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Offline Garrett  
#1 Posted : Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:28:40 PM(UTC)
Garrett
Joined: 1/28/2008(UTC)
Posts: 41
Location: Idaho

Hey Ken,
I wanted to get your opinion on something.

I have been reading TOM, and in it you make the following comment:
"Since we’re all guilty of something, there are three ways this can end for us. First, if we have purposely “murdered” the Messiah through our blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, there is no safe place for us; our eternal doom at the hands of the Avenger (Yahweh) is assured."

I think most believers will worry about this at some point. How do we know if we have blasphemed The Ruach?

Thanks,
Garrett-
It is the glory of Elohim (God) to conceal a matter, but the honour of melekim (kings) to search it out.
Offline kp  
#2 Posted : Monday, May 5, 2008 5:36:31 AM(UTC)
kp
Joined: 6/28/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,030
Location: Palmyra, VA

Hi, Garrett. Sorry I missed your posting. I've been preoccupied for a couple of weeks. The quote is in reference to the cities of refuge, where one who had killed someone could flee from the "avenger of blood" until his case could be tried. The one who has been slain is ultimately Yahshua. We are all guilty of causing His death. The question remains, however: did we purposely murder Him, or was it an accident done through ignorance and carelessness? The accidental manslayer would find protection within the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, at which time his "debt" was paid and he could safely leave.

You are quite correct in identifying the "murderers," those who have purposely "slain" the Messiah, with those who have "committed the unpardonable sin" and blasphemed the Ruach Qodesh. The accidental manslayers---those whose sin made His death necessary---can still be pardoned by remaining in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, that is, taking refuge in God's grace in this life. So the question is: how can I be certain I'm not a murderer, but am merely guilty of involuntary manslaughter?

The issue is addresed in Matthew 12: "24Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” 25But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. 31“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is defined here as purposely attributing the works of God to satan. (Swalchy is therefore perfectly correct in equating this to breaking the third commandment.) If you are relying on Yahshua to atone for your sins, you by definition are not trusting in satan---or anything else---to "save" you, and you therefore have not committed the unpardonable sin. Look at it this way: life is like an archery contest. We all shoot arrows at the target (God's perfect standard), and we all miss, at least some of the time. That makes us "sinners." That is, we have "missed the mark." The Referee (Yahweh) has offered to let His Son shoot for us, for all of His arrows hit the bullseye; all we have to do is let Him. But there are those in this contest who not only miss the mark and refuse to let Yahshua's performance be counted as theirs. These people at some point stop shooting at the target altogether, and start lobbing arrows at the Referee! These are the "murderers" for whom the city of refuge offers no protection.

kp
Offline Robskiwarrior  
#3 Posted : Monday, May 5, 2008 8:19:35 AM(UTC)
Robskiwarrior
Joined: 7/4/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,470
Man
Location: England

Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)
Personally I also think, if you are worried about being a "murderer" you care about offending Yah, and are therefor probably not one. Thats the simple reasoning I have lol
Signature Updated! Woo that was old...
Offline bitnet  
#4 Posted : Monday, May 5, 2008 8:03:07 PM(UTC)
bitnet
Joined: 7/3/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,120

Hello All,

This has always been a worrisome topic for many, me included. Sometimes I do things I should not, knowing that I should not. And knowing that I worry about such things does indicate that my conscience is working, and I do try to keep out of trouble. To be human is to be fallible, but this should not be the excuse. It gets tedious after a while to find oneself repeating mistakes and it weighs on the mind. Sometimes people seek a way out of this by declaring that such actions are not really hurtful and as such should be acceptable. They move the goalposts an change the rules of the game. They become their own gods in their own minds. They neglect and turn away from the guidance of the Set-Apart Spirit. That is the road to perdition. Repentance on the other hand, is acknowledgement of sin and a move away from sin, and a dependence on a higher Judge and Benefactor for mercy. But many "mortal gods" don't like being at the mercy of aother Supreme Being and so they rebel. Constant rebellion eventually drives out the small voice of the Creator in the rebel's mind until such a time when salvation is nigh impossible. New Age religion is as guilty of this, as is most other religions which perpetuate salvation by works.
The reverence of Yahweh is the beginning of Wisdom.
Offline Garrett  
#5 Posted : Friday, May 9, 2008 3:02:44 PM(UTC)
Garrett
Joined: 1/28/2008(UTC)
Posts: 41
Location: Idaho

Gentlemen (and brothers) I thank you for your replies. Each of you have added to my understanding and growth.


