One of the strangest events in the Bible occurs at the start of the four Gospel accounts. Namely: the Lord Jesus Christ chooses to get baptised by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The reason why this is so strange is that Jesus never committed a single sin while on Earth (1 Peter 2:21–22), and yet John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). Indeed, the only people John baptised were sinners, who came to him confessing their sins (Mark 1:5). John himself said:

¹¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11–12)

Jesus never had any sins to repent of, since he was (and is) sinless. John acknowledges this when he says that he is unworthy to even carry Jesus’ sandals, because of how holy and righteous Jesus is (Hebrews 7:26). So, when Jesus comes to John to be baptised, John is shocked, and says it should be the other way around. We read:

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented. (Matthew 3:13–15)

Jesus’ answer to John, and what happens during and after his baptism, helps us to understand why, even though Jesus is the sinless and eternal Son of God, he chose to get baptised.

Jesus’ Baptism: Affirmation and Consecration

First, by getting baptised by John, Jesus was publicly affirming John’s message and ministry, and thus gave his approval to John as a true prophet. John proclaimed a baptism of repentance (Luke 3:7–8) to prepare the way for Jesus (Luke 3:4; John 1:31). Jesus got baptised by John to set an example for others to follow; to highlight John’s message of the need for all people to repent and prepare to receive the salvation that Jesus was bringing.

Second, by getting baptised by John, Jesus was consecrated (set apart for service) by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit for his ministry on Earth as the Messiah (the Anointed One) who would save the world. This is seen during Jesus’ baptism, when the Holy Spirit descends on him, and the Father approves of Jesus, his Beloved Son:

¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17)

From this moment on, Jesus begins his ministry (Matthew 4:17). So, Jesus’ baptism was a rite of initiation, a divine anointing for divine service.

Jesus’ Baptism: Taking Our Place

Third, Jesus himself said to John, “it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). How was Jesus getting baptised part of “fulfilling all righteousness”? We noted before that Jesus’ baptism formally set him apart for ministry, and what did Jesus’ ministry involve? Taking our place as our substitute.

Jesus got baptised because people ought to get baptised. In the same way, Jesus fulfilled God’s Law because people should have upheld the Law (Matthew 5:17), and Jesus died for our sins (not his own), because people must die for their sins (Matthew 20:28; Romans 6:23).

Living a Truly Human Life for Us

Jesus did not have to do any of this. But Jesus did all this on our behalf, as our substitute. By getting baptised in the presence of sinners who were also getting baptised, Jesus stood in solidarity with sinful humanity as our friend and ally. He completely identified himself with our sins and failures, despite being sinless, and did this as part of living a truly human life for our sake. God calls all people to get baptised, therefore Jesus submitted to this command also.

Bearing Our Sins; Fulfilling the Law; Dying for Us

As the people of Israel symbolically placed their sins upon unblemished lambs in Old Covenant temple worship, and sacrificed them for atonement, Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29). In getting baptised, Jesus began his ministry of taking our sins upon himself (not symbolically, but actually), and making atonement once and for all by his sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:10–14).

By fulfilling God’s Law, Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Law on our behalf, which we failed to fulfil by sinning. By dying for our sins, Jesus paid our sin penalty in its fullness as our substitute.

Righteousness Satisfied

Righteousness demands that sinners repent (in those days, by submitting to John’s baptism), follow God’s Law, and that sinners get punished for breaking it. By getting baptised, fulfilling the Law, and dying for our sins, Jesus therefore fulfilled all righteousness. The Apostle Paul sums this up in the following passage:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus became “sin”, because he bore the sins of the world in his body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). In Jesus (that is, through faith in him), we become the righteousness of God, because we are clothed with Christ’s righteousness (Galatians 3:27). A great exchange happens: on the cross, Jesus receives our sins; through faith, we receive Jesus’ righteousness.

In sum, the third reason for why Jesus got baptised was to become our substitute. Jesus got baptised to begin his ministry of taking upon himself the sins of the world, and as the Lamb of God who dies in our place the death we deserved.

For Jesus, We Were Worth the Shame of His Baptism

The striking thing about Jesus’ baptism is the embarrassment and shame associated with it. Thousands of sinners were going to John to be baptised by him. Such a thing is hardly fitting for the holy and sinless Messiah himself, Jesus. And yet, despite this, Jesus got baptised in the presence of many witnesses. To them, Jesus would have looked like “just another sinner”, even though that could not have been further from the truth.

Why did Jesus do this? Why did he go through the shame and embarrassment of getting baptised and looking like just another sinner, though he was not? He did it for our sake. In getting baptised, Jesus began his ministry of taking upon himself the sins of the whole world, which reached its culmination on the cross, Jesus’ baptism of suffering and fire (Luke 12:50), where Jesus was crucified between two criminals and made to look like one himself (Luke 23:33–34). The book of Hebrews says:

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)

Jesus endured the shame of the cross for the joy that was set before him. What was the joy set before him? It’s you and I. For Jesus, you were worth the shameful, embarrassing public image he gained from his baptism, of looking like a sinner though he was not. For Jesus, you were worth him suffering and dying by being nailed to a wooden cross between two criminals in public humiliation. For Jesus, you were worth him carrying all the sins of the entire world in his body on the cross and bearing the full wrath of God the Father against sin—a sacrifice more difficult and painful than anything we could possibly imagine.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5–6)

Jesus Set the Pattern for Us to Follow

Jesus’ baptism sets a pattern for us to follow. We also are to get baptised, but not with John’s baptism. Jesus commands us to be baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19–20) for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38–39).

In Christian Baptism, God calls us to a new life of daily repentance and holy living, because we have died with Christ and been raised with him (Romans 6:3–5). Baptism connects us to the Lamb of God, our substitute who took away the sins of the entire world on the cross, so that in him, our sins are atoned for (Galatians 3:27).

Just as Jesus was opposed in his ministry, Christians who are baptised will also be opposed and unfairly treated for believing and upholding the truth of God’s Word (Luke 21:17). When this happens (whether by the world, or even unbelievers in the Church), we are sharing Christ’s sufferings according to Peter, and so we ought to rejoice, because it means the Holy Spirit is resting upon us (1 Peter 4:13–14).

When we face opposition, let’s remember Jesus, who didn’t care about what others thought of him, and got baptised anyway, because his perfect love for the will of God the Father took priority over his reputation. May God grant us this same mindset, that we may truly live as brothers and sisters of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and thus give glory to God in Heaven (Matthew 12:49–50). Above all, let’s thank the Lord Jesus Christ for bearing the fullness of the dreadful consequences of our sins in his baptism of fire, so that through faith in him, we will never have to do this (Romans 8:1).

See Also

• What Is Baptism?
• Does Baptism Save?
• Is Infant Baptism Biblical?
• Why Did John the Baptist Baptise People?

