# 04 2016 Devotional Luke 12:8 -10 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Luke 12:8-10
“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Chapter 12 consists mostly of a long discourse Jesus has with his disciples but there also was a large crowd present, so large “that they were trampling on each other”. Jesus begins this section, “Warnings and Encouragement”, with a warning about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, theirs and our own inner motivations will be made very public. Certainly, the religious leaders of the day feared the Romans oppressing them but they did not fear God. That is obvious by the way Jesus describes them and engages them. Jesus tells his disciples, the crowd and also us to fear the one who is able to kill the Spirit with hell. With that statement of Jesus our minds see Satan as that one, but no, Satan does not have that power. Verses 6 and 7 make it clear that it is God who determines our fate. God knows us inside and out, we need not be afraid because God deems us worthy in Christ, a great source of encouragement to us.
We move to verses 8-10. Jesus builds on his earlier statement but there is a twist, we have a role to play, responsibility, acknowledging that Jesus determines our worthiness. Amazingly, denying Jesus before men does not yet disqualify our worthiness before God even though Jesus will also deny us. Jesus gives the opportunity to repent, be forgiven and be reconciled to Him. Praise be to God! However, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin, verse 10.
In my work as a Pastor in U.S. churches no one has ever brought up the unforgivable sin, at least not to me, questioning whether or not that sin was committed. Does grieving, and or blaspheming the Holy Spirit go on? I suspect it does more than we may think. Here in Africa however it is brought up regularly by new converts probably because they come out of a Traditional African Religious context. The answer I give them is that if they are concerned about it that is a good indication the Spirit is still working in them and they would not have turned to Jesus if the Spirit had left them. Can non-believers grieve the Spirit? Yes, I think so. The Spirit’s work is to convict the world (people) of sin. Once the Spirit is grieved and leaves that person, he/she is not concerned about it, nor have any thought about God or following Jesus. Jesus indicates that there is no going back. Thanks be to God that there is grace, forgiveness, and peace for those who continue to believe.
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