Sins against the Holy Spirit

Vexing (or grieving or despising):

                The Bible teaches us that both the saved and unsaved can vex or grieve the Holy Spirit.  Isa. 63:10 says, “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”  Eph. 4:30 says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”  It is possible for people to vex or grieve the Holy Spirit.  The idea of the word vex (and grieve) is to pain or to make angry by provocations.  An unsaved person who refuses to give into the convicting element of the Holy Spirit is grievous to the blessed Spirit.  Here the Spirit illuminates his heart and mind and with amazing power pierces an unbeliever’s heart thus pointing him to his Savior.  But the unsaved refuses the Spirit’s conviction.  How painful indeed to shun the Spirit of God!  Heb. 10:29 classifies this rejection as “despite unto the Spirit of grace.”  A Christian can also sin this way.  In fact, Eph. 4:30 is written to believers.  The Holy Spirit prompts believers to obey the light of Scripture, and yet, at times we wrestle against His leading or impressions.  Perhaps we take the indwelling Spirit to places we ought not go or defile His temple (which is referring to our physical bodies according to 1 Cor. 6:19) with sin.  It isn’t hard to see how we may vex or cause grief to the Holy Spirit.  We must be reminded that we can also grieve the Holy Spirit.  We must not treat Him that way; instead, we must cease from grieving Him.

Blasphemy:

                The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which is referenced in Matt. 12:31-32, Mk. 3:28-30 and Lk. 12:10 is a sin that only an unsaved person can commit.  Ascribing to the Devil the source or power of Christ’s miracles rather than the Holy Spirit is the height of blasphemy.  Any word spoken against the Lord Jesus is forgivable, but to speak against the source of His power, the Holy Spirit, and to claim that the Spirit is of the Devil or is Satan himself, is to poison the very well or fountain head of salvation.  No one comes to Christ and receives Him as Savior if they are convinced that His power is that of the Devil.  Therefore, only an unsaved person can ever commit this highly awful sin of blaspheming the Holy Ghost.

Tempting:

                Tempting the Holy Spirit is another sin that believers can commit.  The account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a case in point.  Here was a couple who were motivated perhaps by jealousy and envy to give money to the church so as to appear righteous.  Covetousness kicked in and they kept back part of the gift for themselves.  They lied to the Holy Ghost (Acts 5:30) and were judged by God.  The Holy Spirit could see right through their deceit.  Do we tempt the Holy Spirit of God?  We do when we mess with sin and think that no one sees us or that we can get away with sin.  We lie to Him and to ourselves when we think that we can get away with sin.

Resisting:

                Then there is the matter of resisting the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 7:51.  Both unsaved and saved can commit this sin.  The idea of the word resist is to “fall against or to rush against another” (Robertson’s Word Picture).  It is just as if we are blocking the door that would allow the Holy Spirit to come in and have free reign in our heart.    In the context of Acts 7, the unsaved Jews were resisting the prophet’s and apostles, and therefore really resisting God Himself!  They kept opposing God’s convicting power.  Believers can also resist the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit prompts a believer to do something and He gets brushed off, the conscience bears witness that the Holy Spirit of God has been resisted.  This takes place when sermons (preached by a pastor or spiritual leader) are ignored when it has spoken directly to a believer’s life or his particular situation.  Refusing to obey His Word is a form of resisting the Holy Spirit.  What a terrible position to be in!  To be opposed to God or to resist Him: this is a position of spiritual defeat.  We must beware not to resist the Holy Spirit.

Quenching:

                In 1 Thess. 5:19, we find a short but vital command of not quenching the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says: “Quench not the Spirit.”  How does this happen?  The idea of this verse is like putting out a fire.  The Holy Spirit may burn or impress a matter upon our hearts and we, with a damp and cold sin, extinguish God’s dealings in our hearts.  Neglecting to nurture the Holy Spirit’s fire within our spirits is another way to quench the Spirit.  Feeding the flame with worldliness or sin will suffocate the work of the Spirit inside the heart.  Worse, if we are not careful, we may quench the Spirit in a fellow believer’s heart by pouring out sinful words and/or an attitude against them and thus doubly quench the Spirit.

                Truly, the operation of the Holy Spirit in the heart of man is magnificent!  Let us be careful not to vex nor grieve Him, not to blaspheme against Him, and not to resist or quench the Holy Spirit of God.  Rather, let us do what He tells us to do, and be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), which means to always be yielding more of ourselves to His control.

A short study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts (part 3)

     We see that it is the work of the H.S. to convict sinners when they hear the man of God preach (6:10), and it is through the Spirit that prophets can prophecy (11:28).   

