Matthew 12:32 --- the Holy Ghost

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Dah-veeth

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Matt.12

  1. [31] Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemyshall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghostshall not be forgiven unto men.
  2. [32] And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, itshall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, itshall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
What is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? I believe what it means is to turn away from God and hate the light. If someone rejects the latest Manifestation of God or the latest Prophet, that is forgiveable if he/she loves God. If you love God, not believing a particular Prophet will be forgiven... I believe that is what these verses are saying... love God and you will be forgiven, hate God and you will not. I think there is a chapter about this by 'Abdu'l-Baha. If anyone knows where it is, they are very welcome to post it here :)
 
Dah-veeth said:
Matt.12
  1. [31] Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemyshall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghostshall not be forgiven unto men.
  2. [32] And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, itshall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, itshall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
What is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? I believe what it means is to turn away from God and hate the light. If someone rejects the latest Manifestation of God or the latest Prophet, that is forgiveable if he/she loves God. If you love God, not believing a particular Prophet will be forgiven... I believe that is what these verses are saying... love God and you will be forgiven, hate God and you will not. I think there is a chapter about this by 'Abdu'l-Baha. If anyone knows where it is, they are very welcome to post it here :)
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EXPLANATION OF BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

Question. -- "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." --
(Matt. 12:31-32)

Answer. -- The holy realities of the Manifestations of God have two spiritual positions. One is the place of manifestation, which can be compared to the position of the globe of the sun, and the other is the resplendency of the manifestation, which is like its light and radiance; these are the perfections of God -- in other words, the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit is the divine bounties and lordly perfections, and these divine perfections are as the rays and heat of the sun. The brilliant rays of the sun constitute its being, and without them it would not be the sun. If the manifestation and the reflection of the divine perfections were not in Christ, Jesus would not be the Messiah. He is a Manifestation because He reflects in Himself the divine perfections. The Prophets of God are manifestations for the lordly perfections -- that is, the Holy Spirit is apparent in Them.

If a soul remains far from the manifestation, he may yet be awakened; for he did not recognize the manifestation of the divine perfections. But if he loathe the divine perfections themselves -- in other words, the Holy Spirit -- it is evident that he is like a bat which hates the light.

This detestation of the light has no remedy and cannot be forgiven -- that is to say, it is impossible for him to come near unto God. This lamp is a lamp because of its light; without the light it would not be a lamp. Now if a soul has an aversion for the light of the lamp, he is, as it were, blind, and cannot comprehend the light; and blindness is the cause of everlasting banishment from God.

It is evident that the souls receive grace from the bounty of the Holy Spirit which appears in the Manifestations of God, and not from the personality of the Manifestation. Therefore, if a soul does not receive grace from the bounties of the Holy Spirit, he remains deprived of the divine gift, and the banishment itself puts the soul beyond the reach of pardon.

This is why many people who were the enemies of the Manifestations, and who did not recognize Them, when once they had known Them became Their friends. So enmity toward the Manifestation did not become the cause of perpetual banishment, for they who indulged in it were the enemies of the light-holders, not knowing that They were the shining lights of God. They were not the enemies of the light, and when once they understood that the light-holder was the place of manifestation of the light, they became sincere friends of it.

The meaning is this: to remain far from the light-holder does not entail everlasting banishment, for one may become awakened and vigilant; but enmity toward the light is the cause of everlasting banishment, and for this there is no remedy.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 127)


;) (PS have you heard of Ocean before?)
 
Thanks Sean!

I've had Ocean before, but my computer had problems with it. I use a WordPad .rtf file with the Book of Certitude, Gleanings, Tablets, and the Summons of the Lord of Hosts.

What this topic reminds me of is a passage in the Book of Certitude:

"How far from the grace of the All-Bountiful and from His loving providence and tender mercies it is to single out a soul from amongst all men for the guidance of His creatures, and, on one hand, to withhold from Him the full measure of His divine testimony, and, on the other, inflict severe retribution on His people for having turned away from His chosen One! Nay, the manifold bounties of the Lord of all beings have, at all times, through the Manifestations of His Divine Essence, encompassed the earth and all that dwell therein. Not for a moment hath His grace been withheld, nor have the showers of His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon mankind." -Baha'u'llah


 
It's basically saying, in one sense, that good Jews who love God will be forgiven for not believing Jesus.... (you can say the same for any religion...) ..and it's saying that if you don't love God, on the other hand, if you blaspheme against the Holy Ghost (i.e. hate the light) then you won't be forgiven... so love God! Love the Light!
 
