Listener: Did Saul of Tarsus Blapheme the Holy Ghost in Acts 7? I don't believe that he did for the following reasons:
Acts 7.60 "And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, LORD, LAY NOT THIS SIN TO THER CHARGE. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." Here, Stephen asked God to forgive them of sin. It appears that the "this sin" is referring to him being stoned. However, if they committed this blasphemy of the Holy Ghost PRIOR to Stephen's petiton for God to forgive them then that would mean that Stephen asked God to forgive those who are already eternally condemned. Undoubtedly, Stephen was well aware of what blasphemy of the Holy Ghost is. With that being said it would have been pointless for him to petition forgiveness on behalf of those who can never be forgiven. Those who commit blasphemy of the Holy Ghost during gospel of the kingdom can never have forgiveness let alone forgiveness for a lesser sin. That would seem pointless.
Let me know what you think about the points I made.
TTR: Acts 6:5 KJV — And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.
12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,
13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.
15 And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
Acts 7:55 KJV — But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
There is good reason that there are so many references to Stephen being "full of the Holy Ghost" in the passages leading up to and during his stoning. Also, take into account Acts 6:10 "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake." And 6:15 "saw his face as it had been the face of an angel."
Jesus said that blasphemy of the Holy Ghost by Israel would not be forgiven in this world (before the dispensation of grace) nor in the world to come (after the dispensation of grace.) Because Jesus did not speak of the dispensation of grace during His earthly ministry (He was still keeping it secret at that time) - when speaking to Israel, He was only talking about that present time, and their coming regeneration in the future kingdom on earth.
The forgiveness of the unforgivable sin is how the dispensation of grace began. Had this present dispensation not started, then there would have been no hope for anyone such as Saul of Tarsus.
Even the previously "unforgivable" is now forgiven. That's the very epidemy of God's Grace, and is why Paul is our pattern for salvation today.
Acts 7:51 Stephen calls them (Paul included) stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears and declares that they resist the Holy Ghost.
In their resistance, they denied what the Holy Ghost, through Stephen, was speaking to them - so much so, that they killed Stephen, who was speaking and operating as a vessel for the Holy Ghost.
To deny God's Words as truth is blasphemous.
To deny Jesus is Christ is blasphemous.
To deny the works of the Holy Ghost is blasphemous.
To call the the works of God via the Holy Ghost "blasphemous" is blasphemy.
This is why Paul went to the Jew first, while at the same time "not building on another's foundation." The only hope that the unbelieving Jews (who had already rejected the gospel of the kingdom) had for salvation was Paul's gospel of Grace.
Paul was their pattern too.
Regardless of what Stephen knew concerning blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, he was also a man full of, and operating under the power of the Holy Ghost. The words He spake were not his own, but God's.
Forgiving the wrong-doers of even the most dreadful sins is exactly what God did for the world through Christ on the cross. It's no small wonder that the Holy Ghost, who was directly and publicly offended in Acts 7, would audibly demonstrate that same forgiveness, ushering in of the dispensation of Grace, exemplifying the mighty work of God on the cross, in order to make known the mystery of God's will during this present time in which we live.
Add comment
Comments