The post Why Did Jesus Get Baptised? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

The most well-known Bible passage, John 3:16, gives Jesus a significant title which he alone possesses in the entire Bible. It says:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, ESVUK)

The title, or position, that Jesus possesses here is that he is God’s “only Son“. Other translations say “one and only Son” (NIVUK) and “only begotten Son” (KJV). This title or position is not attributed to anyone else. As Christians, though, we might stop and pause at this statement. We might ask ourselves, “But aren’t we also sons and daughters of God?” The answer is: yes, we are. The Bible says:

¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12–13)

This clearly says that Jesus (who is God’s only Son) gives those who believe in him the right to become children of God. This means that there are, indeed, many sons and daughters of God, as many as those who are baptised and believe (Mark 16:16). So, in what way is Jesus God’s only Son?

Let’s take a look at the New Testament’s Greek word for “only” here. It’s the word “monogenes” (μονογενής). This comes from two different words. “Mono” means “one”, while “genos” means “kind, offspring, or kindred”. So, the word “monogenes” means “one of a class”, “one of a kind”, or “one and only”.^[1] What this means is that yes, there can be other sons and daughters of God, but Jesus is set apart from the rest of them; Jesus has a special relationship with the Father that is exclusive to him alone.

Jesus Has Always Been the Son of the Father

In what ways is it exclusive? Here’s a few examples. Firstly, the Bible says that we become God’s children by adoption to experience a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Paul says:

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:14–15)

But when it comes to Jesus, the Bible does not say that Jesus became God’s Son at any point, because he has always been God’s Son, and has always experienced a relationship with the Father. Not just for a long time, but for all eternity. In Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, he says:

¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, … ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:13, 16–17)

When Paul says, “by him all things were created”, “he” refers to “the Son“, in whom we have the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13–14). The entire section from verses 15–20 is about Jesus the Son, and shows the supremacy of Jesus over all creation.

This is significant, because Paul is saying that even before creation itself occurred, the Son was there with the Father—so Jesus was God’s Son before creation occurred. And since Jesus created “all things” according to Paul, Jesus can’t have been created, otherwise he would not be the Creator of “all things”. So, Jesus is God’s uncreated Son. Christians become God’s children through conversion; but Jesus has enjoyed a relationship with the Father as his only Son for all eternity.

God’s Only Son Is Equal with the Father

Secondly, as created beings, we are not, and will never be, equal with God. God will always be infinitely greater than us, even when, through faith in Jesus, we enjoy fellowship with him for eternity in Heaven. The Prophet Isaiah makes this perfectly clear, when God says:

To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? (Isaiah 46:5)

To compare an infinite being that created everything with a mortal being that lives within the infinite being’s creation is absurd. This is why it’s so significant that Jesus claimed to be equal with God when he called God his own Father, according to John:

¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” ¹⁸ This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:17–18)

Whenever Jesus speaks of God, he always refers to God in exclusive terms, calling God “the Father”, “my Father”, or “your Father”, but never “our Father” or “our God” (the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9 does not count, because Jesus says this is how Christians are to pray, not Jesus himself. Likewise, in Mark 12:29, Jesus is only quoting Deuteronomy 6:4, and is not actually describing his relationship with the Father).

This emphasises Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father. For example, Jesus says to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). According to John, when Jesus set himself apart as God’s Son in this way, he was making himself equal with God—and indeed, Jesus is fully equal with the Father.

So, while we enjoy a father-to-son, father-to-daughter relationship with the Father as Christians—God’s children, Jesus is equal with the Father as God’s only Son. Because just as the Father is infinite, uncreated, and almighty, so too is Jesus the Son infinite, uncreated, and almighty, as the Creator of all things. Jesus is indeed God himself (John 1:1, 14), of one being with the Father and the Holy Spirit (John 10:30; Matthew 28:19–20).

But Isn’t John 5:18 the Lies the Jewish Leaders Believed About Jesus?

Some have claimed that in John 5:18, John was actually listing the lies the Jewish leaders believed about Jesus—after all, Jesus never broke the Sabbath. So, Jesus never really claimed equality with God, but this was a lie that the Jewish leaders invented about Jesus. But that’s a misreading of the passage.

A correct understanding of the passage, based on the context, is that yes, the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath, but Jesus proved that he was justified in working on the Sabbath, because the Father himself is working on the Sabbath, and Jesus can only do whatever the Father does. The Jewish leaders did not realise that the Father was in Jesus, and that Jesus was fulfilling the Law as God’s Promised Messiah.

Furthermore, yes, the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of claiming equality with God, but Jesus again proved that he could claim this, because again, the Father himself has given all judgement over to the Son, so that all may honour the Son, just as (i.e. as equally as) the Father himself is honoured (John 5:22–23). As proof of this, Jesus says, “as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will” (John 5:21).

John 5:18 is not the lies the Jewish leaders believed about Jesus. Rather, according to John, it is the reasons the Jews had for wanting to kill Jesus, based upon misunderstandings of who Jesus is, all of which Jesus clarified in the next few verses.

God’s Only Son Can Bring Others into a Relationship with the Father

We read before that Jesus grants the right for those who believe in him to become children of God (John 1:12–13). And indeed, Jesus can do this, precisely because of his unique, one-of-a-kind relationship with the Father, which he could not do if he were not God’s only Son. A very similar passage to John 1:12–13 is found in Luke’s Gospel, in which Jesus says:

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Luke 11:22)

Before we were Christians, we were children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). We were enemies of God who did not know God, pursue him, or seek him (Romans 3:9–12). Jesus, however, was never a child of wrath, but has always been a child of God. And because of Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father as his only Son, Jesus alone can reveal the Father to those whom he chooses.

According to Jesus’ own infallible and inerrant words, Jesus and the Father know each other in a way that no one else can know them. But in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son, he allows others to join his relationship with the Father. When we become sons and daughters of God, we become sons and daughters of God in the Son, not in and of ourselves. This is exactly what Paul says:

²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. (Galatians 3:25–26, emphasis added)

So, because we are only God’s sons and daughters in the Son himself, we will never be equal with the Son or the Father, or as great as them. But in the Son, we experience true intimacy with the Father, and become part of the eternal communion that Jesus and the Father share, in the unity of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Conclusion

The bottom line is that when the Bible calls Jesus God’s only Son, it is saying that he has a unique relationship with the Father that is exclusive to him alone. People become God’s sons and daughters by adoption in the Son, when the Son chooses to reveal the Father to them. But Jesus has been the unique Son of God for all eternity. Jesus is God’s only Son who has always enjoyed fellowship with the Father, who is fully equal with the Father, and who is the almighty Creator of all things.

As Christians and mortal beings, we will never be a son or daughter of God in the same way that Jesus is. But in his grace, Jesus invites us into full fellowship with him and the Father, so that we too can experience true and eternal intimacy with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Jesus does all this for us as a free and undeserved gift, when we put our trust in him as the only Son of God—the one who alone reveals and provides access to God the Father.

See Also

• In What Sense Is Jesus the Son of God?
• Was Jesus Created by God?
• Is Jesus Equal with God?
• Who Is Jesus Christ? (Summary)

References

[1] Bible Hub. “Greek: Μονογενής (G3439) — monogenēs.” Bible Hub. Accessed July 30, 2025. https://biblehub.com/greek/3439.htm.

