My Future

I'm highly interested in majoring in philosophy now. I've never thought about being a teacher, but it looks like I have no choice considering that's really all you can do with that degree! I'd be interested in looking for opportunities to do some teaching so I can get some practice and refinement in that skill.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Mark 3:28-30

People often think the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to deny God's existence. That may be part of it, but it's not that simple. William Lane Craig says that it's really a matter of relative indifference to God whether people believe in Him or not. Simply believing or disbelieving Him changes nothing about one's position with Him. Even the demons believe in God, but they do not have saving grace (James 2:19). Israel at Sinai certainly believed in God and saw His power, but still rejected Him (Exodus 32:4). What God is interested in is an actual relationship with people. It is in relationship with Him through His Son that we are given the Holy Spirit as a gift of salvation (among others). It's important to note that blasphemy is something you do verbally and intentionally. There's two possible things Jesus is talking about when He mentioned the blasphemy. In this context, the Pharisees were comparing Jesus's work with the work of the devil (v.22). They see his miraculous powers, but say it's the powers of demons. Looking at it in this context, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit may be doing this very thing: comparing the work of the Holy Spirit with the work of demons. The other possibility, and this is what most theologians and pastors seem to think, is that the blasphemy is a persistent, stubborn, and intentional resistance of the Holy Spirit's work in their lives. They consistently "suppress the truth" (Rom. 1:18) in their hearts by their wickedness. Eventually, God gives them up in their sin because they've exchanged the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:24-25).

This is also recorded in Luke's Gospel (Luke 12:10)

Jesus: The Way

Here's another lazy post where I just copy and paste my notes on certain Bible passages!

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7

Jesus makes some very profound and exclusive statements here. He says "Believe in God; believe also in me." This again shows Jesus Christ's equality with the Father (v. 7, John 10:30). He also makes the most unequivocal statement of his exclusivity. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus is "the way" because by believing in Him, a person will receive eternal life. In other words, Jesus is "the way" to Heaven. He's the truth because He is God, and God can't lie (Hebrews 6:18). Jesus is truth embodied, and all who are on the side of truth listen to Him and do as he says (John 18:37). He is "the life" because He is the source of all life (Acts 17:25) and He is the way to eternal life (John 3:15).