The ministry of the Holy Spirit? What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? 529-1 - 8 - 4

John 16:7, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (G3875) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

Strong’s G3875, An intercessor, consoler: - advocate, comforter.

"Therefore, the Holy Spirit is designated by Jesus Christ as equal with Himself, i.e., God This New Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, was to witness concerning Jesus Christ and to glorify Him. The Holy Spirit is called a Paraclete because He undertakes Christ's office in the world while Christ is not in the world as the God-Man in bodily form. In addition, the Holy Spirit is also called the Paraclete because He acts as Christ's substitute on earth."

[Thayer's Greek Definition]

Paraclete, the Holy Spirit as advocate or counselor

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament saints was selective and temporary, empowering them when needed for service but not remaining with them. Now we believers have an indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a permanent residence, convicting us of sin, providing regeneration, and repeated empowerment.

The Holy Spirit is and always will be indwelling us. We have this further assurance from 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

We are never to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Mark 3:28-29, “28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:”

Here Temple leaders committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus of casting out demons by demonic power when it was through the power of the Holy Spirit. This had the effect of calling the Holy Spirit a demon. All kinds of sins can be forgiven but not the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, this is an eternal sin. Not only did the Temple leaders blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, they brought about the crucifixion of Jesus.

Earlier when Jesus left the temple, it was reminiscent of the Shekinah glory as it departed the temple in Ezekiel’s time.

As an aside, there is a difference between lying to the Holy Spirit and blaspheming it. Ananias and Sapphira sold their property and claimed to have given the full amount to the community of the early church. This was a lie as they had held back a portion of the price they had received for the property. While holding back the money was not a sin lying about it was. Both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at Peter’s feet. Their lie was to the Holy Spirit; however, they did not commit blasphemy. God took them, so they could sin no more.

As believers we are permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, a gift not to be taken lightly. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the one unpardonable sin. Sadly, it seems to be fashionable today with many. To do so is to risk eternal damnation.

Psalm 2 includes the Trinity 526-1 - 8 - 4

Psalm 2:1-3 “1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

Rage, “a verb meaning to be in commotion, to rage against. This word appears only in Psalm 2:1 where it denotes the uproar and plotting of the wicked against the righteous. The image of a gathering lynch mob conveys well the action suggested here.”

A vain thing, “A masculine noun meaning emptiness, vanity, a delusion. It is used with a prefixed le to mean, in vain, uselessly. It stands for an imagined plot or plan that is a delusion, vain or something that is worthless It refers to professed help that is useless, vain before the Lord. Figuratively, it describes Israel being treated in judgment as an empty vessel."

Imagining, “a feminine plural noun indicating a thought, a plan. It refers to the ideas, imaginations, desires produced by a person while alive. Reference made to Psalm 146:3-4, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

[AMG International. Inc. Word Study]

I can almost see the Trinity in verses 1 and 2 scratching their collective head in amazement at what these foolish mortals plot in Verse 3. And the Lord is laughing, Psalm 2:4, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”

Psalms 2:1-4 is very relevant today considering the extreme arrogance on the part of not only the former Obama administration but in the world in general as they attempt to marginalize God. Those in control have been warned by the Holy Spirit in Psalm 2:10-11.

Psalm 2:7-9 refer to the second in the Trinity, the son. Jesus has been given the heathens to the outermost part of the world.

Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” A bit of a reach to the Holy Spirit, angry and wrath deal with rapid breathing and kindled, consume by fire.

In searching through several sources of commentaries concerning Psalms 2 I found this summary and downloaded the book:

"Contents: The psalm of the king; rejected, established and finally reigning. Characters: God, Christ, kings of earth. Conclusion: The kings of earth are ever setting themselves in array against God and His Annointed King, but in the day when He conies those who will not bend will be broken. Infinitely wise is he who yields his life to Jesus now and dreadful is the folly of those who continue in enmity to Him. ey Word: God's King, v. 6. Strong Verses: 8, 12. Striking Facts: v. 12. The yoke of Christ is intolerable to a graceless neck but to the sinner, saved by His precious blood, it is easy and light. Matt. 11:29."

[Brooks, Keith. Summarized Bible; complete summary of the Old Testament]

Imagine mere man thinking he can make war on our Almighty God. It would be truly laughable if it weren’t for the fact that man is doing just that. More every day we can see that so many leaders throughout the world are doing Satan’s bidding. We are a microcosm of the cosmic war between good and evil. That said, we know how it will end because we have the Book.

