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[p. 360] MY DEAR BROTHER, — ... It is evident that in each passage where the Lord speaks of speaking injuriously of the Spirit His solemn statements on this subject were called forth by the Pharisees saying that He cast out demons by Beelzebub. Luke 12: 10 refers to Luke 11: 15. The Lord’s words must be accepted as meaning just what they say; viz. that this particular sin is not forgiven, neither in this age nor the coming one.
But it is evident also in each passage that the Lord assumes that His disciples are of a very different character from this. He says, “The good man out of the good treasure brings forth good things; and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings forth wicked things”, Matthew 12: 35. In Mark He says, “Whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and sister, and mother”, 3: 35. In Luke 12: 12 He speaks of His disciples being taught by the Holy Spirit. These things show that disciples of Jesus, believers on Him, are in every way exactly opposite in character to those who would speak injuriously of the Holy Spirit. It is not that the flesh in them is any better than it is in blaspheming Pharisees. But as subjects of grace and of the work of God they are no longer characterised by the flesh but by features far removed from attributing evil to the Holy Spirit. Such a thought would be intensely abhorrent to them; it would be to yourself.
It is true that the flesh is capable of any evil, and I recognise that this is true of my flesh, but as Paul said, “So then I myself with the mind serve God’s law; but with the flesh sin’s law”, Romans 7: 25. It is manifest that no person who with the mind serves God’s law (and this is true of everyone who is the subject of a divine work) would ever be guilty of speaking injuriously of the Holy Spirit. This is the very acme of wickedness, such as would only be perpetrated by those abandoned to Satan, his children taking character from him. The Lord spoke of some that they were of their father the devil. Of course we cannot say that of anyone, for we do not know, but the Lord knew that it was true of those to whom He spoke, and such persons might become guilty, as they did, of speaking injuriously of the Spirit, and thus lie under the guilt of an everlasting sin, as He said in Mark 3.
But it is not possible for one born of God to commit this sin; he would regard it with horror, though fully admitting that his flesh is capable of it. But the deep thanksgiving of [p. 361] his heart goes up to God that that vile flesh has received the condemnation that is due in the cross and death of the Lord Jesus. It has been fully judged by God in the person of His own Son, and the believer is now in Christ before Him. By the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus we are set free from the law of sin and death, and are liberated to praise God. We thank God with full hearts for His infinite mercy to us, for we might have been amongst those who are children of the devil, and capable of committing a sin for which there would have been no forgiveness. We are in our minds in accord with God who has condemned sin in the flesh, and we rejoice to know that God has accounted us righteous by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. We are thus free to worship God, not as having any confidence in the flesh, but as having the Spirit of His Son sent forth into our hearts crying, Abba, Father.
I would remind you that, as a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, you have received the forgiveness of sins through Him, and this, by the infinite grace of God, is irreversible. The Spirit witnesses that “their sins and their lawlessnesses I will never remember any more”. You are amongst those of whom it is written, “by one offering he has perfected in perpetuity the sanctified”. How impossible it is, then, that any sins should be ever charged against those who are in Christ! They will, most assuredly, never be guilty of that supreme wickedness which finds expression in speaking injuriously of the Holy Spirit.
It should be noted that this sin is not an inward movement of the flesh but a deliberate judgment to which the person stands publicly committed by speaking to others. Anyone who feared God would, as I have already said, shrink from it with intense abhorrence.
I trust that these few words may be of some help in your exercises. I pray for your blessing in every way that will be for your joy and for the glory of God.
Yours affectionately in the Lord,