The post Why Is Jesus Called God’s Only Son? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a group that is traditionally known as “Mormonism”. Its members are called “Latter-day Saints” or simply “Mormons”. It was founded in America by Joseph Smith in 1830, who claimed to have seen a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, who purportedly told him to restore the true Church, because all others had become corrupt.

All Christians of every denomination and church, including Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, have never regarded the Latter-day Saints to be Christian because of key differences in each group’s teaching.

Latter-day Saints believe that:

• Joseph Smith restored the fullness of truth.
• There are many gods and goddesses (potentially millions) who rule other planets.
• God the Father was once a man on another planet who became a God by obeying his god’s teachings.
• Jesus is a created being of the Father who ascended to godhood.
• Jesus and Lucifer (Satan) are brothers. Lucifer and God had different plans of salvation; because Lucifer rejected God’s plan, he rebelled and became evil.
• We can become gods and rule other worlds by taking part in temple marriage (a sacred practice in Latter-day Saint teachings) and obeying the teachings of the Church faithfully.

Christians reject all of the above teachings, and instead teach that:

• Jesus Christ protected his Church from losing the fullness of truth (Matthew 16:18).
• There is only one God who created all things and was never himself created (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 44:6, 8; Revelation 4:11).
• Jesus Christ is not a separate God, but rather one with the Father (John 10:30), the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, a term based on biblical teachings (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14).
• Jesus is not a created being, but the Creator of all things (Colossians 1:16–17). Jesus is Lucifer’s Creator, not brother.
• Lucifer never had humanity’s best intentions in heart. From the very beginning he was a murderer and the father of lies (John 8:44).
• No one can become gods or goddesses (Isaiah 44:6, 8). But all people can have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life in Heaven by trusting in Jesus as their only Lord and Saviour as a free gift of God’s grace (Romans 6:23; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:13–14).

Ultimately, the Christian verdict is that the Latter-day Saints are not Christian because of these and many other differences in core teachings. To learn more about these profound differences, please see the main article below which explores this question in greater depth from a Christian perspective.

• Is Mormonism Christian? Click here to read more

Related Topics

• Who Is Jesus Christ?
• Was Jesus Created by God?
• What Is a Christian?
• How to Go to Heaven

The post Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Christian? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

The Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormons”) are members of a group called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (or “Mormonism”). It was founded in America by Joseph Smith in 1830.

Christians of all traditions, whether that be Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox, have never considered the Latter-day Saints to be Christians for several important reasons. The first main reason would be that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded upon the premise that all Christian churches fell away from the truth in its early years, and that only Joseph Smith has restored it back to its original truth 1,800 years later. This goes against the Lord Jesus’ promise to all Christians that the gates of Hell will not prevail against his Church (Matthew 16:18).

The second main reason would be that the Latter-day Saints’ view of Jesus is a drastic departure from the Christian view of Jesus. Christians see Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity based upon biblical teachings (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14; John 10:30). The Latter-day Saints, on the other hand, not only believe that Jesus was a created being contrary to this, but they even teach that Jesus ascended to godhood as one God among many gods. They teach that each of these gods are from other planets who also ascended to godhood by obeying their gods’ teachings. Latter-day Saints even believe that God the Father was once a man on another planet who became a God in the same way. Hence, Mormonism departs from Christianity’s strict adherence to monotheism—the belief that there is only one God in all existence who created all things (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 44:6, 8; Revelation 4:11).

Ultimately, the Christian verdict is that the Latter-day Saints are not Christian because of these and many other differences in core teachings. To learn more about these profound differences, please see the main article below which explores this question in greater depth from a Christian perspective.

• Is Mormonism Christian? Click here to read more

Related Topics

• Who Is Jesus Christ?
• Was Jesus Created by God?
• What Is a Christian?
• How to Go to Heaven

The post Are the Latter-day Saints Christian? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

Those who say yes to this question say that the essence of God is neither male nor female. This is correct, because in the book of Genesis, God creates both men and women in his image (Gen 1:27). This means that, mysteriously, God is beyond both maleness and femaleness, just as God is beyond everything else in all of creation. Those who say yes might also say that since God is beyond gender, it is simply a matter of choice whether we call him “Father” or “Mother”, and that calling God “Mother” could allow women to feel more included in church. This is the point of controversy. As with all questions of faith, the question must not be whether or not this is convenient for us, or appealing, but rather “is this true?”

How Jesus Instructs Us to Refer to God

First, let’s turn to our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (Jude 4–5), for his guidance on this matter. In the Gospel of Luke, one of Jesus’ disciples asks him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1, ESVUK). This is Jesus’ answer to him:

² … When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. ³ Give us each day our daily bread, ⁴ and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation. (Luke 11:2–4)

Prayer is how we talk to and address God. Jesus teaches us that the proper way to address his heavenly Father is as “Father”. We are to address God as a kind and loving Father who is holy, and who loves us, provides for us, guides us on the right path, and forgives us of our wrongdoings. Some might reply: but doesn’t Scripture also refer to God in motherly ways? Scripture certainly does. For example, Isaiah compares God’s love for Israel to a nursing mother, but says that God’s love is even stronger:

Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)

Yet while God does have motherly qualities in this passage and many others, it does not ever call him “Mother”. It’s important to note that if he wanted to, Jesus could have instructed us to call God our Mother, or some other term; but he did not. There is zero evidence to suggest that Jesus did not do so merely because of his cultural situation (since Jesus did many counter-cultural things during his ministry, such as talking with the woman at the well (John 4:27), etc.).

What this means is that it is perfectly fine and biblical to call God Father. It’s how God has revealed himself to humanity and is a command of the Lord Jesus himself. But to call God Mother, one has to go beyond Scripture, and assume that it’s okay—in other words, to rely on human wisdom rather than God’s wisdom. The danger in doing so is that we end up doing what the Pharisees did, which was teaching as doctrines the commandments of humans, at the expense of the commandment of God:

⁶ And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; ⁷ in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹ And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! (Mark 7:6–9)

God’s Name Matters

It is also worth taking into account that in the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, Jesus tells us to pray that God’s name be “hallowed”, or made holy (Lk 11:2). This means that God’s name is important and that how we use it matters. When commissioning the Eleven apostles for ministry, Jesus revealed to us God’s holy name. This was when he told his disciples to baptise people “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit“:

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 19:19–20)

According to Jesus, the name of God is “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”, and this is the name into which we are baptised, and the name by which we receive all the blessings and security of the Christian life (Rm 6:3–5).

Throughout the Bible, the name of God is a significant topic. God blessed the people of Israel by placing his name upon them (Nu 6:27). God’s place of worship was only where he made his name dwell (Deut 12:4–6, 10–11, 21). We are to trust in the name of the Lord (Ps 20:7), call upon the Lord’s name in worship (Ps 116:13, 17), and are promised that those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Jl 2:32)—a promise which is repeated in the New Testament, with reference to Jesus (Rm 10:9–12, 13). In fact, the name of the Lord and the Lord himself are one and the same (1Ch 22:7, 10, 19), which means that God is not simply called “Father, Son, and Spirit”, he is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

If we would not change the formula of Baptism, because doing so would render it invalid, why would we treat the way we address or pray to God any differently? If changing the name of God to “Mother” in Baptism would invalidate the Sacrament, then changing the name of God to “Mother” in prayer, or calling him “our Father and Mother”, would also bring many similar problems and uncertainties.

