Readings:
Genesis 37:1 - 38:30
Matthew 12: 22-45
Psalm 16: 1-11
Peoverbs 3: 27-32
Matthew reading: Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit - the "unpardonable sin" that Jesus refers to. Many people have chatted to me about this over the years, often with fear and trepidation that they may have inadvertently committed this particular sin, from which forgiveness is apparently unobtainable.
Yet Jesus was not referring to this; rather, he was speaking of a people who had consciously and deliberately so hardened their hearts that they had completely cut themselves off from any prompting by the Holy Spirit. In this case, the Pharisees (who, remember, were deeply religious people) had gone as far as to label Jesus' casting out of evil spirits as the work of Satan. Despite numerous encounters with Jesus, they refused to even listen to the merits of his arguments, let alone consider that Jesus may just be speaking the truth that comes from God.
However, I believe that even then, had any of these same Pharisees seen the light and chosen to repent, they would have received forgiveness from Jesus. "Blaspheming the Holy Spirit" therefore meant that they had so hardened their hearts that it is as though they denied even that the Holy Spirit even existed, let alone be willing to open themselves to the possibility of the Spirit's changing power.
So if you claim to be a Christian, are earnestly desiring to be more Christ-like, and have a teachable spirit, and are concerned that you may have inadvertently committed the "unpardonable sin" by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, don't worry - you haven't!
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