What Will It Take To Finally Admit Something Is Wrong With Our Understanding of the Gospel?

[S.O.J.I.A.]

Another sinless perfection thread?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

We need to understand, we do not put on the new man because we somehow feel we can now walk free of sin. We put it on because we can't!

Thankfully the thread op is gone !!EDIT SORRY - OTHER 'OP' ENTIRELY (just previous saw the other is gone, mistakenly thought it was his thread not yours) !! ,

but still yes, this might be worth clarifying.

I believe from Scripture that someone gives believers freedom and power over sin.
(not that we stop sinning perfectly at once, not usually anyway ! )

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Another sinless perfection thread?

Where are the others ?

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

There was another guy who made a bunch of them until people got tired of debating the guy.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I'm willing to listen, though, if you have some insight on how to gain victory.

See in the Bible, in the Apocalypse (Revelation) , how the overcomers overcome. This is still the same today.

 

[Gideons300]

Another sinless perfection thread?

No sinless perfection thread here, don't worry. Just a thread on how to actually please God by obeying Him.

Thanks for taking the time to write.

Gids

 

[fhansen]

What will it take? An economic meltdown? A World war? Anarchy in the streets? Empty grocery shelves? Th stock market falling into a death spiral? How badly does the foundation under our feet have to be shaken to cry out to Him with ALL of our hearts to save us from sin, from self, from the pull of the world, from the wiles and accusations and temptations of the devil?

We Christians are for the most part “good people”. What is wrong with that, you ask? Well, we were never called to be good. We were called to be holy. And not only are we not walking in holiness, as living sacrifices, we are not really bothered that we are not. Truth? You bet.

Do we not see? The promises of God are meant to be our stepping stones to abiding in the vine, where we walk pleasing to Him, where we ask whatsoever we will and it will be done for us, where we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

But instead of crying out for God to do as He has assured us He will do, we have set ourselves under preachers and teachers assuring us all is wonderful, and rallied around our mantras of unbelief and logic, our human wisdom. What mantras? Here’s two. We have espoused our excuses that no one is perfect and that we are only human, and with one fell swoop, we have gutted the promises of God to fill us, change us, set us free indeed and to plant our feet on the highway of holiness, making us victorious over the world, the flesh and the devil. Welcome to modern day Christianity, possessing the basics of truth in our doctrines but lacking life overflowing.

And you know what? Actually, our mantras are right. We aren’t perfect. And yes, we are only human. We do still reside in bodies of flesh. So where have we erred? We have rested content in our prison cells of self, and quoted Romans 7 as our scriptural backing to excuse the one attribute that Paul did not possess in his battle with the flesh. Contentment to remain there.

Listen. Paul HATED his old carnal nature. He did not use it as an excuse to continue to sin every now and then. He did not rest short of what God had promised him.... free indeed. No, guys, he bemoaned the fact that his sins still ruled him. He longed to please God in everything he did and the fact that he could not left him in a dark place as he tried to defeat the sins that defined him. .

In fact, his struggle against the self-loving old carnal nature brought him to the point he despaired of life itself. He saw himself as a wretched man, declared innocent but still incarcerated, a prisoner to a fallen lower nature that refused to climb down off the throne of his life. He did not rejoice that grace allowed this. He wailed that for some reason, he failed to apprehend what the grace of God promised Him.... a brand new nature that not only wanted to obey, but actually DID obey!

How few there are in these ever darkening last days who are walking in real victory. How rare it is to find souls hungry for the secret of abiding in Jesus, in real victory, and for the love of God to actually flow through them. We are told that contentment with godliness is great gain. We have settled for modest gain and contentment, but without that pesky, elusive, impossible-to-actually-walk-in godliness.

And of all our sins, it is this contentment in our fleshly religious efforts and constant failings that has kept us from the answer we so desperately need. We have made our Christianity a huge machine that cannot have its course corrected because we have refused to heed all the warnings and exhortations God has given us. It has taken on a life of itself and if a major course correction is not taken soon, our end will not be a pretty one.