Ken, your detailed explanation gives me peace on the subject. But I do have one more question if you don't mind.

How can we know if we have The Ruach dwelling within us? There are times that I feel the conviction and the desire to walk closer with Yahweh. Then there are times where I (after committing the same sin for the umpteenth time) wonder if I am really one of His.

Am I alone in this?

Shabbat Shalom,
Garrett
-
It is the glory of Elohim (God) to conceal a matter, but the honour of melekim (kings) to search it out.
Offline kp  
#6 Posted : Sunday, May 11, 2008 9:53:06 AM(UTC)
kp
Joined: 6/28/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,030
Location: Palmyra, VA

Yeah, Garrett, you're all alone. JUST KIDDING. I can pretty much guarantee that we've all felt like that---that is, if we care about our relationship with Yahweh (a baseline indicator that the Ruach Qodesh is convicting us of our sins, in turn proving that She is dwelling within us). Your discomfort with your shortcomings is actually a very good thing; if you felt perfectly comfortable sinning, then you'd have a problem.

Check out this passage: "He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him [i.e., called Him] a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in [trust in] the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." (I John 5:10-13) So it is possible to know you are "one of His." Know it, not just wish it to be true. The criteria? "Having" the Son of God by believing---trusting, relying upon---His name. And what is that name? Yahshua: "Yahweh is salvation." The criteria is not "having attained a sinless state in your own strength."

Fair enough, you say, but what about verse 18? "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin." Ooooh, ouch. Does this mean that if (actually, when) we sin, we demonstrate that we are not "born of God"? No, because none of us reaches behavioral perfection on the day of His salvation. What happens when we inaugurate our walk with Yahweh, rather, is that we are given a "garment of light," called metaphorically clean, white linen---the righteous acts of the saints. This garment conceals our sin from Yahweh's eyes, and if He doesn't "see" it, it doesn't exist. So in a very real sense, "Whoever is born of God does not sin." He may do things unworthy of his salvation and his God, but those things don't damn him any more than a three year old who steals a cookie loses his identity as a family member.

However, those sins, though no longer damning, do us no good at all. God has been known to spank His children, or more often, refuse to rescue us from our folly, letting us reap what we'd sowed. That's why Paul exhorts us, "Do not quench the Spirit," and "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." And how do we do that? Well, how do you grieve your mother? By refusing to heed her advice, by putting yourself at risk, by running with the wrong crowd, by doing things that aren't good for you, by being part of the problem instead of part of the solution, by beating up on your brothers and sisters. You get the picture. God hates our sins because they're bad for us. They don't do Him any harm at all. But when we sin, we done the spiritual equivalent of an angry teenager going to his room and slamming the door---cutting off communication. Because He loves us, Yahweh would spare us that pain.

kp
Offline bitnet  
#7 Posted : Monday, May 12, 2008 7:54:54 PM(UTC)
bitnet
Joined: 7/3/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,120

Hello Garrett,

Adding on to KP's explanation, it would be pertinent to note that the tenses in the verses quoted do indicate something that is usually lost on many readers.

If you believe His testimony and call upon Yahushua as your personal saviour, then you can believe that Yahweh has given you eternal life.

However, since whomever is born of the Spirit does not sin, then it also means that we not born yet!

One of the reasons why abortion is anathema is because it is liken to killing the seed of the Spirit of Yahweh within a person before his birth into the Kingdom! If you had at first believed but then desired to rebel and not repent and continually choose to ignore His voice and instructions, then this is tantamount to killing the Set-Apart Spirit that He had placed in you.

We are even more in need of the redeeming Sacrifice as long as we are alive and human as we will probably continue to sin, probably until we die or are taken up to join Him when He comes in person to rule. Hopefully we continue to try to turn away from sin and change our lives to be more like Him. Meanwhile, His Sacrifice blots out sin and gives us life! And as long as we keep this in mind and believe this simple yet profound statement, we should be joyous of this good news! This is the good news that we are also required to share with others as we preach His Kingdom.

So while human and mortal, when we believe in Yahushua and are bestowed with the Set-Apart Spirit it is akin to being conceived in the Kingdom of Yahweh, and when we are resurrected then we are truly born into His Kingdom and will then not sin anymore.

Does this make sense to you or anyone else?
The reverence of Yahweh is the beginning of Wisdom.
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