Episode 84: Unforgivable Sin?

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit forever. Amen.

Glory be to the everlasting mercies which sent you to us, O

Christ, the light of the world and the life of all.

Give us wisdom by your law and enlighten our impulses by your

knowledge. Sanctify our souls by your

truth, and grant that we may be obedient to your words and may

fulfill your commandments at every hour.

O you Who enlightens the rationale with the knowledge of

your greatness, do enlight, O my Lord, our thoughts that we may

meditate upon your holy and divine scriptures at all times.

O Lord of all, Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever.

Amen. When the Internet of the www.web

was first introduced, the dial up.

Remember the dial up? We had this noise on the on the

telephone. I recall being at my cousin's

house in Chicago and I think it's back in 1994.

It was winter, so we were in the basement.

By the way, shout out to Joseph and Zaya Mikhail Brunetralti, my

cousins. Yes, Sir, We, they know what I'm

talking about. So I'm surfing the net while

hearing my auntie and my cousins scream.

Joseph get off the Internet. We need the phone and all.

While I was engaged in a long dialogue with a random person

who asked me if he would go to hell because he had blasphemed

the Holy Spirit and he kept on insisting that he would go to

hell. There was no repentance, There

was no forgiveness because he had blasphemed the Holy Spirit.

Referring to what Christ warns in Matthew chapter 12, verse 31,

Matthew 12:31

Mark chapter 3 verses 28 to 30 in Luke chapter 12, verse 10.

Mark 3:28–30 Luke 12:10

Now that question always comes up and discussions often take

place on the topic. And I'm quite certain that you

may have that question in mind. And I pray that today by

listening to this episode you will receive your spirit

inspired answer according to the understanding, the

interpretation and the practice of this warning as told and

taught and upheld by the Church and the Holy Church Fathers.

And let's go no further than Saint John Chrysostal.

Let me read Saint John Chrysostom's interpretation and

commentary on this verse and bear with me.

It's a little long, but the title is blasphemy or blasphemy.

Sorry, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

And Saint John Chrysostom writes, what is Jesus saying at

this point? He is saying to the Pharisees

those who are opposing, those who blasphemed.

You have spoken many things against me.

You have called me a deceiver, an adversary, or an opponent of

God. These things I forgive you upon

your repentance. So when you repent, I will

forgive you. There will be no penalty

exacted. But blasphemy against the Spirit

shall not be forgiven, not even to those who repent.

This is Saint John Chrysostom's commentary interpretation.

But how could this be right? He says, For even this was

forgiven upon repentance, those who received Jesus Christ, those

who blasphemed. And then later on in the book of

Acts we read chapter 2, and when Simon presents his sermon and

3000 believe, what shall we do? Repent, and be baptized for the

forgiveness of sins. Now there may have been people,

and I'm sure, that had blasphemed the Holy Spirit, but

they were forgiven upon repentance.

Many, at least of these, or those who said these words,

believed afterward, St. John Chrysostom writes, And all

was forgiven them. What is it then, that Christ was

implying that this sin is, above all things inexcusable?

Why so Saint John Chrysostom writes?

Because they might have been ignorant of Jesus, not knowing

who he was and who he might be, but of the Spirit, they could

not be ignorant due to their own previous experience.

For the prophets had spoken by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, he

goes on. The Old Testament as a whole had

an exalted understanding of the Holy Spirit.

What he says then, that is, what is Jesus saying Then is this So

be it? You may be offended at me

because of the humanity I have assumed, but you cannot say the

same of the Holy Spirit. You cannot claim not to know the

Spirit. Therefore your blasphemy has no

excuse and you will suffer the consequences both here and

thereafter unless you repent according to Acts Chapter 2 and

Acts 2 · chapter mention

those who pull believed repented.

So what he's saying is this, and let's put it in Jesus's mouth.

You claim O Pharisees and my opponents in the high priests,

and we're going to apply this by the way you say, or you claim to

be the children of Abraham according to John chapter 8,

John 8:39

verse 39. And followers of Moses and the

prophets, even though they prophesied and were a prototype

of me, yet you speak, but yet they spoke and prophesied by the

Spirit as claimed by Samuel in his second book, chapter 23,

verse 2. The Spirit of the Lord God spoke

to me and his word was upon my tongue.