I appreciate your comments on the Sin Against the Holy Ghost but I am still not satisfied. Something seems missing. First, I want to state that I do not know the answer. Yet, the statement must have been common place to the 1st century listeners in the Eastern Roman Empire or at least Palestine, because no explanation was needed by the author. He assumed his listeners or readers would know what the Sin was. Has anybody found any explanation in ancient literature of the time?
 
Dennis said:
I appreciate your comments on the Sin Against the Holy Ghost but I am still not satisfied. Something seems missing. First, I want to state that I do not know the answer. Yet, the statement must have been common place to the 1st century listeners in the Eastern Roman Empire or at least Palestine, because no explanation was needed by the author. He assumed his listeners or readers would know what the Sin was. Has anybody found any explanation in ancient literature of the time?
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Hello Dennis and welcome to the Baha'i Forum!

Some of your not being "satisfied" may be because this forum is primarily in the Baha'i perspective so the words of Abdul-Baha and Baha'u'llah for us are pretty significant.

The last post before your's was over a year ago and I'm unsure whether the same people like Dah-veeth or Sean are particpating anymore on this forum..

I haven't heard the word "blasphemy" used a lot in Baha'i circles. I think maybe some Christians use it on occasion but I did find a section on "blasphemy" though that may relate to the passage cited above:

"He, however, who denied God in His Truth, who turned his back upon Him and rebelled, who disbelieved and made mischief, the verdict of "impiety", "blasphemy", "death", and "fire" was passed upon him. For, what blasphemy is greater than to turn unto the manifestations of Satan, to follow the doctors of oblivion and the people of rebellion? What impiety is more grievous than to deny the Lord on the day when faith itself is renewed and regenerated by God, the Almighty, the Beneficent? What death is more wretched than to flee from the Source of everlasting life? What fire is fiercer on the Day of Reckoning than that of remoteness from the divine Beauty and the celestial Glory?"

~ Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 45

"Gems of Divine Mysteries" was only recently translated into English and published just a few years ago.

Again welcome to the Forum!

- Art:)
 
Dennis said:
Has anybody found any explanation in ancient literature of the time?
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Ancient (Vedic and Platonic) concepts of 'spirit" is that it is a animation of matter or a organizing principle. The NT use seems to be more in an informational/inspirational direction. So I'd say you are unlikely to find anything similar.

The phrase "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" is perhaps best seen in context of a discussion of Jesus having worked miracles. The blasphemy is a open rejection Jesus' redemptive mission by denying that his work is divinely inspired and, instead, holding his miracles against him as though they are proof of an alliance with demonic forces instead of proof of divinity: "when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." (Matthew 12:24)

To discredit the Messiah is seen as a serious effort to undercut the efficacy of G-d's work. There is somewhat of an equivalent in Buddhism along the lines of keeping a Boddhistava from expressing compassion. This is a grave sin.
 
Note to Netti Netti:

Welcome Netti Netti:

Netti Netti wrote:

To discredit the Messiah is seen as a serious effort to undercut the efficacy of G-d's work. There is somewhat of an equivalent in Buddhism along the lines of keeping a Boddhistava from expressing compassion. This is a grave sin.


I always enjoy reading your thoughtful posts and thanks for your latest ..

So would you think that maybe Devadatta the cousin of the Buddha who opposed Him would fit your definition?

As Abdul-Baha was cited earlier it is more from our view a rejection of the light itself .. It's attributes than it is the lamp.

See:

If a soul remains far from the manifestation, he may yet be awakened; for he did not recognize the manifestation of the divine perfections. But if he loathe the divine perfections themselves -- in other words, the Holy Spirit -- it is evident that he is like a bat which hates the light.

This detestation of the light has no remedy and cannot be forgiven -- that is to say, it is impossible for him to come near unto God. This lamp is a lamp because of its light; without the light it would not be a lamp. Now if a soul has an aversion for the light of the lamp, he is, as it were, blind, and cannot comprehend the light; and blindness is the cause of everlasting banishment from God
 
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