One of the problems it raises is that we are failing to honour God by calling him “Mother”, because he has specifically told us to call him “Father”. Another problem it raises is that we are failing to treat God’s name as holy by doing so. One other problem is that calling God “Mother” cannot be done with a clear conscience, because it is not biblical. So, those who do so will have uncertainties and doubts in their prayers, and St Paul says that “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rm 14:23). Of course, if they are prideful, they may not have doubts, yet pride is also a hindrance to prayer (1Pt 5:5–7).

“Father” Is Not a Metaphor

Some might argue by saying that when the Bible calls God “Father”, it’s only doing so “metaphorically”. That is, it’s using symbolic human terms to describe a deeper reality. This means that if the times change, and it becomes more meaningful to call God something else, we could call God “Mother” or “Parent” instead of “Father”, or in addition to Father. The issue with this argument? God has revealed himself to humanity as the Father. It’s a revelation, not a metaphor. From all eternity, God has always been the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, present with the Holy Spirit:

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, … (2 Corinthians 1:3)

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Matthew 10:20)

… ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1–3)

God has revealed himself as Father. It is difficult to maintain that those who speak of him as Mother are still speaking of the same God. Claiming that it’s only a metaphor when the Bible calls God “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”, or the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of your Father”, is worse than simply removing or changing a name or title of God. It’s messing with who God actually is.

It denies how Scripture identifies and reveals God, and instead gives us a man-made identification. The disturbing thing is that while this might not in every case be a denial of the Holy Trinity, it undermines one of the central tenants of the Trinity, which is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always been the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from all eternity. Thus, by messing with the nature of God, it paves the way for not only undermining, but outright denying the Holy Trinity.

This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22b)

To Which God Are We Praying?

Finally, calling God “Mother”, as well as referring to him in feminine pronouns (she, her, herself), raises the question: to which God is the person actually praying? If a pastor leading a church, for example, stands up at the front and prays a prayer to “our Heavenly Mother”, many of the people in the congregation will wonder, “Hang on a minute … Is this a prayer to the true God, or to some pagan goddess deity?” They will wonder this, because nowhere in the Bible is God called our Heavenly Mother. Furthermore, in biblical times, there were pagan goddesses that the Gentiles and faithless Israelites worshipped, such as the Asherah (1Ki 15:13; 16:33; Jer 44:25–27), yet the faithful of Israel continued to refer to God in masculine terms despite this (Is 63:16; Jer 10:10; Hos 2:16).

So, praying to God as “Mother”, or referring to him as “she”, creates confusion among people, and brings doubts about whether this prayer is really to God, or to a pagan deity. Disturbingly, this means that those who invoke “Heavenly Mother” in prayer could be praying to a demon, and not to the true God, since false “gods” or idols are demons (1Cor 10:19–22). We should not do whatever is right in our own eyes, but only what the Lord commands us.

⁸ “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, ⁹ for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. … ³² “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it. (Deuteronomy 12:8–9, 32)

Conclusion

When we look at the Bible’s teachings, it becomes clear that we do not have the right to call God whatever we want, but rather we are to address him in the way that he has revealed and commanded. So, the Bible’s answer to this question is: no, we cannot call God Mother, because God has instructed us on what we can call him, and “Mother” is not one of them.

Of course, it’s important that Christian women are honoured and that they feel valued in the Christian life and their relationship with God. But the Church can do this by teaching and promoting God’s motherly and feminine qualities, rather than by changing the way it addresses God, and doing so in a way contrary to what he has revealed and commanded. We would do well to heed Paul’s words seriously:

³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3–4)

See Also

• Is God Our Father?
• Is the Bible Inerrant?
• Should We Ordain Women for Equality?
• What Does It Mean That God Created Humans in His Image and Likeness?

The post Can We Call God Our Mother? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

Universalism is the view which holds that all people will be saved. Although there are some variations in this view (for example, whether or not Hell exists), all universalists hold that even if some people do go to Hell, it will only be temporary, because all people will eventually be saved eternally from sin—whether they died as Christians or non-Christians. The idea of all people being saved is certainly nice, and can be very tempting for Christians to believe—but the question is: is it actually true?

In the Gospel of Luke, someone actually asks the Lord Jesus Christ the question, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23, ESVUK). Let’s look at Jesus’ answer:

²⁴ “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us’, then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ²⁸ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. ²⁹ And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:24–30)

Let’s summarise what Jesus has just said:

• Jesus likens the kingdom of God (Heaven) to a “narrow door”.
• Many will want to enter but “will not be able”.
• When the Master (Jesus) shuts the door, he will tell those who want to enter, “Depart from me, you workers of evil!”.
• Outside there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

Jesus’ answer to the question “will those who are saved be few” is fairly simple: many will want to be saved, but few will actually be saved.

“For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luke 13:24)

Jesus teaches the same thing using similar imagery in his sermon on the mount, in which he says: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14).

Jesus’ apostle, St Paul, taught the exact same thing in his first letter to the Church in Corinth. This is when he writes that that the “unrighteous” (i.e. “workers of evil”, as Jesus mentioned) will not inherit the “kingdom of God” (the same expression Jesus used for Heaven):

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practise homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9)

Paul’s statement is just as absolute as Jesus’: the unrighteous “will not” inherit the kingdom of God. Both Paul and Jesus provide no exceptions to this whatsoever, which settles the matter: this life is our one chance to repent and believe in Jesus.

Notice that Paul says “Do not be deceived”. In saying this, Paul is warning that we can be tricked into thinking that we will be saved, when actually we are on the road to damnation. The Prophet Solomon uses a similar expression: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (Proverbs 14:12).

Universalism is a deception. It’s one of the many forms of deception that Paul warns against. Universalism deceives people with the false hope that all people will be saved, and in the process, robs many of eternal life. Universalism does this by promoting the false hope of salvation apart from trusting in Christ alone, even though Jesus and his apostles so clearly teach that there is no hope for salvation apart from trusting in Jesus:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18)

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

⁷ … when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, …. (2 Thessalonians 1:7–10)

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:12)

Since Universalism denies that faith in Christ is necessary for salvation, it actually directs people away from Christ, and abandons people to whatever belief or lifestyle they hold to. By abandoning people in this way, the Universalist worldview destroys the need for faith in Jesus (John 3:18), it destroys the need for repentance (Luke 13:5), it destroys the need for mission work (1 Thessalonians 2:16), and above all, it destroys love, which seeks to snatch people out of the darkness (James 5:19–20; Jude 22–23). The only thing Universalism can offer is destruction, rather than salvation.

Does God Being the Saviour of All People Support Universalism?