     The primary work of the H.S. is empowering believers to be an effective witness for the Lord Jesus Christ (1:8).  The filling of the H.S. brings “utterance” (1:11; 2:4; 20:23), boldness (4:8; 31).  The subject matter of the utterances is the “wonderful works of God” (2:11).  We see this manifested in Stephen’s martyrdom (6:5, 10; 7:55).  It was a Spirit-filled Paul that rebuked Elymas (13:9).  All God desires for us is to be yielded to Him.  Yielding (i.e. obedience to God and His Word) is the only requisite found in the entire book wherein God is pleased to grant the power of the Holy Spirit (5:32).  Indeed the filling of the H.S. is truly manifest when the Spirit Himself is doing the witnessing through Christians that are yielded to God.  Surrendered Christians are just vessels used of God (20:23).  Even Christ was anointed with power (10:38), how much more do we need the power of God in our lives?  The filling is paralleled with other virtues such as godliness (11:24), honesty, wisdom, faith, and even joy (6:3-5; 13:52).  No wonder the Charismatic movement falsely claims a “fullness of the Spirit” it is because they want to be thought of as being godly.  The difference is that godly Christians don’t pretend to be godly, they just are.  Furthermore, godly Christians bring glory to God and not to themselves.  

      There is also the indelible mark of inspiration attributed directly to the Holy Spirit in the first and last chapter of Acts (1:16 and 28:25).  The Bible is certainly a Spirit-authored book.  Divine causality (God, the H.S.) moved upon “holy men” to create the Sacred Scriptures.  The fact that we have God’s Words in our hands is because of the powerful and miraculous work of the H.S.

A short study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts (part 2)

The Person of the Holy Spirit in Acts:

                It cannot be true in any stretch of the imagination that the Holy Spirit is merely an influence or a force, as taught by some cult.  A person is a being who has intellect, emotion, and will.  Although the Holy Spirit is incorporeal, He still possesses intellect, emotion and a will.  We readily see this as He administrates church affairs (Acts 1:2).  He told Philip what to do (Acts 8:29), He told Peter what to do (Acts 11:12), He called and appointed Barnabas and Saul to the ministry (Acts 13:2), they were acknowledged as being “sent forth by the Holy Ghost” (Acts 13:4).  The Holy Spirit exercises volition in forbidding Paul and the missionary team to preach in Asia (Acts 16:6) and also forbid them to go to Bithynia (16:7).  He also exercises His will in choosing pastors (Acts 20:28).

                His divine nature can also be seen in Acts.  In dealing with Ananias, Peter declared the nature of the Holy Spirit in Acts 5:4 – “…thou hast not lied unto man, but unto God.”  The Holy Spirit demonstrates omniscience in Acts 1:16 concerning Judas’ betrayal.  The Holy Spirit demonstrates supernatural powers with Philip in Acts 8:39.  In Acts 10:19 the Holy Spirit told Peter about the three men looking for him in order to take him to Cornelius.  These accounts prove that the Holy Spirit is divine.  He is also a distinct person from the Father (Acts 1:4) and the Son (Acts 1:1-2). 

Isaiah 40:12-17

Isa 40:12-17  Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?  (13)  Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?  (14)  With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?  (15)  Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.  (16)  And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.  (17)  All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

These verses demonstrate the magnificence of God.  V.12 tells us of His power to create. V.13-14 speaks of His infinite wisdom, and omniscience.  V.15-17 talks about His greatness.

A short study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts (part 1)

               This series of articles is a personal study concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts.  In systematic theology, the study of the Holy Spirit is called “Pneumatology.”  It is taken from the word “pneuma” which is translated “Spirit.”

                First, the terms “Spirit” and “Ghost” bears no definite distinctions, and are interchangeable.  Second, there is a ministry of comfort that the Holy Spirit is involved in, this is found in Acts 9:31.  He is the Comforter as Christ said in John 14:6.  This important point is referenced only once in the book of Acts.  The baptism with the Holy Spirit was a historical event that occurred once on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit took over the administration of the church, and initiated a saved people group into this present New Testament dispensation.  When this dispensation was opened to the Gentile believers, the Spirit was once again “poured out” or “given” in the same fashion “as the beginning” (Acts 11:15).  This happened in Acts 2:4 for the Jewish believers,   for Samaritan believers (Acts 8:15), to believers in Caesarea (Acts 10:47; 11:15-16), to the Gentile believers (15:8), and the Ephesian believers (Acts 19:6).  Baptism with the Holy Spirit is no longer repeatable because both Jewish and Gentile believers are corporately initiated into this new dispensation.

