[TruthTalk] God Hates Blaspheming

[Judy Taylor]

From: "Wm. Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Judy wrote > no I didn't just want to insult you; I am sharing my thoughts here, have never been into ad hominem attacks on TT.   Well then you obviously need to be a little more selective in your wording, Judy, because you are offensive, very much so, and sometimes you are called on it, like this time. I forgive you now and will pray the grace to forgive you many more times.   jt: Is it the content of what I say Bill, or the way I am saying it?  Should I pray for more delicate wording?   I'll tell you what: I know that I have goaded you on occasion -- I admitted doing that even last night. I should not do that and I will stop. Will you please try to extend to me some decency? You know quite well that I do not go to the Scribes for my wisdom. Why suggest that I do, if not to stir up strife? I do not appreciate those kind of remarks, just as you do not like being goaded. Let's not do that.   jt: As for the Scribes, I was taking your own words at face value Bill. You said you accepted the definition of the Scribes over Ryrie; I certainly didn't mean for it to be a personal offence.   Also, Judy, in a different post you talk about how you would just like to challenge me. Well, that is fine -- if you will do it honestly. But I am not willing to patronize any longer your spin.   jt: Do you really believe I am spinning you Bill?  I thought I was challenging you straight on...  How should I change?    You are an intelligent person and well equipped to challenge me straight on. No one can carry on a conversation with a politician -- he is too shifty, too evasive, too enamored with his own talking points to be open to true exchange. You, I am sure, do not want to be associated with this sort. Please stop twisting my words and dodging my questions: address what I say, without the spin, or leave me alone.   jt: I did answer your questions Bill, only you saw it as an evasion.  Why I don't know.  My belief is that love without justice is not God's love. You can not make his nature and character lopsided and continue to walk in Truth.   If you believe what you wrote about TT, "We are discussing Truth here, right?" then let's do it with integrity and respect -- or let's not do it at all. I am opened to this. Are you? Sincerely, Bill   jt:  Integrity and respect sounds great to me Bill. Can we also agree not to accuse capriciously before we first check some things.?  I believe there has been some misunderstanding going on here.   Sincerely Judyt   From: Judy Taylor   jt: These are who you quote Bill and I am sharing my thoughts here, have never been into ad hominem attacks on TT. We are discussing Truth here, right?.  Could we just stay with the issues and leave off the personal offenses? (that is taking or giving personal offense) If you are a sincere seeker after Truth you should not be offended to have some of these ideas challenged. [EMAIL PROTECTED]> I do not look to the Scribes for wisdom, Judy; neither do I look to Charles Ryrie. On this occasion I agree with the Scribes over Ryrie. How did you miss that from what I wrote? Oh, I get it: you just wanted to insult me.   Bill   From: Judy Taylor I may have unfairly jumped to a conclusion concerning your concept, Slade, thus lumping you into a group in which you do not fit. If this is so, please forgive me. When you wrote, "see the miracles of Yeshua," I was thinking Yeshua would need to be visibly present to be seen working the miracles; that is all. I did not intend to imply that you interpret the passage this way in order to rid yourself and others of the threat. I saw that only as a result of this interpretation of the passage. I certainly do believe miracles still happen; each time a person comes to faith, it is a testimony to the greatest of miracles and demonstrates the ongoing miraculous work of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.   Why would Jesus need to be seen?. God the Father was not seen when He was doing works through Jesus but at least one man came to him and said "noone could do the works he did unless God was with Him" and this was before the cross. People did not get Born Again until the Spirit was sent at Pentecost.  Being Born Again is a work of the Spirit in a person's heart but it is not a working of Miracles.   Allow me to quote Charles Ryrie from his Study Bible to give you an idea of why I may have prematurely evaluated what you were saying: "Technically, according to the Scribes, blasphemy involved direct and explicit abuse of the divine name. Jesus here teaches that it also may be the reviling of God by attributing the Spirit's work to Satan. The special circumstances involved in this blasphemy cannot be duplicated today; therefore this sin cannot now be committed."    Why look to the scribes for wisdom?  Weren't they the ones who hung out with the Chief Priest and Pharisees all the time? Even the common people knew they didn't speak with authority (Mark 1:22) and most of them didn't recognize Jesus as the Word of God when he was speaking truth right to their face because of the condition of their hearts.   I tend to agree with the Scribes over the limited view of Ryrie: blasphemy is a deliberate abuse of the divine name, a twisting of the identity of Christ, which renders him less than Lord (Yahweh) and Savior, the effect being a denial of the name of Jesus (Yahweh saves). And so the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, as I understand it, is a refusal to yield to the present, personal testimony of the Spirit to the person and work of Jesus Christ. In the Hebrews passage that I mentioned, and you mentioned as well, the preacher includes in his warning these words: "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has ... insulted the Spirit of grace?" (10.29) What is this insult (which is certainly blasphemous) if it is not the rejection of Jesus Christ, a blatant trampling underfoot the Son of God through counting the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing (in other words, nothing at all) and not the absolute and wondrous life giving miracle that it was?   The insult could be promoting "another Jesus" an anti Christ, in the sense of (in place of) and this is what we are warned against. Israel did it all the time. They followed their own wayward hearts and their own ideas. Being obdurant, stiff necked, and refusing to allow the Spirit through God's Word to lead us into ALL truth is blaspheming the Holy Spirit because there is no other way to be saved.  I wonder if God will be pleased with 400+ different theologies and systems all claiming to lead people to Him.