This essay continues a sequence. Read the previous one here.
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
There is no genuine understanding without personal effort. Hearing or reading is merely awareness.
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The Blasphemy Not Against The Holy Ghost?
In Part 1, we addressed the meaning of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. We were silent on other questions that arise, e.g.:
- What are these things that count as sins, but are not against the Holy Ghost? What kind of sin is against the Father or Son but not against the Holy Spirit?
- Is the Holy Spirit greater than the Father and the Son? Why should blasphemy against the Father or the Son be (potentially) pardonable, while that against the Holy Spirit is not?
This investigation will build on the discussion in “Judging You, Judging Me“.
The Development of Sin
In that essay, we likened the development of the results of our will to the development of a tree.
For example, a man can steal from another and become wealthy. The wealth is an immediately visible material branch of his evil action. The complete tree, spiritual and material, developing under the purview of the Power of the Holy Spirit (the Laws of Creation) is more extensive than this. It will mature and create the conditions for him to experience (reap) what he inflicted on his victim.
The development of that early-stage material branch partly depends on the reaction of the victim.
What Is “Forgiven”?
If the victim does not forgive the thief, the branch will continue to develop, creating an ongoing dynamic between the two. That will be a topic for a future essay.
If the victim forgives the thief, that branch is cut off, freeing the thief from the future implications of that particular branch. But the fact that a branch has been terminated does not kill the entire tree.
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The rest of the tree will continue to develop to maturity according to the Laws of Creation and the nature of the perpetrator, who will eventually reap the reward.
Therefore, unless he changes his ways, an unrepentantly evil man will eventually reap evil even if he is fortunate enough to be forgiven by 100% of his victims.
We described this in Part 1 and in “Judging You, Judging Me“, albeit in different language. The word “forgiven” in this context means “the Laws of Creation are never repealed”; the “tree” must develop in the Power of the Laws of Creation.
As explained in “Judging You, Judging Me“, this does not contradict the fact that the harvest of the tree can be minimised by a change in the nature of the offender. Forgiveness in the sense of minimising consequences is possible, but not in the sense of repealing the Law.
The Blasphemy Against The Father
How about the Father and the Son?
An offence against the Son is an offence against the Father:
The Father is in me, and I in Him
— John 10:38
It was possible for men to sin against Him (and therefore His Father) while He was on Earth.
Because He is the embodiment of Divine Love, He forgave “all manner of sin and blasphemy” against Him.
But as already explained terminating those “branches” fashioned against Him, while a great blessing for the perpetrators, would not kill the entire “tree”. Unless they changed their ways in time they would experience a similar harvest, albeit tempered by the blessing of the forgiveness received.
Nature must run its course as relates to the evil spiritual volition that gave rise to a sinful material action, even if the particular action is forgiven by the victim. The forgiveness is a great help to the perpetrator, but only a change in the perpetrator’s nature can mitigate all of the consequences. That is the Law of Creation.
Today’s Resolution:
- We will pay as much attention to our volition, thoughts, and words as we do to our actions.
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