                We must use the Scriptural term “baptism with the Holy Spirit” because this eliminates confusion when compared to the false doctrine which is usually referred to as “baptism of the Spirit” which term does not even  appear in the Bible.  The agent of “Spirit baptism” (if I may refer to it as such) is not the Holy Spirit, but Christ (see for example Mark 1:8b).  The Holy Spirit is the medium, not the agent, of baptism.  It is Christ who collectively baptized all believers with the Holy Spirit upon the day of Pentecost.  This event was remarkable, prophetic, dispensational, and occurred only once for each people group starting with the Jews, then the Samaritans (which were half Jews), and then the Gentiles (which are non-Jews).

The Names of God (The Lord of hosts)

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psalm 24:10)

A closer look:

Host – army or company.

The word “Sabaoth” is transliterated from the Hebrew word “tsebaoth,” which means armies, and is also translated “hosts.”  We find this title “Lord of hosts” abundantly in the Old Testament, and twice in the New Testament (as “Lord of Sabaoth”) in Romans 9:29 and James 5:4.  The word “hosts” may refer to three separate items:  nature (Genesis 2:1; 2 Kings 21:3; Joel  2:15), or angels (1 Kings 22:19; Psalm 34:7; 103:21; Luke 2:13), and armies (2 Samuel 8:16; Revelations 9:14).  The name “Lord of Sabaoth” should not be confused with the name “Lord of the Sabbath.”  The name Lord of hosts teaches us that God is a fighter who will go to war on our behalf.  He will fight for us (Isaiah 31:4).  His name Lord of Sabaoth suggests two things:

1.  He is in control over all things (all the hosts of Heaven and Earth).

2.  He alone is worthy of worship, and not the hosts of which He created.  Nehemiah 9:6 says:  “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.”

The Names of God (Olam)

“And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.” (Gen. 21:33)

A closer look:

Everlasting – eternal, always, continuance, and perpetual

There is a famous adage that says, “All good things must come to an end.”  This concept of course is flawed thinking.  God is everlasting.  The Psalmist says, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting…” (Ps. 41:13).  He is from everlasting to everlasting (Ps. 90:2).  Because God is everlasting, He grants everlasting things to us.  To His children, He grants His perpetual aid (see Deut. 33:27; Is. 26:4).  To repentant sinners, He grants “everlasting life” (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).  His name “Everlasting God” suggests two things about Him:

1.  He is infinite in nature.

2.  He is able to preserve all that He has created.     

The Names of God (Shaddai)

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” (Gen. 17:1)

A closer look:

The Almighty God – (El Shaddai or God Almighty) – meaning all sufficient, and Almighty

The name of God “Shaddai” is that which was revealed to and prominently used by the patriarchs Abraham (Gen. 17:1), Isaac (Gen. 28:3), and Jacob (Gen. 43:14).  God is able to grant Abraham the promise of seed despite his age, because He is Almighty.  The book of Job teaches us several divine works and character attributed to God Almighty:  He chastens men (Job 5:17), He hears prayers (Job 8:5), He is ineffable (Job 11:7), He is unconquerable (Job 15:25), He punishes the wicked (Job 21:20), He restores the repentant (Job 22:23), He grants understanding (Job 32:8) and life (Job 33:4).  His name “Shaddai” suggests two things:

1.  His power (to punish or destroy).  What a fearful thing it is to fall under the wrath of Almighty God! (see Is. 13:6)

2.  His providence (to nourish and establish).  What a wonderful thing it is to find grace in the eyes of God Almighty! (see Rev. 1:8)

The Names of God (Elyon)

“(18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.  (19)  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:  (20)  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.  (21)  And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.  (22)  And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,” (Gen. 14:18-22)

A closer look:

Most High God – Elyon (literally, God most high) signifies His exalted and supreme position.

It is the occasion of the meeting between Abram and Melchizedek that we find for the first time the name “the Most High God.”  His name “Most High God” suggests His supremacy over all.  He is the highest, the exalted or supreme one.  Angels and demons refer to God as the “Highest” or the “Most High” (Lk. 2:14; Mk. 5:7).  Our prayers ought to immediately draw our mind and heart to recognize that God is the Most High (Ps. 7:17; 83:18; Matt. 6:9).  He is supreme, not us.  His will is the main thing, not ours.  His name “Elyon” suggests two things:

1.  His habitation is above all. (Deut. 26:15; Isa. 57:15; Psalm 83:18)

2.  His position is superior and sovereign over all.

The Names of God (El)

“Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.” (Isa. 31:3)

A closer look:

God – El (the singular form of the plural “Elim”) means “mighty”

Holpen – helped

“El” is the oldest name for God.  The term El was also used to reference false gods, or even heros, but we use this name to designate the only true and living God, the God of the Bible.  Daniel 11:36 recognizes God this way: “the God (El) of gods…”  While the history of the name El is obscure, His self-disclosure as El is not obscure.  Often the Old Testament uses El as a prefix;  for example, in Gen. 33:20 He is called “Elelohe-Israel” (or God, the God of Israel) in order to differentiate God from that which is worshipped by others as false gods.  Sometimes El is used as a suffix;  for instance,  in Isa. 7:14 the Lord Jesus is called “Immanuel” (literally “with us is God” – Barnes, or commonly “God with us”).  His name “El” suggests two things:

1.  His strength, might and or power.  His power is over all of nature and beings.

2.  His uniqueness among all that is.  He is transcendent from everything and everyone.

The Names of God (Elohim)

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1)

A closer look:
God – Elohim (the plural form of the singular name Eloah).

