Question for Christians Here

[themonkeyman]

Hi Folks,

I have a question about the Unforgivable sin - On this same fourm several Christians gave 6 different interpretations meaning no one really knows what the heck this sin is. However I have a bigger question here.

Essentially the way I read and understand it is that to speak evil of the Holy Spirit then you have comitted it.

Anyhow --- I was reading a passage here : 1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

This means that as we read above that all spirits are very alike and that further testing needs to be done to determaine weather its from God or not. E.g. Unclean and Clean Spirits are all types of the one Spiritual Form.

I know this can be considered borderline blasphemy but I used this point before when reasoning with myself. E.g. Both Spirits need to be very similar in order for us to have to test them. I would have thought they were so different they were not compatible but the scripture above says that further testing needs to be done.

What do you think?

[freedomfromforum]

To "blaspheme the spirit of god" all you
have to do is disagree with a pastor who
speaks for god - your judgement will be
swift and assured. It's all man-made.

[Rational AKD]

This means that as we read above that all spirits are very alike and that further testing needs to be done to determaine weather its from God or not. E.g. Unclean and Clean Spirits are all types of the one Spiritual Form.

I know this can be considered borderline blasphemy but I used this point before when reasoning with myself. E.g. Both Spirits need to be very similar in order for us to have to test them. I would have thought they were so different they were not compatible but the scripture above says that further testing needs to be done.

those passages have a specific warning. they try to tell us not to trust someone just because they say they're from God, because they could be a false prophet. when it says "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God" it's talking about specific claims false prophets would make. if someone says Jesus did not come in the flesh, they are not of God.

[Angrboda]

I suggest you examine the original Greek in an interlinear bible. The word 'spirit' used is a cognate of pneuma (pneuma being variously translated as spirit, life, or breath; pneuma is a fairly common Greek term having a multitude of meanings). In particular, you will note the repetition of the parallel phrase 'tou theou' ('of God' or 'from God'), qualifying that the spirits in question are not 'ghosts' or the Holy Spirit, but the spirits (or life, soul, mind) of men. In no place in 1 John 4:1-4 is there any obvious reference to the Holy Spirit, and the preceding text in 1 John 3:24 makes the use of pneuma in 1 John 4 even less ambiguous ('we know that he abides in us by the spirit [ek tou pneumatos] which he gave to us").

(, interlinear bible courtesy of the Online Parallel Bible Project)