“Standing Steadfast for Jesus” (Luke 12:8-12)

Jesus will acknowledge or recognize those who confess Him not only by empty words but also by profound good actions.

“I tell you: Everyone who confesses Me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; but he who denies Me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the rulers and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer or what you will say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say” (Luke 12:8-12).

Jesus will acknowledge or recognize those who confess Him.

“I tell you: Everyone who confesses Me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; but he who denies Me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God” (8-9).

Jesus stated this in a parallel way and made use of the terms “men” and “angels” to emphasize the blessedness of those who stand up steadfastly for Him. He is saying that if we could confess Him in front of an audience who are mere mortals, He would delightfully boast of us in front of His other heavenly creatures who are immortals.

Therefore, we who say are disciples of Jesus should confidently and joyfully let the world know who our Master is whom we follow, serve, and represent at every chance we get.

We tend to think of it as dramatic as confessing Jesus or not denying Jesus when a gun is pointed at us or a sword is aimed at our necks. Though this is what this verse can primarily mean, we can also see it in another way. We can confess Jesus in far-simpler ways. Like this:

They profess that they know God; but by their works, they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work (Titus 1:16).

Another way we can confess Jesus as our Lord is by declaring Him, not only through our words but also through our actions; by the kindness, gentleness, and considerateness that we show in our everyday living as we interact with people; by being good, obedient, and selfless; by having a good heart, radiant disposition, and the mind of Christ. Whereas, we deny Him by being the opposite.

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (10).

The Lord Jesus, as was His custom, taught spiritual truths in the form of riddles. This verse can be one of it. Again, He stated this in a parallel way, talking about Himself and the other member of the Godhead: God the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean, then, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Do we commit it when we accidentally utter harsh words addressed to God the Holy Spirit? Can we no longer be forgiven if ever we make that mistake?

Maybe the meaning here is deeper. In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus uttered these words in response to the accusation that He casts out demons using the power of Beelzebub, to which, He answered that a kingdom divided against itself will crumble, meaning the accusation is ludicrous.

Therefore, blaspheming the Holy Spirit can mean accusing Him of being someone of a demonic nature, if not utterly nonsense especially to those are convinced of the truth of His power and have experienced it for themselves.

Only the power of the Holy Spirit can cast out demons, heal a sick person through a miracle, and soften the hardest and blackest hearts, turning a notoriously-evil person to a very-good and sensible one. Psychology and other related disciplines can hardly do the same. Even if they manage to pull it off, it will prove artificial and extremely laborious. Such is the proof of the power of the Holy Spirit, observable in the lives of people.

To those much was given, much will be required. We who have seen and felt the power of the Holy Spirit will answer to God the more if we blaspheme His Spirit.

We are saved by God’s grace. But we can’t use the grace of God as a license for licentiousness, leaning on the false assurance that salvation cannot be lost once we have prayed the prayer of acceptance. That is why people who are indoctrinated this way feel free to do whatever they want because they say that we are under grace and not under the law. They can just enjoy the life of sin and then stop and go back to the faith once they see that they are in dire need or are already about to die.

I’m not saying that God is not faithful in His promises. But first, let us ask whether people with such a lax and disrespectful attitude of God’s grace are really transformed and indwelt by His Spirit. Let us ask whether their knowledge of God is only cognitive — — that is, they are only indoctrinated to think that way — — or experiential; that is, the word of God had such power in them that they came to know God in a personal, life-changing, way, not necessarily emotionally.

Although God is sovereign, we still have a free will. God created us that way, and that makes us human. God wants us to put our faith in Him, leave the life of sin, change our evil ways, and follow Him. But if we choose to reject Him and continue in our sin, what can He do? We will have to live with our decision.

Passage by Passage: Luke 12 series, episode 3

by: Marven T. Baldo

If earthly parents grow less and less amorous of their children who are consistently disobedient, God’s holiness also cannot tolerate consistent sinning. If He can’t spare the rod so as not to spoil His children, how much more will He not thoroughly punish the evil deeds of people who claim to know Him?

Indeed, nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus; but that is only true of His real followers, not of those who just pretend and profess belief with their mouths but then deny it with their actions, having an erroneous understanding of God’s grace and thereby abuse it. What Jesus may say to them in the end is, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you evildoers.”

For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again and put Him to open shame (Hebrews 6:4-6).

Because that’s what we do when we turn our back on Jesus, when we callously choose to proceed with an evil course of action despite the dictates of a good conscience and the strong prodding of God the Holy Spirit telling us not to. We’re blaspheming the Holy Spirit. We’re desecrating the thing that is holy. It’s like we’re putting Jesus back to the cross to again undergo torture and humiliation which He only did once and for all.

On the other hand, if we would take this verse to mean that it is no longer possible to restore our former position in the eyes of God although we never lost our salvation, we can’t expect that everything will just go back to how it was after we decidedly lived a life of sin. The opportunity that we wasted in the past may no longer come again. If we only had remained consistent, we would have been better off spiritually and even materially. That is why backsliding is not worth it and is just such a waste of time. We can learn wisdom about life straight from God and not necessarily from our foolish mistakes. We don’t need it.

If we truly have faith in God, we will value our relationship with Him. We will obey His commandments and shun the things which He hates, and we won’t deliberately grieve the Holy Spirit. Our faith in Him is not just something we can wear whenever it looks cool and then shed off once it proves inconvenient.

Though, sometimes, our life with God feels lifeless and boring, we carry on with it. We’ll be in it all the way despite the changes of seasons. Whenever Satan attacks our minds with doubts about the faithfulness and even the existence of God, we immediately rebuke it. We will prove by our perseverance that we are indeed saved by God’s grace and our faith in Him is genuine. If we turn our backs on God, we are running away from a place that’s safe. Therefore, we can’t apostatize now. We need God now more than ever.

If we allow God the Holy Spirit to fill us to overflowing and empower us to do good works, He will be our ever-present Help especially when difficult situations come. If we could stand up steadfastly for Jesus consistently especially during critical moments, the Lord Holy Spirit will also stand by us when trouble comes.

“When they bring you before the rulers and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer or what you will say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say” (11-12).

The Lord Holy Spirit will help us defend our faith if ever there come a time when we will already be censured for it. He will provide us with eloquent answers to those who would confront us. He will give us the ability to articulate our beliefs about the things we stand for and against. We won’t cram; we won’t panic; and we can come out as victorious.

Standing up steadfastly for Jesus is, first of all, an attitude of the heart and mind. We don’t have to be carried away by emotions and act religious, pretentious, and holier-than-thou. If we are afraid of looking despicable because of our faith, we can just keep it locked inside while at the same time doing good works unannounced. We seek after righteousness and frown upon the things that may look appealing in the eyes world but which God hates.