Do we not see? We are the people spoken of who are healed ‘only slightly’, saying ‘peace, peace’, when there is no peace. We are the ones spoken of in the last days heaping to ourselves teachers that will tickle our itching ears. We are the ones having a form of godliness, but with our lives denying the power of it. We are those who have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness, a license to sin with no fear. Oh, we may not be bold enough (yet) to say that out loud, but the thought has been planted and taken root in the hearts of millions, and with no way to get rid of the weeds, it is going to take a moldbore plow to break up our fallow ground. Delicate weeding will no longer cut it.

We are told that in the last days, men are going to love their own selves MORE than they love God. Their true treasure will be self, pleasure, security, and not God alone. Can we shake ourselves enough to awaken from our religious stupor? I pray so. But know this, if we will not do it willingly, God will do it for us for everything that can be shaken will be. Everything holding us back from absolute surrender and total faith in him to keep us, to change us, to free us from US will be shaken out of our lives.

Do you doubt that the God that loves us would do such a thing? Do not. It is because He loves us so that He will do so. The hour is late. The darkness approaches..... fast. Our doctrines or our error in our doctrines is not the issue and getting them corrected will do nothing to protect us from the coming whirlwind. You see, the problem lies in the condition of our hearts, because our continued sins have allowed a hardness to cover them.

There is an answer to our dilemma. Paul found it. Why? Because he sought it with ALL of his heart. He sowed in tears. And so he reaped in joy, just as God has promised him... and us. Blessed is the one who does not need an economic collapse or roving armed gangs in the streets before he or she turns to the Lord and cries out for God to do what He has so very clearly promised. And what is that? To set us free indeed!

Perilous times are ahead. We can continue to be religious ostriches, burying our heads in the sand, thinking that bing part of the TRUE church or denomination and having our doctrines all neatly sorted out will somehow make us impervious to falling. How we hope that all will continue as it always has, as we enjoy our Sunday services and then return to OUR lives. But it shall not be.

It is that ‘OUR lives’ part that is the problem. We are not our own any longer. We have been bought out of the hand of the devil by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, to let Him live and love through us. He wants to be the potter of our lives. He wants to fill us with fruits of His own nature. He wants to cause us to obey Him, and smile doing it.

impossible you say? Well, get ready for impossible, ‘cause ready or not, here it comes. We are about to be amazed.... or terrified. It all depends upon who we want to own us and rule over us..... US or HIM in us.

Blessings,

Gideon

Yes, we must always acknowledge the onus of having the obligation to be righteous; that obligation doesn't change with the New Covenant. The difference is having an intimate relationship or union with God within which He promises to help us overcome-to the extent that we remain abiding in and depending on and cooperating with Him. We must develop and continue to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. And keep on striving towards it even if we slip backwards now and then. While God is uncompromisingly on our side and wills that none of us should perish, we cannot conceive of faith as a license to rest on our laurels. The object is to be driven by love to obey God in our of overcoming sin and doing good for others.

 

[food4thought]

See in the Bible, in the Apocalypse (Revelation) , how the overcomers overcome. This is still the same today.

Are you speaking of this verse?

Revelation 12:11 NASB "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.​

 

[Gideons300]

Are you speaking of this verse?

Revelation 12:11 NASB "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.​

Jeff is spot on. This verse is a key to our understanding as to HOW to overcome the accusations and temptations thrown at us by the devil. The power that the blood affords us as children of God is only fully made available when we combine it with OUR testimony that His Word is truth for US..... right now. Faith mist always be NOW faith.

It is not enough to intellectually agree that we died when Christ died. It is only when we declare in faith that we are now dead to sin's authority over us, that we are no longer old natures trying to become new natures, that we discover the highway of holiness opens up to us. But to do that, we must grow to hate that old self that wants to still rule, still sin (in moderation, of course). Until we truly understand that our old nature will never bow the knee to God in ALL things, and see ourselves as wretched men as Pul did in Romans 7, we will find it impossible to believe the truth of who we are. Thus, abiding in Him becomes impossible. Sin must become exceedingly sinful to us, for that is the only way we can ONLY believe.