Some proponents of Universalism attempt to support their view by quoting 1 Timothy 4:10, which says:

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)

However, the fact that God is the “Saviour of all people” does not mean that all people will be saved. A simple analogy proves this. Let’s suppose that you’re in a village during a time of war. An enemy drone is about to drop a bomb on your house, but a soldier destroys the drone with a missile before it’s able to do so. In this case, the soldier is your saviour, because he saved you from imminent death—whether you were aware of this or not. Let’s say that the soldier then visits you and warns you that your house is being targeted, and that unless you leave now, you will die. If you choose to stay and end up getting bombed, the soldier is still your saviour, because he rescued you earlier; but you ended up dead because you didn’t trust in him.

The same is true of the Christian faith. God did save the world, when he sent his Son, Jesus, who made amends for all our sins by dying for us on the cross, and so God is truly the Saviour of all people. But Jesus and his apostles warn us that if we reject what Jesus has done for us, we will remain in our sins, by rejecting our once-for-all perfect sin offering (Hebrews 10:10–14). So, if someone dies in their sins, it’s not because God is not their Saviour—it’s because they chose not to trust in him, as Jesus and Paul so clearly say:

I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24)

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17)

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked … ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:1–2, 8–9)

Jesus Christ: Our True and Only Hope

Contrary to the false hope, deception, and uncertainty of Universalism, the Bible gives us true hope and certainty in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ apostle, St John, says:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)

Through faith in Jesus Christ, Christians can have the assurance and certainty that they will be saved eternally. This is not because of anything they have done or anything that is in them, but through their God-given faith, they have received all the benefits of Jesus’ sinless life, death, and resurrection (Romans 6:3–5; 1 Peter 2:24). After saying that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, St Paul offers the following words of comfort:

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)

Paul is saying that till the day we die, it’s never too late to repent, and receive the righteousness that Jesus clothes believers with. In true, biblical Christianity, there is no hope apart from Christ. Our only hope is Jesus. And this is the greatest comfort anyone can receive.

So, repent, and receive Jesus today as your only Saviour and Lord, if you haven’t already done so.

See Also

• What Is Repentance?
• Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?
• How to Go to Heaven
• What Is Heaven?

The post Will All People Be Saved? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

Yes, the Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ is still a human even to this day, and that he will be for all eternity. A couple of decades after the Lord Jesus Christ died, was resurrected, and ascended into Heaven, St Paul still referred to Jesus as a human, when he said:

⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5–6, ESVUK)

The word for man/men in this passage is literally “human/humans” in the original Greek of the text. Paul is saying that Jesus is “the human” who intercedes for all “humans”. Furthermore, note that Paul uses the present tense for the verb “intercede”, meaning that “the man” Jesus is currently interceding right now. Altogether, according to Paul, it is not a “spirit” who is interceding for us, nor an “angel”, but it is “the man Christ Jesus” who is currently, and will always be, interceding for the human race. It’s as the book of Hebrews says: Jesus’ priesthood for humans will continue forever (Heb 7:23–25), and:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus’ humanity and priesthood will never end. Furthermore, Jesus himself prophesied early on in his ministry that after he dies, he would raise up his own body again, according to St John:

¹⁸ So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. (John 2:18–21, ESVUK)

According to this text, the body that died and was buried in the tomb was raised up again, by none other than Jesus himself. In his resurrection appearances, Jesus had the same human body that he had died in, only now it was also glorified, which was why St Mary Magdalene at first didn’t recognise him (Jn 20:15–16). In fact, Jesus strongly stressed that his human body was the same body that he died in, by showing his disciples the wounds in his hands, feet, and side from his crucifixion, and even inviting his disciples to touch the wounds, so that they knew they were physical wounds:

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24–28)

Some might argue, “But couldn’t Jesus have had a spirit body, that only looked like a human body?” The problem with this is that Jesus denies this pretty much word-for-word:

See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (Luke 24:39)

The word for “spirit” here is the same word used in reference to the Holy Spirit, and can also refer to ghostly apparitions or good/evil spirits (i.e. angels and demons), depending on the context. The point of Jesus’ words is that non-bodily or non-physical entities do not have flesh and bones, which Jesus does have. Therefore, holding to the myth that Jesus is only a spirit is not an option for true Christians. True Christians will gladly affirm the Bible’s teaching that Jesus is still a human.

It’s also worth noting that in Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, he says about Jesus: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). For Paul (and all the other New Testament authors), there is no contradiction to the fact that “deity dwells bodily” in Jesus. Jesus’ humanity does not (and never did) cancel out his Godhood or deity. St John affirms that “the Word” (Jesus) “was God” (Jn 1:1) and that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). Jesus is, and will always be, the God-man.

I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body

In the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed, Protestant and Roman Catholic Christians around the world confess every Sunday “I believe in … the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting” (Eastern Orthodox Christians also confess this in the Nicene Creed). The good news is that just as Jesus was raised from the dead in the same body in which he died, Christians will also receive their bodies back in the resurrection, just like him. In fact, there will be a bodily resurrection of everyone in the world—both of the wicked and the righteous (Acts 24:14–15), but only those who trust in Jesus will go to the resurrection of life, rather than judgement (John 5:24, 28–29). Just as Jesus’ body was transformed, so too will the bodies of Christian believers:

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 2:20–21)

In fact, Jesus’ bodily resurrection is a guarantee of our own bodily resurrections. Paul says that Christians will participate in a resurrection just like Jesus’ resurrection in his first letter to the Corinthians, when he says, referring to Christians who have died as “those who have fallen asleep”:

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)

In calling Jesus the firstfruits of Christians who will be resurrected, Paul is saying that just as Jesus received back his body, which was then transformed to perfection, we too will receive back our same human bodies, and have them transformed to perfection. We are guaranteed this in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, in which the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–5).

What Does This Mean for Us?

So, what does it mean for us that God the Son—Jesus Christ—became a human, died and rose again as a human, and will be a human forever?

First, it is God’s loving way of demonstrating that he will always be for humans, not against us. There is probably no greater honour to humanity than that the immortal God, who created us, loved humanity so much that he actually became one of us, and even died as one of us, in order save us—even though we are sinners (Jn 1:1–14; Rm 3:23; Heb 2:14–18)!

Second, it tells us that God, who created human beings in his image (Gen 1:26–27), has said that the body is good! The body is not a hindrance to spirituality, but rather a fundamental and inseparable aspect of who we are, and a blessing of God (1Thes 5:23–24).

Third, it tells us that God highly values our bodies. Some of us might think that our bodies are ugly, or disproportionate, but God loves you just the way you are—and always will (Ps 139:13–14). God wants you to care for your body, and he wants you to believe in Jesus, so that he can make your body his holy temple in which he lives (1Cor 3:16–17). In fact, God loves your body so much that—through faith in Jesus—he will not let it waste away forever, but will one day bring it back to life and to everlasting perfection—as it was intended to be.

Jesus Christ is, and will always be, the God-man. The Eternal Son of God who lives forever to make intercession for us before God the Father in Heaven, with the Holy Spirit.

See Also

• Is Jesus God?
• Does God Love Me?
• What Is the Incarnation of God?
• What Does It Mean That God Created Humans in His Image and Likeness?