What is the work of the Holy Spirit.How does it help me on my Christian journey? 531-1 - 3 - 2

The Holy Spirit is with us, convicting of sin; in us indwelling, regeneration once and for all; upon us for infilling, repeated empowerment.

I’m very blessed to have the Holy Spirit as well as CM’s commentaries and the Internet available as I seek to become a better Christian apologist.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament saints was selective and temporary.

What is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

“The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go from the saints, empowering them for service but not necessarily remaining with them.

[https://www.gotquestions.org/indwelling-of-the-Holy-Spirit.html]

How did the Holy Spirit operate in the lives of OT saints?

https://bible.org/question/how-did-holy-spirit-operate-lives-ot-saints

John 14:15-17, “15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he Dwelleth (G3306) with you, and shall be in you.”

Dwelleth, G3306, A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own.

What an honor, Jesus was, is, always will be indwelling us. We have this further assurance from 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 

To be effective in my Christian journey I must receive the power of the Holy Spirit. With the power of the Holy Spirit I’m “on fire for God.” Within the Church family we can feel the indwelling spirit in our brothers and sisters. It provides the power to become a better and bold witness.

Spirit Of The Living God Lyrics

“Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me

Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me

Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me

Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me”

If I am obedient the spirit continually falls fresh on me melting and molding me, filling me, and using me as a servant to the living God.

Grieve not the Holy Spirit 537 - 6 - 3

Ephesians 4:29-31, “29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”

Grieve, Strong’s Number G3076 is to distress, cause grief, grieve be in heaviness, sorrow, make sorry. Thayer’s Definition includes to offend, a word I consider more fitting.

 We are to edify the Church, not cause dissention among the community. The things that God hates includes; Proverbs 6:19 “A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

The Holy Spirit is not to be taken lightly or to be offended. 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 unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”

Forgiven “neither in this world, neither in the world to come” really gets my attention and as I understand this is the unpardonable sin that would bring destructions. Also, taken in the context of Matthew 12:28-33, not only will those who oppose the working of Jesus “by the Spirit of God” be scattered abroad, if their tree is corrupt, so will their fruit be corrupt.

It seems that there is a difference between lying to the Holy Spirit and blaspheming it. Ananias and Sapphira sold their property and claimed to have given the full amount to the community of the early church. This was a lie as they had held back a portion of the price they had received for the property. While holding back the money was not a sin lying about it was. Both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at Peter’s feet. First was Ananias and then several hours later his wife Sapphira. Peter gave Sapphira the opportunity to be truthful, however, she continued the lie. Ananias and Sapphira did not lie to the early church, they lied to the Holy Spirit. Lied but did not commit blasphemy.

A little off topic, James warns us in 5:12, “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” Taking an oath and not honoring it can lead condemnation. This was something I had to learn as I used to say, “I swear that…”

Scripture from KJV

Does Holy Spirit using the “righteous” and the “unrighteous” 521 - 7 - 3

For some, the thought of the Holy Spirit using the “righteous” and the “unrighteous” is a new concept. Reflections on When I witnessed this in my life.

I had written a DQ#8 for Romans Part 2 that dealt with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory by Abraham Maslow presented in his paper, "A Theory of Human Motivation." I added the remark that decades later I can still remember the impression that this theory made on me as a young college student. The hierarchy of needs form a pyramid with physiological needs at the lowest level. Safety needs, love and belonging and esteem are higher levels of needs topping out with self-actualization.

This elicited the following criticism from a fellow student, “Maslow's Hierarchy, when examined through the lens of Scripture, is the antithesis of God's will for man.  Maslow, a humanist and atheist, and made his position on spiritual matters clearly known: "To spell out only one implication here, these propositions affirm the existence of the highest values within human nature itself, to be discovered there. This is in sharp contradiction to the older and more customary beliefs that the highest values can come only from a supernatural God, or from some other source outside human nature itself."

This accurate and well-meaning reply reminded me once more of how in the box often is the thinking of Christians; that we can turn non-Christians off by seeming to be too rigid. Rather than taking offense I saw this as an opportunity for this discussion question. Maslow may be humanist and an atheist; however, in my opinion his theory has relevance today. So much of our society is still at the lower levels of the hierarchy just trying to survive. Also, there seems to be a tremendous lack of self-esteem among the younger generation, again, my opinion. Perhaps this is because they were sold a bill of goods about evolution and that they are “From the zoo by way of goo.”