We are told in the Word that two cannot walk together unless they be agreed. And it is this principle that explains why it is critical we arm ourselves with the truth of who we truly are.

blessings,

Gids

 

[Wordkeeper]

A good question!

I'll give you an example from a recent and very mundane moment in my life. There is a large water filtering tank in our kitchen into which one can pour several pitchers of water before it is full. The complex filtering system is all gravity-reliant so it can take several hours for the water we pour in at the top to drain into the lower part of the unit. The last while I have found that I am the only one filling up the tank. My wife will drain the tank to its dregs and not add any new water. So, I'll come to the tank wanting a glass of water and find that I have to fill it and wait an hour or so before enough freshly filtered water has accumulated at the bottom of the tank to fill a glass. (I can't drink water straight from the tap because my mouth develops mouth ulcers if I do.) I came to the filtering tank the other day and, once again, found it empty. This peeved me greatly. I began to imagine scenarios where I took my wife to task over the empty tank. Resentment welled up within me. Why was I always the only one who ever filled up the tank? (Isn't it interesting how these words - always, only, ever - come so quickly to mind when justifying one's annoyance with one's spouse?) In short order, I had worked up quite a head of steam on my irritation at this horrible abuse of my right not to be taken advantage of (All possible abuses paled before the atrocity of her not filling up the water tank, you see). And then the Spirit of God interrupted. Did I love my wife? How was my fuming over the water tank showing her love? Christ had gone to far, far, far, far (far, far, far, far) greater lengths to show me his love. Why was I stewing over such a small thing? If I was the only one to ever fill up the tank, I should be happy to do it in service of the woman I claimed to love. And so on.

After a few moments of these sorts of thoughts I was thoroughly rebuked. I would do the right thing, that which honored God and my wife. I would sacrifice for her and fill up the tank without comment or complaint. And I would do so faithfully 'til my dying day (I can be a bit over-dramatic at times). I set about filling the tank, feeling determined and mildly self-congratulatory. But, you know, I didn't feel entirely pleased about things. There was a part of me that still resented the whole business. Part of me resisted what I had decided to do. I would do the right thing, yes, but I wouldn't be happy about it. 'Cause this is what it means to serve my wife and God, right? Sometimes, it hurts. Sometimes it costs. This sort of sacrifice is what it means to die to Self. (Again, I can tend toward drama in my self-talk). And then God interrupted again.

What was I doing? Had I even for a moment turned to God in this circumstance and submitted myself to His will and way? No. Had I consciously yielded myself to the Spirit, asking for His mind and heart in my state of annoyance? Nope. Instead, I had recognized the right thing to do and in my own human resources had determined to do it. I was convicted again but this time of my lack of dependence upon God, of my lack of submission to Him. And so, I just stopped and in a brief moment of prayer surrendered myself to His will and way. As I did, the feelings of resentment and frustration dissolved. I found myself, almost obliviously, filling the tank, contented and at peace in doing so. No strain to do the right thing. No struggle with my Self. Just a settled calm and right action.

And then, God interrupted once more. Did I see the difference between Self-effort and the work of the Holy Spirit? Did I recognize how quickly I had moved to doing God's will my way? I did. And I laughed and thanked God for His faithful, gentle, patient and absolutely necessary work in my dull, wayward heart and mind.

I kinda hinted that actions can only be one of two sorts: gathering or scattering. How does your act gather?

 

[food4thought]

Jeff is spot on. This verse is a key to our understanding as to HOW to overcome the accusations and temptations thrown at us by the devil. The power that the blood affords us as children of God is only fully made available when we combine it with OUR testimony that His Word is truth for US..... right now. Faith mist always be NOW faith.

So it basically boils down to faith, right?

It is not enough to intellectually agree that we died when Christ died. It is only when we declare in faith that we are now dead to sin's authority over us, that we are no longer old natures trying to become new natures, that we discover the highway of holiness opens up to us. But to do that, we must grow to hate that old self that wants to still rule, still sin (in moderation, of course). Until we truly understand that our old nature will never bow the knee to God in ALL things, and see ourselves as wretched men as Pul did in Romans 7, we will find it impossible to believe the truth of who we are. Thus, abiding in Him becomes impossible. Sin must become exceedingly sinful to us, for that is the only way we can ONLY believe.