The post Is Jesus Still a Human? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

⁷ But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. ⁸ I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:7–9, ESVUK)

In this passage of Scripture, the “act of grace” that St Paul is referring to is the “taking part in the relief of the saints” (2Cor 8:4), which was a financial freewill offering given to the churches in Jerusalem that were suffering from poverty (1Cor 16:3). The Gentile churches of Macedonia, in a surprising act of generosity, contributed to this charitable cause, even contributing beyond their means, by their own will (2Cor 8:1–6).

The church in Corinth also expressed a desire to help the church in Jerusalem, and so in this passage of Scripture, Paul is encouraging them to fulfil their desire to help, not beyond their means, but according to what they’re able to give (2Cor 8:8–15). The purpose is so that there may be fairness in the churches, and that if the church in Corinth is ever in trouble financially, the other churches can pitch in and help them in their time of need (2Cor 8:13–15).

The passage that we first read above (2Cor 8:7–9) is the motivation for why the churches in Corinth ought to do this: because the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who sets the example for us to follow (1Pt 2:21), did it. As the one and only Son of God (Jn 3:16), Jesus Christ was rich in every way. Because Jesus created everything, and was never himself created (Jn 1:1–3, Col 1:16–17), everything rightfully belongs to Jesus. He lacks nothing. Yet, in spite of this, Jesus gave up every heavenly comfort to be born in this world into a poor family that could only afford two turtle doves, rather than a lamb, for Mary’s ceremonial purification, according to the Law of Moses (compare Lk 2:24 with Lev 12:6–8). Jesus’ own ministry was wrought with difficulties as well, as Jesus himself said (referring to himself as the Son of Man):

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58)

Jesus had no permanent home during his three-year ministry. Finally, and most significantly, Jesus gave up immortality, to take our sins upon himself on the cross and die the death we deserved, in spite of his sinlessness (1Pt 2:21–24). This act of grace of Jesus was so that we could be enriched. Jesus became poor so that we might become rich.

When we think of being “rich” nowadays (the word Paul originally used in that passage is from the Greek word plouteó [πλουτέω]), we usually picture stacks of money, private jets, or palaces. But that’s not what the Bible is talking about here. After all, Jesus uses this same word (plouteó) in the parable of the rich fool, which talks about a foolish rich man who tells himself to just relax and enjoy the riches he amassed in life, but then dies suddenly and unexpectedly. The lesson is:

So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich [from plouteó] towards God.” (Luke 12:21)

These are the “riches” that St Paul is talking about. Jesus became poor so that we might be rich towards God. Rich in faith towards him, faith that manifests itself in love. Rich in confidence, but also fearful reverence, towards him. Rich in obedience towards him. In other words, St Paul is talking about spiritual richness. The same kind of spiritual richness that allows even us to give generously (not just our money, but also our time, energy, and possessions), just like the Macedonian and Corinthian Christians.

Our small acts of grace are only possible because of Jesus’ ultimate act of grace. If Jesus had not died for our sins—our wrongdoings—and come back to life on the third day (Ac 2:32), then we would still be dead in our sins (1Cor 15:17). But Jesus has died, he has risen, and he is alive today, seated at the righthand of God the Father almighty. Jesus ascended into Heaven not so that he could get away from the troubles and poverty of the Earth. Far from it. Jesus ascended “in order to fill the whole universe” (Eph 4:10). Jesus fills all things so that just as he poured out his grace for the world on the cross, he could continue giving his grace to more and more people, which he does by the power of the Holy Spirit, who seals Christians for the final day of judgement and redemption (Eph 4:30).

The Lord Jesus Christ keeps on giving generously, even beyond what we sinners deserve. Paul also uses the same word “plouteó” when describing how Jesus gives his riches to those who call on him in faith. He writes:

… ⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches [from plouteó] on all who call on him. ¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9–13)

When or if we’re successful in life, we tend to think of ourselves as lords, so-to-speak. That is, as people who either rose to the ranks because of our hard work, or who had the privilege of being born in the ranks, and who therefore rightfully deserve the glory. But that’s not true. We’re not lords, but beggars. Beggars who have received all good things from God our Father (Jas 1:17), and who continue to rely on God for all good things in life.

If we were earthly lords (i.e. kings and queens), we would probably keep most, or at least a large portion, of the riches to ourselves. But Jesus isn’t like that. Jesus is a Lord unlike any other human lord, because Jesus does not withhold any of his riches from his followers, but shares all of his riches with those who call on him. Jesus, the Lord of all the universe (Ac 10:36), is the Lord who gave the ultimate act of redemption on the cross for us sinners and the Lord who keeps on giving. The Bible promises that the Lord Jesus bestows his riches—his riches of salvation and eternal life—on all who call on him—all who call on him as their resurrected Lord and Saviour.

If you’re ever finding that you lack meaning in your life; if you’re ever struggling to find hope; if you find yourself wondering how to find joy again, then know this: that Jesus Christ enriches your life in every meaningful way. All the meaning that you might lack; the hope and joy that you might have lost; the enthusiasm that you once might have had for life; all of these you can find in Jesus Christ, your Lord and Saviour, who keeps on giving his riches out of his abundant grace and love. Remember that although Jesus’ poverty led to his death on the cross, after the cross came the joy of his resurrection and ascension.

Jesus promises that we all have our crosses to carry (Mt 16:24), but by the power of the Holy Spirit, he promises to be with us throughout all our trials (Mt 28:20; Jn 16:12–15). So, we need not despair or be worried. Jesus, the Lord who gives, ensures that all our daily needs are met (Mt 6:9, 11). Jesus, the Lord who gives, lives in the hearts of Christian believers (Eph 3:17). Jesus, the Lord who gives, eternally saves all who call on his name (Rm 10:13). Jesus became poor temporarily so that we might be rich eternally; rich towards God, and in the salvation that Jesus has promised to all who believe in him.

Don’t trust in earthly riches that perish. Trust in the eternal spiritual riches of Jesus Christ, who gives out of his grace abundantly to all who believe in him. Then we will truly be enriched by Jesus Christ in every way. And then, by Jesus’ grace, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we’ll be empowered to give our time, energy, and possessions to others, as we are able, to the glory of God the Father.

See Also

• True Blessedness (Luke 11:27–28)
• What Is a Christian?
• Does God Love Me?
• In What Sense Did Jesus Empty Himself? (Philippians 2:7)
• In What Sense Is Jesus the Son of God?

The post The Lord Jesus Christ Enriches Us (2 Corinthians 8:1–15) appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

Argument

Atheists often ask Christians questions which go along the lines of: “Can God create a rock so heavy that he cannot lift it?” or: “Can God create another all-powerful God that could destroy him?” The assumption behind these questions is usually that if God were truly all-powerful, then God could, in fact, create a rock too heavy for himself, and another all-powerful God just like himself that could destroy him. However, if that’s the case, then God would cease to be all-powerful, which would put Christianity in quite the predicament.

Response: A Misuse of Language and Definitions

The problem with this argument is that it doesn’t work, because it proposes a scenario which redefines who God is. To illustrate this point, consider this: it’s just as nonsensical as asking the question, “Can God exist and not exist at the same time?” Of course, the answer is no. It doesn’t make sense to say that God (or anything) can exist and not exist at the same time, because any thing, by definition and necessity, exists, and non-existence is nothing more than the absence of existence. To argue otherwise is to render words meaningless, which makes any further dialogue not only pointless, but impossible.