Yes, it's a prophecy of Jesus Christ, but the prophet spoke by

the Spirit. This is what Jesus is saying.

And this is also attested by Saint Simon the Rock in his

second book, Chapter one, verse 20 to 21.

No prophecy is its own exposition of the scriptures.

The prophecy came not by the will of man in the ancient

times, but when holy men of God spoke by being compelled by the

Holy Spirit. So Jesus saying, you know the

Holy Spirit or you have heard of the Holy Spirit, You've been

acquainted to the Holy Spirit, and you know that God who spoke

to them, the prophets and compelled them to speak, is the

God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob or Israel, whom you say

is the God that you worship and are awaiting his promise of the

Messiah. This is what Jesus is meaning by

blaspheming on the against. The Holy Spirit is not

forgivable because they knew of the Holy Spirit and he goes on

that you see the prophecies being fulfilled in me and by me

from the day of my conception in the womb of the virgin foretold

by Isaiah, your prophet. You know this, you understand

this. And Isaiah prophesied by the

Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus is entailing.

For example, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18.

Deuteronomy 18:18

A prophet I shall raise to them from within their brethren like

you, and I shall put my words in his mouth.

This is a prophecy moved by the Holy Spirit and Isaiah speaking,

and he shall say to them everything that I shall command

him. And this was fulfilled in Jesus

Christ. You know this.

You see this John 18, verse 28 to 29 Jesus said to them again,

John 18:28–29

When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall you.

I know that I am the Lord God, and that I do nothing from

myself. But as the Father has taught me,

so I speak. You know of these prophecies.

Here I am. The prophecy was moved by the

Holy Spirit. You may still not understand me

and fathom who I am, but don't go to the point where you're now

rejecting the Holy Spirit through whom?

By whom your Father's were moved to speak.

And Jesus is saying you are witnessing the miracles.

You saw these miracles. Nicodemus, leader of the Jews,

comes to Jesus by night in secret.

John chapter 3, verse 2. Rabbi, He says we know that you

John 3:2

are a teacher sent from God. For no man is able to do these

miracles that you are doing unless God were with him.

This all and you blasphemy. That same spirit that is working

with me. We're gonna apply this Beloved

Jesus is saying I can understand you not being able to comprehend

that I am he, the Spirit by nature along with the Father

that is divine, but that spirit himself, You Blasphemy.

You have reached a boiling point.

You have reached a dangerous spot.

You're in a bad position. And that point, that position,

is where you have denied the one who can redeem you and reinstate

you. Let me say that again.

They had reached a point where they had denied the one who

could redeem and reinstate them. So where else were they going to

go? Unless it be back to the Holy

Spirit? The prophet Samuel puts it quite

clear and precise in his first book, chapter 2, verse 25.

If a man will sin against a man, he may pray before the Lord God.

And if a man will sin against the Lord God, to whom will he

pray? You know Jesus is saying you're

in a very bad position. You're denying now that which is

your last hope. There is nothing about the about

the Holy Spirit, which is God the Father, God the Son, God the

Holy Spirit the one God. You need to rethink where you're

at. What's worse is the impenitence

that they produced and possessed.

Impenitence, not feeling remorse in regret after sin.

And now this is a blasphemy at another level.

So this is the Pharisees. This is the high priests.

And again some believed and some followed.

Nicodemus believed and followed, and many others believed and

repented and were received and were forgiven.

So let's bring it home, beloved. That'd be this is a big shot.

And I I don't know if that person, I was engaged on the

Internet in a dialogue is listening or not.

I don't know if he was a Syrian. I I don't know if he knew me.

I didn't know who he was. Excuse me, but let's bring it

home. I'm sure there is a time where

we have committed this grievous sin, maybe not in words, but in

deeds, and we continue to do that.

Let's have a look at some different types of blasphemy.

According to the Church Fathers, you having received the Holy

Spirit through the waters of baptism, you having received the

Spirit of His Son into your heart, who cries out Father, our

Father, you having been adopted as a child of God.

Hence when the Scriptures say you are of God, meaning you are

a child of God, you having been counted as a children of the

Mysteries, that is absolution and the cleansing, We received

from the Holy Mysteries, the Qurbana addition within the

Church, that very Church commissioned to redeem, seen by

the Apostolic authority granted by Christ Himself, John chapter

John 20:23

20, verse 23. And you continue to live in sin,

have no relationship with the Father, continue to live as a

fatherless orphan, neglecting the participation in the

mysteries and no connection to the body of Christ being His

Church. That too is blasphemy, beloved.

