Luke 12:8-12 — "The Unforgivable Sin"

READ THIS: Luke 12:8-12

8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge 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.

11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

These two short passages are all about the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity (Jesus, God, and the Spirit), but it can often be overlooked and even forgotten about. The Spirit is a crucial part of Christianity, because having the Holy Spirit within you is the mark of a believer in Jesus! This passage shows us some of the ways that the Spirit works within us and even the consequences of not taking the Spirit seriously.

First, let's talk about how the Spirit works within us. Jesus writes in John that the Holy Spirit is our Helper, Advocate, and Guide, and we see this in verses 8, 11, and 12. When we have the Spirit within us, the Spirit can speak and move through us at times! Some examples of this can be the nudge we feel to do the right thing when we see others hurting around us or remembering a Bible verse when we ourselves or someone else really need to be reminded of it. In verses 8, 11, and 12, we see that the Spirit gives us the courage to speak about Jesus publicly and even give us the wisdom to defend ourselves when it comes to our faith.

Now let's take a look at verses 9 and 10! These verses can seem a little scary... I don't think anyone wants to be disowned by God or told that we aren't forgiven... I mean, I thought Jesus forgave everyone? This verse shows us the "unforgivable sin" of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. "Blaspheming" is a word that describes speaking disrespectfully or not seriously about something.
 
In the same way that the Spirit can give us words to boldly speak and share with others about Jesus, there are people who can and will speak boldly against Jesus. To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit could look like taking credit away from how the Spirit works and giving it to false gods, or it could even look like saying the Spirit is responsible for doing something that is clearly against God. It could also even look like ignoring the Holy Spirit at work in your life.
 
The point is, for someone to do something like this, their heart would be hardened and they would be turning away from God. Only God knows the hearts and all the sins of people, but if Jesus is saying a sin is "unforgivable," it says a lot more about the person who is sinning than it does about our gracious and loving God! The point that we need to walk away with here is that we must take the Holy Spirit seriously! The Holy Spirit is the mark of a believer. When we believe in Jesus, we can trust and know that the Spirit is within us, so we must pay attention to the Spirit and follow the Spirit when we feel nudged.
 
THINK ABOUT IT:

1. How have you seen the Holy Spirit at work in your life or in the lives of those around you?

2. Why is it important to take the Holy Spirit seriously?

TRY THIS:

Paul writes about the Holy Spirit like it is a seal that guarantees our entry into heaven! Check out Ephesians 1:13-14 here, and remind yourself that if you believe in Jesus, you can be confident that the Spirit is in you!

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

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