The fact that God cannot create a rock too heavy for himself to lift, or another God that could destroy him, doesn’t mean that God lacks omnipotence. It means that he actually is omnipotent, and fits the true definition of God. Let’s develop this point further.

God Cannot Contradict Who He Is

The Bible teaches that God is good, not evil (Is 61:8; Jer 9:24). C.S. Lewis, in his book “Mere Christianity”, highlights the point well that evil is not a thing that exists in and of itself, but is rather the absence of good, or the distortion of good. For example, a lie cannot exist without a truth to distort. Another example is that sex in and of itself is good, but when it is abused, for example, in rape, it is evil because it is a distortion of sex. Evil, therefore, cannot exist by itself by definition—it can only exist if there is first something good to remove or distort. This is similar to how coldness cannot exist in and of itself, but can only exist when you remove warmth, or how darkness cannot exist in and of itself, but can only exist when you remove light. In fact, the Bible plainly says:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

The Bible here spells it out for us: God is light (good), not darkness (evil). Any darkness in the world, therefore, does not come from God, but is rather a departure from God’s light. Darkness contradicts who God is. Therefore, by definition and necessity, God cannot be both light and darkness: he is only light. Here is another example:

¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:17–18)

Here, the Bible plainly says that it’s “impossible for God to lie”. Why? Because lying contradicts who God is. God is truth, as Jesus said—who is God in the flesh (Jn 1:1, 14)—”I am the way and the truth and the life …” (Jn 14:6). Therefore, any lie in the world does not come from God, but is rather a departure from God’s truth. We could give more examples, but this should make the point clear: God can do anything, but he cannot contradict who he is—otherwise, he would no longer be God—both by definition and necessity.

How This Applies to the Arguments

So, this brings us back to the above arguments, the first of which is: “Can God create a rock heavier than he can lift?” First, we need to ask: who is God? By definition, God is the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present Creator of everything in existence. Because omnipotence (being all-powerful) is part of who God is, by definition, God cannot create a rock heavier than he could lift, because that is a contradiction of who God is: always omnipotent.

‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. (Jeremiah 32:17)

²⁶ The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: ²⁷ “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:26–27)

As for the next question: “Can God create another all-powerful God that could destroy him”? Again, part of the definition of God is that he is not only Light, Love, Truth, and Life, but he is the highest Light, the highest Love, the highest Truth, and the highest Life. In other words, God is the greatest being in existence. If there were a being who were equal with God, then God would cease being the highest being, hence in such a scenario, we no longer have God, by definition. Therefore, this scenario is also impossible, because it is a contradiction of who God is: always the highest being.

You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. (Nehemiah 9:6)

To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? (God speaking in Isaiah 46:5)

He who comes from above [i.e. Jesus] is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. (John 3:31)

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (Jesus speaking in John 6:51)

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, the arguments mentioned at the beginning of this argument are false, because they put forth two different scenarios in which the very definition of God can be changed. The problem is, then, that if we entertain these scenarios, we are no longer talking about God, but rather a human invention—a false definition of God that we have made up. To suggest that God can use his omnipotence to undermine his own omnipotence is about as nonsensical as suggesting that God can “exist” and “not exist” at the same time. God cannot contradict who he is. Because the argument proposes a false definition of God, it is not a valid argument to use against Christianity.

The fact that God cannot contradict who he is is good news for us. Because God is good, he will never—and cannot ever—suddenly change his mind and start being evil unexpectedly, but will remain good forever. The Apostle John said, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God:

So we [i.e. Christians, those who believe in Jesus] have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16)

God is the essence of love itself, so even the most loving person on Earth (if such a person even existed) couldn’t compare to God’s love, and that will never—and can never—change. Furthermore, because God is the essence of truth itself, he doesn’t take back his promises, but is faithful to fulfil them. God has said, through the Apostle John, that even though humanity sinned against him, he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but receive everlasting life with him in Heaven.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

This is a firm promise that God has made which he will never revoke, and he invites you to accept it today. Because God cannot contradict who he is, his love will remain forever with those who believe in Jesus as their only Saviour.

See Also

• Can Atheism Account for Morality?
• Is Atheism Scientific?
• Who Is God?
• Is Jesus God?

The post Is There Anything God Cannot Do? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

To answer the question of what the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, it is best to carefully examine the relevant Bible passages. They are given below.

Mark’s Gospel

²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “[Jesus] is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” ²³ And [Jesus] called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. ²⁷ But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

²⁸ “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— ³⁰ for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:22–30, ESVUK)

Matthew’s Gospel

²² Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to [Jesus], and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. ²³ And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” ²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” ²⁵ Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶ And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. ³⁰ Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ³¹ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:22–32)

Luke’s Gospel

⁸ “And I [Jesus] tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, ⁹ but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹ And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:8–12)

What Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Is Linked to

First, take note of Mark’s passage. After the Lord Jesus mentions the eternal sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Mark says, “for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit” (emphasis added). Mark uses that special word “for” to explain why Jesus warned the people about blaspheming the Holy Spirit: because they were saying that he had an unclean spirit (i.e. a demon). Thus, in Mark, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is related with saying that Jesus performs miracles not by the Holy Spirit (as he does, according to Mt 12:28), but rather by an unclean spirit or a demon.

Second, take note of Matthew’s passage. Matthew says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven” (Mt 12:30–31). Here, note that Jesus says “Therefore”—or “For this reason”—”I tell you”. This directs our attention to what Jesus just said in the previous sentence: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Mt 12:30). Thus, in Matthew, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is related with not siding with Jesus, thus putting oneself against him, and refusing to gather with him.

Third, take note of Luke’s passage. Observe what comes directly before Jesus’ warning against blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Lk 12:8–9). Jesus, by speaking about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit directly after warning his disciples against denying him before people, is linking the two together. Thus, in Luke, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is related with publicly denying Jesus, as opposed to publicly acknowledging him.

It’s important to note that in the above Bible passages, Jesus does not explicitly define blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Rather, he describes what is linked or associated with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. To summarise: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is linked with when one says that Jesus performs miracles by the power of Satan, when one doesn’t side with Jesus, thus putting him or herself against Jesus, and refuses to gather with him, and when one publicly denies Jesus.

Have I Committed Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?

With all this being said, we now get to the question that every Christian asks who has come across this passage: have I committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? A sin so great that it is the only sin that is eternal and that can never be forgiven by God?

The short answer is: no, you have not—at least not as long as you still have time to repent and believe in Jesus. In fact, it’s impossible to commit this sin before the moment we die. The reason why it’s impossible to commit the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit while we still live—and why we can say this with absolute certainty—is because Jesus forgave the Apostle Peter.