How do I get to that place?

We are told in the Word that two cannot walk together unless they be agreed. And it is this principle that explains why it is critical we arm ourselves with the truth of who we truly are.

I agree with God that I am a hopeless sinner... I have no doubt about that.

 

[fhansen]

Another sinless perfection thread?

While God would have us be perfect-why not?-He's not expecting either/or, all at once. He's placed us on a journey and we must at least make progress on it in the overall scheme of things using the gift He's given us: His own life dwelling within.

We're still obligated to choose the good, to increasingly become righteous/sinless but it's not about instant change, about either not having that obligation at all vs instant perfection. Were instantly forgiven and cleansed, but how clean we stay after that depends on how close we remain to Christ. "Apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

 

[Ronald]

What will it take? An economic meltdown? A World war? Anarchy in the streets? Empty grocery shelves? Th stock market falling into a death spiral? How badly does the foundation under our feet have to be shaken to cry out to Him with ALL of our hearts to save us from sin, from self, from the pull of the world, from the wiles and accusations and temptations of the devil?

We Christians are for the most part “good people”. What is wrong with that, you ask? Well, we were never called to be good. We were called to be holy. And not only are we not walking in holiness, as living sacrifices, we are not really bothered that we are not. Truth? You bet.

Do we not see? The promises of God are meant to be our stepping stones to abiding in the vine, where we walk pleasing to Him, where we ask whatsoever we will and it will be done for us, where we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

But instead of crying out for God to do as He has assured us He will do, we have set ourselves under preachers and teachers assuring us all is wonderful, and rallied around our mantras of unbelief and logic, our human wisdom. What mantras? Here’s two. We have espoused our excuses that no one is perfect and that we are only human, and with one fell swoop, we have gutted the promises of God to fill us, change us, set us free indeed and to plant our feet on the highway of holiness, making us victorious over the world, the flesh and the devil. Welcome to modern day Christianity, possessing the basics of truth in our doctrines but lacking life overflowing.

And you know what? Actually, our mantras are right. We aren’t perfect. And yes, we are only human. We do still reside in bodies of flesh. So where have we erred? We have rested content in our prison cells of self, and quoted Romans 7 as our scriptural backing to excuse the one attribute that Paul did not possess in his battle with the flesh. Contentment to remain there.

Listen. Paul HATED his old carnal nature. He did not use it as an excuse to continue to sin every now and then. He did not rest short of what God had promised him.... free indeed. No, guys, he bemoaned the fact that his sins still ruled him. He longed to please God in everything he did and the fact that he could not left him in a dark place as he tried to defeat the sins that defined him. .

In fact, his struggle against the self-loving old carnal nature brought him to the point he despaired of life itself. He saw himself as a wretched man, declared innocent but still incarcerated, a prisoner to a fallen lower nature that refused to climb down off the throne of his life. He did not rejoice that grace allowed this. He wailed that for some reason, he failed to apprehend what the grace of God promised Him.... a brand new nature that not only wanted to obey, but actually DID obey!

How few there are in these ever darkening last days who are walking in real victory. How rare it is to find souls hungry for the secret of abiding in Jesus, in real victory, and for the love of God to actually flow through them. We are told that contentment with godliness is great gain. We have settled for modest gain and contentment, but without that pesky, elusive, impossible-to-actually-walk-in godliness.

And of all our sins, it is this contentment in our fleshly religious efforts and constant failings that has kept us from the answer we so desperately need. We have made our Christianity a huge machine that cannot have its course corrected because we have refused to heed all the warnings and exhortations God has given us. It has taken on a life of itself and if a major course correction is not taken soon, our end will not be a pretty one.

Do we not see? We are the people spoken of who are healed ‘only slightly’, saying ‘peace, peace’, when there is no peace. We are the ones spoken of in the last days heaping to ourselves teachers that will tickle our itching ears. We are the ones having a form of godliness, but with our lives denying the power of it. We are those who have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness, a license to sin with no fear. Oh, we may not be bold enough (yet) to say that out loud, but the thought has been planted and taken root in the hearts of millions, and with no way to get rid of the weeds, it is going to take a moldbore plow to break up our fallow ground. Delicate weeding will no longer cut it.

