. The conditions are not present now which made such ^[p. 325] a sin possible when the Messiah was here. The Holy Spirit is acting still, but not in the same public or manifest way. There is not the same opportunity to speak injuriously of Him. The Lord’s words apply particularly to those who, when He was here, attributed His works wrought in the power of the Holy Spirit to Beelzebub.

No one born anew could possibly be guilty of this sin, though Satan often harasses poor souls by leading them to fear that they have. But it is clear enough that if people are afraid of the very thought of such a thing they are certainly not guilty of it. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not merely a wicked thought which Satan may put in the mind, but a thought expressed in words and maintained as a definite judgment.

I do not know that I can add more, but if there is still any difficulty please let me know.

With much love in the Lord,

Yours affectionately in Him,

October 25th, 1943.