Wednesday, September 13, 2023
The Worst Thing of All
For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT)
Sometimes we look at certain sins that people fall into and think it’s the worst thing that can happen to them. But it isn’t the worst thing. The worst thing of all is to have a hardened heart.
Even a drug addict, an alcoholic, and an immoral person can see their need for God and turn to Him. Meanwhile, there are people who never go out and do bad things, but their heart gets harder every month and every year. And having a hardened heart is the worst of all.
It’s better to be a prodigal and eventually return someday than to never come home. And a hardened heart can cause someone to commit the unforgivable sin, which is blaspheming the Holy Spirit (see Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10).
When we read about Moses and Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus, we learn that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. We may think that Pharaoh didn’t have a choice in the matter. But the Hebrew word for hardened also could be translated “strengthened.” In other words, God responded to Pharaoh’s response.
In essence God was saying, “Make your move, Pharaoh.” And Pharaoh made it. God had shown him miracle after miracle and gave him the opportunity to believe. But Pharaoh still rejected God. So God affirmed Pharaoh in the decision he had already made.
God does this with every person. If we choose to believe and trust in Him, then He will strengthen us in that decision. On the other hand, if we choose to reject Him and blaspheme Him, then He will strengthen us in that decision as well. He responds to our response.
This certainly doesn’t happen overnight. And before we worry that we have blasphemed the Holy Spirit and committed the unforgivable sin, let’s understand what it is. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean saying something irreverent about the Spirit of God.
Rather, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is a deliberate, willful, continual lifestyle in which we know what is right and have chosen to respond to it with rejection. And by continued exposure to the truth of God and a refusal to obey and trust in Him, we finally go too far and lose all perspective.
Interestingly, God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you” (Jeremiah 7:16 NLT). God was saying that these people had taken it too far.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of our sin and bring us to Jesus Christ. So, to blaspheme and insult the Holy Spirit is to reject the work that He is attempting to do. And when you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, there is no hope for you.
The Bible says, “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT). But if you keep putting it off, there will come a time when you will seal your own destiny.
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