We are told that in the last days, men are going to love their own selves MORE than they love God. Their true treasure will be self, pleasure, security, and not God alone. Can we shake ourselves enough to awaken from our religious stupor? I pray so. But know this, if we will not do it willingly, God will do it for us for everything that can be shaken will be. Everything holding us back from absolute surrender and total faith in him to keep us, to change us, to free us from US will be shaken out of our lives.

Do you doubt that the God that loves us would do such a thing? Do not. It is because He loves us so that He will do so. The hour is late. The darkness approaches..... fast. Our doctrines or our error in our doctrines is not the issue and getting them corrected will do nothing to protect us from the coming whirlwind. You see, the problem lies in the condition of our hearts, because our continued sins have allowed a hardness to cover them.

There is an answer to our dilemma. Paul found it. Why? Because he sought it with ALL of his heart. He sowed in tears. And so he reaped in joy, just as God has promised him... and us. Blessed is the one who does not need an economic collapse or roving armed gangs in the streets before he or she turns to the Lord and cries out for God to do what He has so very clearly promised. And what is that? To set us free indeed!

Perilous times are ahead. We can continue to be religious ostriches, burying our heads in the sand, thinking that bing part of the TRUE church or denomination and having our doctrines all neatly sorted out will somehow make us impervious to falling. How we hope that all will continue as it always has, as we enjoy our Sunday services and then return to OUR lives. But it shall not be.

It is that ‘OUR lives’ part that is the problem. We are not our own any longer. We have been bought out of the hand of the devil by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, to let Him live and love through us. He wants to be the potter of our lives. He wants to fill us with fruits of His own nature. He wants to cause us to obey Him, and smile doing it.

impossible you say? Well, get ready for impossible, ‘cause ready or not, here it comes. We are about to be amazed.... or terrified. It all depends upon who we want to own us and rule over us..... US or HIM in us.

Blessings,

Gideon

HAVE FAITH IN GOD.
GOD IS SOVEREIGN, THAT MEANS HE HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. ALL THE SIN IN THE WORLD, SATAN, HIS DEMONIC HORDE, THE WICKED REPROBATES AND YES, CHRISTIANS, WHO SLIP AND SLIDE AND ARE WEAK IN THE FAITH, ARE IN CHECK. "THE WORKERS ARE FEW" IS JUST A STATEMENT OF TRUTH, BUT THOSE FEW ARE GETTING IT DONE. FAITH IS A GIFT AND NOT EVERYONE CAN BE BILLY GRAHAM OR A POPE. GOD FACTORS INTO HIS PERFECT PLAN ALL OUR BLUNDERS, WEAKNESSES ALONG WITH OUR FRUITFULNESS.
HIS PLAN IS PERFECT AND UNBEKNOWNST TO YOU, IS RIGHT ON SCHEDULE. HE WORKS THROUGH US AND THE WORK GETS DONE. YOU MAY PERCEIVE THAT CHRISTIANITY IS BEING TRANSFORMED, GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, BUT GOD HAS IT ALL IN CHECK. GOOD AND EVIL ARE GROWING BUT WILL SOON COME TO A PRECIPICE AND SEPARATE.
THE LORD WILL SOON RETURN BECAUSE THE WORLD CANNOT GO ON MUCH LONGER ON ITS PATH. YES WE SEE SIN GROWING AND IT SEEMS WE BECOME CALLOUS TO IT. BUT REMEMBER, THE 1ST CENTURY CHURCH HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE 7 LETTERS IN REVELATION TELLS US THEY HAD BIG PROBLEMS - NO DIFFERENT THAN OURS TODAY. EPHESUS HAD ORTHODOX DOCTRINE BUT LOST THEIR FIRST LOVE, JESUS SAID REPENT!
PERGAMOS WAS A WORLDLY CHURCH WITH FALSE DOCTRINES - JESUS SAID REPENT!
THYATIRA TOLERATED SIN - REPENT!
SARDIS WAS A DEAD CHURCH, NO FRUIT WITH ONLY A FEW BELIEVERS - REPENT!
LAODICEA WAS NEITHER HOT OR COLD, SELF - SUFFICIENT, IN NEED OF NOTHING, TOOTING THEIR OWN HORN WHEN THEY DO SOMETHING NICE, GIVING OUT OF ABUNDANCE - GOD may have vomited them out of His mouth! JESUS SAID REPENT OR PERISH!
PHILADELPHIA AND SYMRNA WERE THE ONLY FAITHFUL CHURCHES.
AND ALL THE OTHER EPISTLES WERE MESSAGES TO CHURCHES IN CITIES THAT GREW OUT OF MUCH WORSE PAGANISM THAN WHAT WE SEE TODAY. ROME - NO COMMENT AND
CORRINTH ...WAS LIKE A MODERN DAY AMSTERDAM.
HAVE FAITH, GOD IS SOVEREIGN. HIS WILL BE DONE, AMEN

