Sins Against the Holy Spirit

Sins Against the Holy Spirit

INTRODUCTION In this our fourth lesson on the Holy Spirit we study the sins against the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Person that can be sinned against. Let us beware lest we sin against Him either consciously or unconsciously.

Some of these sins can probably only be committed by believers, others by unbelievers. However, these differences may be hard to prove as being absolute.

Even Dr Ironside who lists them separately admits that probably both are capable of the seven sins specifically listed as being against the Holy Spirit. The outline is taken from "Handfuls on Purpose," Vol. 3, page 198.

Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is one sin for which there is no forgiveness.

Matthew 12:31-32, "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven."

It is called the unpardonable sin, the most awful sin that can be committed on earth. Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is ascribing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. In Mark 3:22-30, Jesus cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit but the Scribes said that Jesus performed the miracles by Satan’s power. This is blasphemy.

Beware of belittling the work of the Holy Spirit. This is a very serious matter.

Listen to Chas. Finney, quoted in "Finney Lives On" by Edman, page 118; "The Spirit is grieved by saying or publishing things that are calculated to under value the work of God. When a blessed work of God is spoken lightly of, not rendering to God the glory due to His Name, the Spirit is grieved. If anything is said about a revival, give only the plain and naked facts just as they are and let them pass for what they are worth. "

Hebrews 10:29, "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" The Holy Spirit presents the atoning work of Christ to the sinner. If the sinner refuses to believe or accept it, he is insulting the Holy Spirit. In the rejection the sinner is saying to the Holy Spirit, "The whole work of Christ is a deception or lie and presents God with another plan of salvation (works)."

It is counting the death of Christ as a common thing, the death of an ordinary man. To deny the deity of Christ and the preciousness of the blood is to despise the witness of the Holy Spirit, 1 John 5:8. .

Isaiah 63:9-10. "They rebelled. and vexed His Holy Spirit." This portion refers to backslidden Israel but the principles of God never change and men today are as disobedient and rebellious against the Holy Spirit.

Think of the awfulness of redeemed ones rebelling and vexing the indwelling Spirit.

If we are honest with ourselves this has probably been our own hindrance, spiritually.

Sometimes the Spirit reveals ugliness within and instead of being thankful for the discovery we rebel and our proud heart refuses to make the necessary confession. The root of vexation is rebellion. It is caused by murmuring and complaining. To refuse to accept the place in life that He gives and our assigned place in the Body of Christ but continuously complain vexes Him to the point of righteous vexation.

After repeated warnings, multiplied blessings plus abundant light and knowledge to persist in evil, to still ignore Him is surely vexing the Holy Ghost.

Let us listen, yield and obey but never vex the precious Holy Spirit. Let us cease our stubbornness of will and accept the blessing that He wants to give.

Acts 7:51. "Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." We resist the Holy Ghost when we doubt the Word of God.

Hebrews 3:19, "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." Unbelief causes men to resist.

Often the Spirit quickens the conscience to do right but when we deliberately resist His pleading and leading we are actually manifesting unbelief.

Sometimes the Spirit quickens us to speak to a soul, to drop a sin, to become a missionary, to go to Bible school, to live a separated life, to give to the poor, but instead of obedience we resist His guidance.

Here is a warning: Genesis 6:3, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." To resist too long God may turn us over to a reprobate mind, Romans 1:24.

If the Spirit is to have full possession of our heart we must cease all resistance and clean out all the evil that has so long polluted us - cast out unbelief.

Acts 5:1-9, "How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord’? "

Ananias and Sapphira in seeking to deceive their brethren actually tempted and lie to the Holy Spirit. Rather than condemn others, let’s examine ourselves. A man is guilty of this when he pretends to his brethren that he is wholly devoted to pod when he is actually indulging in secret sin, withholding from God.

Beware of a profession that is more holy before men than it is before the Lord.

Psalms 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, 0 God" Do we stand in consecration and say, "I surrender all," when we know in our hearts that we are being hypocritical.

1Kings 5:25-27, Gehazi lies and becomes a leper as punishment. Never lie to the Spirit. Every deception and exaggeration, every false impression intended to harm, and every lie to man is a lie to the Holy Ghost. - Oswald J. Smith.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-20, "Quench not the Spirit." This is a solemn command. The thought in quenching is the suffocation of a fire as in Isaiah 4:4, Spirit of burning.

Matthew 12:20, “A bruised reed shall He not break and smoking flax shall He not quench?”

Ephesians 6:16, “... quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Quench means to stifle, silence. Do not quench, squash, put out, stifle, silence the pleading of the Holy Spirit. When He speaks to us through the Word or conscience we must obey, irrespective of the cost. If we allow the fire to be smothered in our lives, then only ashes will remain.

It is possible to quench the Spirit on one point but yield to Him on other issues. When a person is first converted the Spirit speaks very loudly when he does wrong, but if the voice was ignored His influence becomes less and less until silenced.

Remonstrances that go unheeded result in hardness of heart and lead to quenching.

Let us be careful in criticizing the manifestation of the Spirit in the testimony of some believer, or the sermon of some preacher lest we be guilty of quenching HIM.

Ephesians 4:30, "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed." Parents have confidence in a child. Later the child steals and the parents are grieved. The Spirit trusts us to resist sin and obey the Lord. If we fail He is made sad. To refuse or fail undermines the confidence of the Spirit in us and disappoints Him. The Spirit is pictured as a sensitive dove, one that is easily frightened away.

How often the Spirit is grieved by light and unprofitable conversation of saints. The next verse (Ephesians 4:31) emphasizes this by saying, "Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.? The Spirit cannot join in the unprofitable talk, much less in the evil speaking.

Let us watch the door of our lips. We cannot afford to trifle with sin and grieve Him.

Men filled with the Holy Ghost are happy but solemn.

CONCLUSION

Resisting has to do basically with the regenerating work of the Spirit. Grieving with the indwel1ing of the Holy Spirit. Quenching has to do with the enduement for service. Let us live in constant communion with the Spirit.

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