The Bible goes no further in proving the existence of God than by simply declaring the fact that God (Who was already in existence prior to the beginning of time) created everything. God’s name in the Hebrew is “Elohim.” Elohim is a plural noun, and can be translated “gods” (ex. Psalm 82:1, 6). When it is referring to the God of the Bible, it is properly translated in the singular “God.” The name God (Elohim) is the name that is most frequently used in the Old Testament. The term is taken from the root word “El” meaning strength or mighty. The Arabic equivalent being “Allah.” His name Elohim suggests three things:

1. His strength or might - He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all.

2. The plurality of persons within the Godhead - We have in the name “Elohim” an intimation of the Triune God, as each person was directly involved in Creation.

A. God the Father – Gen. 1:26
B. God the Son – John 1:1-2; Col. 1:16
C. God the Holy Spirit – Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4

3. The plurality of majesty - This is perhaps the most direct application to the uni-plural name of God. When we think of God, He is so immense, so ineffable, that within His divine essence is a vast, and incomprehensible array of attributes, and power that our finite minds cannot truly comprehend. Had He not reveal Himself, we would have no way of knowing Him.

The exclusive authority of the Scriptures

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Tim. 3:16a)

When a true doctrine is held to by a series of Bible verses that bear upon a topic, a person is then led to believe that such a doctrine is true regardless of the difficulty that doctrine imposes on one’s intellect. The doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) is one in particular. This doctrine is assumed in the Bible. The fact that it is presupposed and/or assumed doesn’t mean that it is false, nor unfounded. Take for instance the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. There is not one single passage that teaches every aspect of the mystery of the Trinity, and yet one is led to conclude this vital doctrine after looking at a series of Bible verses that bear upon each and every aspect of the Trinity. Unless God revealed this doctrine to mankind, we would have never known the Triune God. Another great assumption is the existence of God. The Bible goes no further in proving the existence of God than simply declaring that “In the beginning God…” (Gen. 1:1). That God exists is Biblically assumed. No one (except for atheists and/or agnostics) challenges the existence of God. A doctrine is both true and Biblical whether it is taught by the Scriptures directly and/or from assumption. The issue of the exclusive authority of Scripture is similar. We readily admit that the Bible doesn’t say: “Scripture alone is the final rule of faith and practice” but we also acknowledge that when a person examines Biblical verses that bear upon the topic of the Scriptures, one is led to conclude that the Bible alone is the final authority in matters of faith and practice. Other than physically examining Biblical evidence for holding to Sola Scriptura, there is a more important reason that as to why a person could understand the Scriptures to be his “final or ultimate authority,” – a reason that escapes a mere scientific examination of Biblical objectives. That would be nothing else than the role of the Holy Spirit’s internal witness which cannot and should not be ignored nor excluded (Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 2:12-14).

In 2 Tim. 3:16, the authority of the sacred Scriptures came directly from God Himself. The exclusive authority of the Scriptures rests on the fact that there is no other rule of faith (i.e. what and why we believe) that is “given by inspiration” except “all Scripture.” The sacred Scriptures bear the exclusive claim of divine origin via inspiration. The apostle Paul references nothing but “all Scripture” as being given by inspiration and because of this, it alone is profitable (or useful). Nothing beside or other than Scripture is recognized as being equally profitable. The nature of the Scriptures (i.e. God-breathed) leads to the function as the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

The Lord Jesus Christ appeals only to the Scriptures in spiritual battle against Satan (Matt. 4). He appeals only to the Scriptures in his teaching ministry (particularly in Matt. 5-7, over and against rabbinical teachings of His day), and having done so was recognized by the audience as one who taught “with authority” (Matt. 7:29). He appeals only to the Scriptures in v. 31 of Matt. 22 in correcting the false doctrine of the Sadducees. And as He was correcting them we should note that He equates the written word (“have ye not read”) with the very voice of God (“that which was spoken unto you by God”). He appeals only to the Scriptures in Luke 24:27 as He was instructing the disciples about Himself. He could have easily spoken about Himself from His own personal experience and yet he chooses rather to expound unto them the things concerning His self from the Scriptures. Christ consistently appeals only to the Scriptures to settle matters of faith, doctrine, and practice – we would do well to consider His example and His words in John 5:39, to “search the Scriptures.”