 

[aiki]

I kinda hinted that actions can only be one of two sorts: gathering or scattering. How does your act gather?

Oh? Where did you do this, exactly? And what are you talking about regarding "gathering or scattering"?

 

[Wordkeeper]

Oh? Where did you do this, exactly? And what are you talking about regarding "gathering or scattering"?

Oops! Another thread:
Do we have to keep all the New Testament commands?

Anyway, I had suggested there that when we do things that are categorized as good works, they needed to be actions that served to gather, motivate people to come to God.

When Israel saw the great works that God did through Moses, they took the risk to stop serving Egypt, their existing source of life. People will only listen if they see God is with the messenger. That is what the words of Rahab and Nicodemus reveal. The Gospel is that believers can finally be blessings to the world, the purpose humanity was created for, by manifesting the same evidence of union with God.

How would your actions around the water dispenser motivate people to so turn to God?

 

[aiki]

Oops! Another thread:
Do we have to keep all the New Testament commands?

I wondered.

Anyway, I had suggested there that when we do things that are categorized as good works, they needed to be actions that served to gather, motivate people to come to God.

Okay. Why? Can a believer not have their own personal, private walk with God in which the sort of experience I described occurs? The Church is charged with two primary goals: evangelism and discipleship. My water tank moment was related to the latter rather than the former, about how to live as a believer, rather than how to become one.

 

[Wordkeeper]

I wondered.



Okay. Why? Can a believer not have their own personal, private walk with God in which the sort of experience I described occurs? The Church is charged with two primary goals: evangelism and discipleship. My water tank moment was related to the latter rather than the former, about how to live as a believer, rather than how to become one.

With respect to living as a believer, Christ said all our acts either have a gathering effect or scattering. Since you used the water dispenser incident as an example of Christian living, and not ordinary acts like brushing your teeth, how does it gather?

 

[W2L]

You have to learn to love God more than sin. You have to learn to love God more than the world. Unfortunately we need time to learn this the hard way. What fools we are for not loving God more than the world. He create4d us and surely eternity will be better than this fallen world. Why do i love this world and its alluring appeal. We want the American dream. Perhaps im the only fool, I don't know. I thought about starting a thread on this the other day but forgot, and this thread reminds me. How do I stop loving the world? Why am I such a fool? Prayer is welcome.

 

[aiki]

With respect to living as a believer, Christ said all our acts either have a gathering effect or scattering. Since you used the water dispenser incident as an example of Christian living, and not ordinary acts like brushing your teeth, how does it gather?

I have been a Christian for a long time now and I have never encountered this gathering or scattering thing. What, exactly, are you talking about? Can you refer me to a particular verse or passage, please?

 

[Wordkeeper]

I have been a Christian for a long time now and I have never encountered this gathering or scattering thing. What, exactly, are you talking about? Can you refer me to a particular verse or passage, please?

Matthew 12
22Then a demon-possessed man who wasblind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” 24But when the Pharisees heard this,they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

25And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27“If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.