So what is the solution? Blasphemy by word or deed or

action. What is our solution?

We've just ascertained that, yes, Christ will forgive.

We will come back one more time and be redeemed if we return

back to God. So what is our solution?

Number one, remember God, our God, your God my God, God the

Creator of heavens and the earth, is a gracious, A

merciful, and a compassionate God who does not desire the

death of a Sinner, but that he may return and repent and live.

Ezekiel, chapter 18, verse 23. Keep in mind that our Lord and

Ezekiel 18:23

our Savior Jesus Christ, Your Lord and your Savior Jesus

Christ, My Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ, who continues to

suffer with your weaknesses without weaknesses, and His

throne of His grace is available to all.

Listen to this. The throne of the Grace of Jesus

Christ is available to all to draw near and receive what?

Receive mercy. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 5.

Hebrews 4:5

This is the High Priest we have. Beloved is ready to receive His

throne, is available to all to receive mercy, forgiveness,

compassion. The Holy Spirit which is within

you, within Me, and within us, who continues to teach us all

things, is drawing us to God. This must be our solution.

This must be our courage to come back because the Holy Spirit is

dwelling within us. John Chapter 14, verse 26.

John 14:26

The One and Holy and Apostolic and Catholic, denoting

universal, complete, not Roman Catholic, necessarily no.

The one, Holy and Apostolic and universal or complete or

Catholic Church. You are a member of that Church

that has been commissioned to bestow and impart the mysteries

of forgiveness and absolution and reinstatement one more time

into the flock of Jesus Christ. We need to know this first.

These are our solutions. This is our hope and then what

we need to do. See, I said.

We need to know first. We know.

We believe faith alone is dead. Knowledge alone is dead.

Wisdom alone is dead. It's foolishness.

Actually knowing this, believing this, trusting this God, our

solution, our hope is to return, return and return to the One who

you blasphemed, whether by word or deeds, repent.

And again, the Church Fathers right that those who had

committed this sin repented and were received.

Simon didn't stand up during his sermon and say those who have

not blasphemed can approach and repent and receive the gift of

the Holy Spirit, which is baptism.

No, no, no. What shall we do?

They said, What shall we do? He said repent every one of you.

The promise is for you and your children.

So our hope, our ACT, our deed is number 1.

To know, to understand, to believe.

God is gracious. God will show love that God that

we have distant, and there's no other place we can go because we

have sinned against God. Who do I pray to forgive me for

sinning against God, if not coming back to that same God,

come back to that God. I suggest you consult your

parish priest. Consult your parish priest who

will beseech standings the seed along with the prayers of the

Saints, imploring the gracious Lord God Jesus Christ to remove

this most heavy burden and grant you the rest that he promises in

his life giving Gospels. According to Matthew, Chapter

Matthew 11:28–30

11, verses 28 to 30, Return back to the Lord and beseech the

Lord. Now, I don't want to go too much

into the process that the Church has for those who have

blasphemed or those who have denied the faith and want to be

one more time reinstated into the flock.

I think I've spoken about that and one day we will have a a

specific episode on the the liturgy of Absolution.

But we turn back to Christ. This is the heaviest burdens and

ladens. And he has promised, Beloved,

that he will take those away from us.

So there is hope. What Christ is saying is that

you're in a dangerous place. Return one more time.

Christ is not saying where you are.

Don't even bother. Don't even bother to return.

You cannot. It's done.

It's finished. No, it's not the last hour yet.

Or we may be leaving in the last hour, but those who worked that

one last hour, they received the same reward.

So if right now you're thinking, Ah Rabi, if only you knew what

I've done, I don't need to know. I don't need to know.

God knows. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ,

who is awaiting your return, who went out in search of our lost

condition and found us and desires our return.

Anticipates eagerly waits for our return.

Come to Him who will embrace you and one more time reinstate you

through the Church that He has established on earth.

Come to the Lord Jesus Christ, to Him, to His Father, and to

the Holy Spirit. Be glory now and at all times

and forever and ever. Amen.

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Sword. Until next time, God bless you

all.