Why Jesus Forgiving Peter Is Significant

In the passage from Luke above, Jesus said that whoever publicly denies him will be denied before the angels of God, and he said this just before warning against blaspheming the Holy Spirit. We know from the Bible, however, that while Jesus was unjustly put on trial before his death and crucifixion, Peter denied Jesus three times. We read, in Luke’s Gospel:

⁵⁹ And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with [Jesus], for he too is a Galilean.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. ⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” ⁶² And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:59–62)

As we can see from this heart-wrenching account, Peter betrayed his Lord by publicly denying him three times, and felt terrible afterwards. According to Jesus’ earlier saying, a person who denies him publicly will also be denied before the angels of God. However, despite this, after Jesus rose again from the dead, Jesus found Peter and forgave him:

¹⁷ [Jesus] said to [Peter] the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21:17–19)

What this shows is that even someone who has denied the Lord in his or her lifetime—a sin that is linked with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—can still be forgiven by God. Forgiveness comes when a person repents of their denial and puts their faith in Jesus as their only Saviour, just as Peter did. In fact, the Apostle Paul said that he was even worse than Peter—describing himself as the foremost (or chief) of sinners (1Tim 1:16). But after that, Paul says:

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:17)

Paul, who was infallibly inspired by the Holy Spirit when he penned (or dictated to a scribe) this letter to his disciple, Timothy, described himself as the chief of sinners. This means that if Paul was forgiven by Jesus, even though he was the worst sinner, you can most definitively be forgiven, since you are not the worst sinner.

So, Then, What Is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?

This brings us back to our original question: what, then, is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—the one and only sin that can’t be forgiven? In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus links blasphemy against the Holy Spirit with saying that Jesus performs miracles by the power of Satan, not siding with Jesus, thus putting oneself against him, and refusing to gather with him, and publicly denying Jesus. In and of themselves, these do not fully constitute blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What does ultimately constitute blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is when one does these things without repenting of them.

The best way of explaining this is by looking at the rest of the New Testament. This is because when we encounter difficult passages, like the passages on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, we can often understand them better by looking at easier—and sometimes more numerous—passages which can shed light on them. The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not mentioned anywhere else in the entire Bible—it’s only found in the three pericopes mentioned at the beginning of this article. However, elsewhere in the New Testament, there is actually one—and only one—other sin that is also said to be unforgiveable, and that is the sin of unbelief till death—the sin of dying in a state of not having believed in Jesus for salvation. This is plainly taught in the following passages (and many more), which, as we can see, are more numerous than the handful of passages on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit:

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16)

Whoever believes in [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18)

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)

⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. ⁴⁶ And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:45–46)

… when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ¹⁰ when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:7b–10)

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1)

¹¹ And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11–12)

As sinners, we all deserve eternal punishment (Rm 3:23), which is why our only chance of salvation is to accept the free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus, while there’s still time to do so (Rm 6:23). It’s too late to repent and believe in Jesus after you die, because: “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement” (Heb 9:27). The reason why unbelief till death is an unforgiveable sin is because unbelief is refusal to accept God’s salvation in Christ Jesus. It is the equivalent of refusing to hang on to the life jacket that God has thrown to us, as we were drowning in the sea of our sins. This life is the one chance to grab hold of it and be saved, but the unbeliever who dies in his or her sins has failed to do so.

So, we have not one, but two unforgiveable sins: unbelief till death, and a mysterious sin called blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—or do we? Are these two different sins, or rather the same sin with a different name? When we look at the three passages that mention blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and examine the three things that are linked with it, all three of them involve disbelieving in Jesus. Attributing Jesus’ miraculous powers to Satan rather than the Holy Spirit, choosing not to side with Jesus and refusing to gather with him, and publicly denying him, are all acts of (profound) unbelief. When looked at in this light, the other New Testament passages which talk about unbelief till death help explain what Jesus meant by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Namely, they explain that when a person continues to remain in a state of unbelief till the day they die, that is when they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—a sin for which they will be eternally guilty and will never receive forgiveness.

Therefore, when we compare Jesus’ teachings on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit with what the rest of the New Testament teaches on unbelief till death, it becomes clear that these are not two different things but the same. The eternal sin—blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—is none other than the sin of refusing or failing to believe in Jesus till the day you die. Every other sin can be forgiven, if only one repents of it and turns to the Lord Jesus in faith for forgiveness, by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit (1Jn 1:8–10).

Why Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Specifically (Rather Than the Son or the Father)?

An interesting question to ponder is why Jesus called the sin of unbelief till death blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specifically, rather than blasphemy against God the Father, or blasphemy against himself (the Son). After all, technically, to disbelieve till the day you die is also blasphemy against Jesus and the Father. While the Bible doesn’t directly answer this question, we can come to an educated guess based upon biblical evidence as to why unbelief till death is a sin against the Holy Spirit more than anything.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity (e.g. Mt 28:19; Ac 5:3–4), whose primary work on the Earth today is not to glorify himself, but to testify and point all people to Jesus (Jn 16:14–15), the Second Person of the Trinity (Jn 1:1, 14; 20:28; Col 2:9). Jesus said:

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 15:26)

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement: ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged.

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13–15)

This is similar to when Jesus the Son, during his time on the Earth, lived not to glorify himself, but to glorify his Father in Heaven (Jn 8:49–50), the First Person of the Trinity. Furthermore, we know from the Bible that the Holy Spirit is the one who brings people to faith in Jesus Christ and makes people Christians (1Cor 2:10–14). For this reason, to resist the message of salvation in Jesus (the Gospel), or to speak against it, is to resist and speak against the Holy Spirit, who brings to us the message and testifies to it, and who lives and works within those who proclaim Jesus. This is exactly what we see happening in the following account in the early Church’s history, when the Deacon Stephen said to the unbelieving Jews:

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, ⁵³ you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

⁵⁴ Now when [the Jews] heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at [Stephen]. ⁵⁵ But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. ⁵⁸ Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:51–60)

Here, we see a stark contrast between Stephen, a Christian Jew, and the unbelieving Jews. Stephen, who testified to Jesus Christ, was full of the Holy Spirit. But the unbelieving Jews, who opposed Stephen’s message about Jesus, resisted the Holy Spirit. This account is a fulfilment of what we saw Jesus say to his disciples earlier, in Luke’s account on the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, when he assured them that when they get persecuted, the Holy Spirit will teach them what they ought to say (Lk 12:8–12).

So, in light of the above evidence, it seems that the reason why Jesus calls the eternal sin of unbelief till death blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, rather than blasphemy against the Father or the Son, is because the Holy Spirit is the Evangelist of the Trinity, who works through Christians to testify to Jesus in the world. So, to resist or speak against the Christian Gospel is to resist or speak against the Holy Spirit and his testimony. The Holy Spirit is the truth (1Jn 5:6–8), and those who resist him and his message resist the truth of God in Christ Jesus. Those who do so till the day they die have chosen, by their own fault, to be separated from God eternally. But thanks be to God that he continues to send the Holy Spirit into the world to bring people to faith in Jesus (1Cor 2:10–14), so that all who believe may receive the free gift of eternal life in Jesus our Saviour.

See Also

• Who Is the Holy Spirit?
• Is the Holy Spirit God?
• Is the Holy Spirit a Person or Force?
• Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?

The post What Is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.