The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 3:28-29, “’Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;

29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin ‘”–

1 Thess. 5:19, “Do not quench the Spirit…”

There has been much serious talk in the news recently. One says this and another says it is not so. People in high places have railed against others, saying that they are lying. There is nothing really new in all of this. Of course, it’s serious; but not so serious as what the scribes from Jerusalem were saying about Jesus.

Those Jewish scribes were saying of Jesus: “He is possessed by Beelzebul” (the name of Satan!). Further, they said, “He (Jesus) casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

Such was stupid on its face. “’How can Satan cast out Satan?” was Jesus’ reply.

It was at this point that Jesus solemnly warned those scribes that “all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies (slanders) they utter; but whoever blasphemes (slanders against) the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—

because they were saying, “He (Jesus) has an unclean spirit.” This is the Unpardonable Sin!

How is it that man can blaspheme Jesus and His Heavenly Father and receive forgiveness, but be guilty of an unpardonable sin when they blaspheme against the Holy Spirit?

The Heavenly Father, His Eternal Son, Jesus, and the Eternal Holy Spirit comprise what is called “the Godhead.” They are three distinct Persons, yet they are are always one! It is indeed serious to slander or belittle any One of the Three. Yet, when man slanders the Holy Spirit, Who awakens man to the truth the Son speaks, he eliminates the very essence of the salvation the LORD offers. It is the Holy Spirit who urges man to repent and accept the salvation the Son declares. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is like “cutting of your nose to spite your face.” Man cuts the ground from beneath himself when he resists the Spirit.

But wait!! The LORD has a word for the saved. To us, He says, “Do not quench the Spirit.”

The word “quench” (????????, sbennumi) means “to extinguish” (as with a fire) the Holy Spirit and His internal witness to the teachings of the Scriptures. Have you never sensed that you ought to say or do something, but instead of doing what you were being urged to do, you put it out of your mind and turned to something else? It is a sin when a believer in Christ extinguishes the urging of the Holy Spirit. But when a lost person intentionally extinguishes the urging of the Spirit, he commits an unpardonable sin.

“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).

Please, think about these things.

Heartily in Christ,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”