So I replied that it is my belief that although Maslow may be a humanist and an atheist his hierarchy has merit. I added that I have surprised Christian friends by stating that humanist and atheist Ayn Rand is a favorite author of mine. In "The Fountainhead" a lone man stood for his beliefs rather than conform to the ordinary but acceptable architecture of the day. Kind of like we Christians are to stand firm on the Word. In her book "Atlas Shrugged" like-minded people sought out like-minded people (producers), akin to not being unequally yoked. I thought that comparing the disappearance of the producers as being somewhat similar to the Church being raptured is a bridge too far. However, these producers often gave up everything to join their fellow producers in Galt's Gulch, also known as Mulligan's Valley.

As a humanist and an atheist I would suggest that the late Ayn Rand would be considered as unrighteous and likely self-absorbed. Given her great intellect and requirement for objective absolute it is a shame she didn’t meet and study under CM

Compare the Shepherd Psalms (22, 23, & 24). What does the Holy Spirit say to you about these? 532-1 - 10 - 4

Perhaps it was the Holy Spirit that woke me yesterday with an epiphany that the subject Psalms could be analogous of Jesus from the foundation of time through eternity.

Most would agree that Psalm 22 reads like it was dictated by Jesus from the very cross. Here Jesus is the suffering Messiah who stepped out of eternity to incarnate as a mere human being and to take on the sins of the world. He was and is both fully man and fully divine. It is through the suffering Messiah, also known as the Lamb of God, that we are justified. It is a gift of grace through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. All we have to do for our salvation is accept that gift. Strange as it seems, many people will not accept the free gift of justification.

Psalm 23 starts with “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” and ends with “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Jesus left so that the comforter could come. To me this is the shepherd that is taking us through the church age which is quickly drawing to a close. We who have been justified by the blood of the suffering Messiah now move on to the stage of being a follower and imitator of Christ as we continue our work in progress of moving towards sanctification.

Psalm 24 stats with “The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Here we have the glorified Messiah. This brings to mind the coming Rapture. Could this be a preview of our manifestation of glorification as we pass into in the presence of our beloved Savior? The Psalm ends with “Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” This Lord of glory is also the Lord mighty in battle. Could be reminiscent of the Second Coming of Christ when he will come as the conquering Messiah conquering with His two edge sword of the word.

Psalm 22: justification

Psalm 23: sanctification

Psalm 24: glorification

Added later:

I keep looking up because I know our redemption draws near. I like the kiss approach, keep it short and simple. That is just what Paul did in his explanation of the gospel:

1 Corinthians 15:2-4

King James Version (KJV)

² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Of course when one really digs into the subject Psalms, there is so much more that can be gleaned from them than justification, sanctification and glorification. I find that very often my thinking is outside the box something that thankfully these KI classes seem to encourage.

How do you feed the flesh? How do you feed the Spirit? 534-1 - 9-6

For those who are very insecure about the state of the world today, there are websites that cater to this paranoia. There is a group of people known as the preppers. Rather than trusting in God, they place their faith in their ability to take care of themselves whatever may come. While we all should be responsible enough to have a several day supply of food and water on hand in the event of bad weather, earthquakes or forced evacuation; being a prepper first seems like an oxymoron. Can one really be prepared for the horrors that will descend upon this earth during the tribulation? What happens in the event the Middle East finally goes nuclear? There is a reality series on cable about preppers where families are graded on a scale of 1 to 100 based on just how prepared they are. This is a typical website catering to preppers.

http://www.preppersworldstore.com/

There are so many conspiracy theorists claiming everything from FEMA building concentration camps for citizens to small drones armed with a handgun and facial recognition.
I am so thankful that I can place my trust in God to see me through these admittedly scary times. I cannot imagine facing today's upside down world without my strong Christian faith.
As for how I feed the flesh, apparently too much as I am overweight, have to take meds for blood pressure and have mild diabetes. That said, I have little interest in a flashy car other than something that gets me from here to there. My physical surroundings are not that important as long as I'm comfortable and not in need of creature comforts. A huge house with high maintenance has absolutely no appeal to me.

I feed the spirit through my studies at KI as well as immersing myself in the Word, reading and listening to praise and gospel music. While I have to admit to having a sinful nature and an electronic gizmo habit, the small, still voice within me guides me. Were it not for the Holy Spirit I might wander too far afield. Now that I am assured of my justification I am trying to more fully cooperate with the Holy Spirit in my sanctification. However, I'm not naive enough to think that I will be sanctification until the Blessed Hope