Words



Matthew 12:31-37
31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32And 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.
33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
34You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
36I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

This is an old analogy, but it’s a good one. It you squeeze a toothpaste tube, what comes out? Toothpaste! No surprises there. If you squeeze a Christian, what comes out? Words of love and praise for their Lord and Savior. No surprises there either, right?

Our passage for today has been discussed and fretted over by Christians since the day that Jesus spoke these words. I have been asked countless times about the implication of verse 31 for the regular Christian who is just trying to get through the day. The thought of having committed a sin that cannot be forgiven shakes our core just a little. Could I possibly be guilty of such? But Jesus doesn’t just leave us hanging. He uses an analogy of His own about the fruit that a tree produces. The best way to see what’s happening inside of the tree to examine what kind of fruit it bears. In the fruit, the insides come out, so to speak. The same is true of people. Whatever is on your inside comes out over your tongue. If you can declare your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you’re fruit is showing. Your insides have been revealed. Can you lie about that? Sure. But probably not very long. Some of the most troubling voices in the culture today belong to the “new atheists”. They are positively rabid in their hatred for all things Christian. I’m not sure where all that vitriol comes from. Why do they care what I believe? But they are vocal, loud, and unrepentant. Their fruit is showing. They are a perfect example of what Jesus describes in this passage.

So, if as a Christian you have ever worried about having committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, set that aside. Your worry along means that you haven’t done so. This is serious and this is intentional. Chances are, if you fall into that category you would never even consider reading this blog!

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