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NASB | John 16:8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 16:8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: |
Bible Question:
Hi. I have enjoyed reading the various postings on the meaning of the unpardonable sin, but I am still a bit confused. Many claim (and I agree that a straightforward reading of Matt. 12, Mark 3 and Luke 11-12 could/probably should indicate this) that the definition of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is obvious: the climax of ongoing denial in the face of irrefutable evidence, or the warning of reaching such a point; in other words, the "last straw." But I'm a bit concerned, because I fear there could be another way to interpret Jesus' words. While many base their interpretations on the immediate context, and the fact that the Pharisees are actively denying the Holy Spirit's witness that Jesus is Messiah, is it possible that the context could really just be nothing more than a situation in which Jesus warns the Pharisees/others of something else--the real unpardonable sin of supremely offending God by calling Him Satan? It seems to me, since God and Satan are arch-enemies, that it might just be that God hates being confused, in the face of such conviction and evidence, with His arch-enemy, Satan. And it seems that this interpretation could be just as likely as the other, more popular (final rejection) interpretation, since both concepts are Biblical. I'm very afraid, because, while I haven't finally rejected the Holy Spirit's witness, there was a time in my life when I had doubts about God and wondered (though I don't think I ever believed it) if Satan could be behind everything--including Jesus and His miracles--sort of tricking us into believing a lie. If the unpardonable sin is final rejection, I'm still ok. If it's supremely offending God, well, I'm in trouble. Has anyone else gone through such doubting (specifically the "Satan's behind it all" stuff?) Or does anyone know of any Biblical (or other) evidence that people in Jesus' time may have foolishly believed the Pharisees and thought Jesus was possessed by Satan (not just a demon--just in case there's a difference between calling God a demon and calling Him Satan), then later came to faith and were saved? I'm a major over-thinker, and I've been driving myself crazy trying to make sense of these verses! It doesn't help that Matthew, Mark and Luke all three contain slightly different details concerning the situation; Mark leaves out things, Matthew looks to be a combination of Mark and Luke(and/or "Q?"--so I've heard--I'm not too sure about "Q"), and Luke places the context and the actual verses in two different places. So, I don't know which context to even go by! All of them? One of them? There are so many presuppositions and assumptions that my head's spinning! Do we assume that Jesus said everything as recorded in Matthew? Are we to assume that the immediate context is clear enough, and there weren't any additional things going on historically that would make the original audience interpret the verses a different way? Are we to even assume that the sin can be understood, and that God wants us to know--clearly--what it means, or that the people then were supposed to understand it? So many assumptions--and the order in which we place them seems to give varied results. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Is there a Biblical reason to prefer one interpretation over another? KEVIN |
Bible Answer: Drum Life, I will assume that you're already a believer. There will (hopefully) be many additional responses to this often-times difficult question. I'll try and be concise. There are only 3 sins that I'm aware of biblically, against the Holy Spirit; 1. Blasphemy ( which can only be committed by an unbeliever) It is simply, unbelief. The role of the Holy Spirit in this regard is given in John 16:8-9: "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;" God cannot forgive unbelief- and only unbelief! Rest assured in the completeness of God's forgiveness from Col. 2:13. The next 2 can only be committed by the believer. 2. Quench the Holy Spirit. 1 Thess. 5:19. This is against the work of the Holy Spirit. This can be through, pride (the sin against self), predjudice ( the sin against others), or prayerlessness (the sin against God). 3. Grieve the Holy Spirit as in Eph.4:30. You can only grieve a Person, so this is against the person of the Holy Spirit. This is done by malice, anger, wrath, clamor, slander and unforgiveness as seen in verses 31 and 32. I Hope this helps, BradK |
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Questions and/or Subjects for John 16:8 | Author | ||
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Glenn1 | ||
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Julian | ||
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DrumLife | ||
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BradK | ||
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JCrichton | ||
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colbymunshaw | ||
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deakduck2 | ||
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BLESSED136 | ||
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MickysMom | ||
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catlover009 |