Introduction
As followers of the Lord Jesus, our duty is to testify concerning our faith in the Son of God. First and foremost, the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and He is One with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He came to earth to bring salvation to the world through the will of the Father and His finished work on the cross. The Lord Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, was buried in a tomb, and rose on the third day. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father on high and will come again to gather His own. Until that time, He sends the promise from the Father, the Holy Spirit, to all who believe in Him and ask.
Our Testimony About the Lord Jesus is Within Us
Every believer has a testimony regarding the Son of God and what He means for us. However, we must all genuinely believe in who the Son of God is and understand His role in our faith. A concise and powerful testimony about the Lord Jesus is provided by the Holy Spirit in 1 John 5:6-12. This passage can serve as a foundation for sharing our understanding of the Son of God.
In 1 John 5:6-12, we learn that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, and if we believe in Him as the Son of God, we carry His testimony within ourselves, for the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. The Holy Spirit is the One who bears witness to His Son before the world. We provide this Bible passage for readers, as it is clear and impacts our hearts.
6 This is the One having came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not by the water only, but by the water and by the blood.
7 And the Spirit is the One who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth.
8 For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are in one.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son.
10 The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one not believing God has made him a liar; because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne witness concerning His Son.
11 And the witness is this, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 The one having the Son has the life; the one having not the Son of God does not have the life.
We Should Pray for All, but Be Cautious of the Unforgivable Sin
As believers in the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, we are called to continually pray to the Holy Trinity for ourselves and others, addressing various needs in different ways. We may be called to lead public prayers in a group or church, or to pray and lay hands on others who come for prayer needs, which aligns with God’s will to intercede for them. However, we often face challenging situations where we need to pray for individuals who are caught in the schemes of the evil one, and sin. In such cases, we must proceed with caution and reflect on whether, as believers, we can freely pray for and lay hands on our fellow believers or others for the forgiveness of their sins (1 Timothy 5:22). To address this concern, we can look at 1 John 5:16-18, which offers guidance on sin and prayer.
16 If anyone should see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and He will give him life, to those sinning not unto death. There is a sin unto death; not concerning that do I say that he should make request.
17 All unrighteousness is sin; and there is a sin not unto death.
18 We know that everyone having been born of God sins not; but the One having been begotten of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
We are instructed in these verses to pray for our brothers and sisters when we see them living in sin. However, we must also be cautious about the sin that leads to death. We can pray for our fellow believers and for others to be forgiven of their sins; however, we cannot pray for someone to be forgiven of the unforgivable sin, as this sin is unforgivable, and praying for it would go against the Word of God. This warning prompts the question: What is this sin mentioned in the passage? To understand it, we can refer to Matthew 12:22-32, which describes the accusations the Pharisees made against the Lord Jesus during His deliverance miracles. In this passage, we read about how the Lord Jesus healed one possessed by a demon who was both blind and mute, and how the Pharisees responded with accusations against Him. We will comment further on Matthew 12:23-32 to clarify what the unforgivable sin is.
23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the Son of David?
24 And the Pharisees having heard, said, This does not cast out demons, if not by Beelzebub the chief of the demons.
At the time, it was well known among the people that the Pharisees were the ones who had the authority to cast out evils, not someone else. And the Lord Jesus was not part of their group, so in their view, He did not have that authority, but the Lord Jesus repeatedly proved that He had this authority.
25 Now knowing their deliberations He said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
“Knowing their deliberations ...” The Lord hears the heart and knows the thoughts of men. Nothing is hidden; even the most secret thing is open in front of the Lord. He sees through all things.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? On account of this they will be your judges.
“By whom do your sons cast them out?” In these verses, we understand that the older generation passed on the teaching of casting out evils as they received from the previous generation. But now their children’s generation is corrupt. The old way of their practice has been changed; the new generation cannot cast out demons anymore (See Acts 19:13-20). Nobody out of their group rose up to have the duty as the old generation did. And now, the Lord Jesus has the power and authority over the evil spirits, but He is not part of their group. The Pharisees fear the shifting of authority away from them. For people to see that someone, outside of their group, can exercise authority over evils, they can’t let this happen. For them, the shift of authority has to be stopped, and the Lord Jesus must be destroyed.
28 However, if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Even when the Lord tells them straight, they can’t believe it. Darkness covers their eyes. When you serve the dark, you cannot see the light. The conclusion of verses 24 to 29 is that the Lord wants them (the Pharisees) to admit that their children do not use the power of God to do their work (they lost the authority) and acknowledge that the power and authority over the spirits belong to the Lord Jesus. They lost their power, and when they saw the Lord’s power, they did not recognize the Lord Jesus; they walked parallel to God, no longer with God. That is why they can’t see the authority the Lord has shown among the people.
29 Or how can one enter into the house of the mighty, and plunder his goods, except he first binds the mighty? And then he will plunder his house.
This verse is straightforward. However, you can also apply it to the heart of the man. If you let the wishes of this world be the main thing that occupies your mind, then it is, as the Bible says, they have tied you up, and all the bad thoughts enter into you. Therefore, do not occupy your mind with things to build treasures on earth that you cannot take with you; rather, stay in prayer and invite the Lord to be with you in your daily living.
30 The one being not with Me is against Me, and the one not gathering with Me scatters.
This verse relates to the baptism in water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son Jesus, and of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus has been an example for us, and He was baptized in water. Only accepting the Lord Jesus is not enough to secure a place to be close to the Lord; we need to be baptized in water. When we do that, we acknowledge the Lord in public and become children of God. And, when we immerse ourselves under the water, we go through the gate of this world and enter the gate of heaven with Christ.
31 Because of this I say to you, Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to people; however, blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 And whoever may speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever may speak against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the coming.
In this particular case, the Pharisees accused the Lord Jesus, as stated in verse 24, which is why the Lord spoke in this manner. “This age” refers here to the time when the Lord Jesus was on earth. “The coming” refers here to the time after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. After the crucifixion, the earth goes on according to the love of the Son. The mercy and love of the Son sustain the earth from the wrath of the Father.
In this passage of Scripture we see that some people debated about who the Lord Jesus is and if He is the promised Messiah who is to come to the world, while the leaders, the Pharisees, do not believe in the work of the Lord Jesus and speak out against Him, putting themselves in the category of those unfaithful people described in the 1 John 5:10,12.
Therefore, if we observe someone speaking against the miraculous works of the Lord Jesus, similar to how the Pharisees did in Matthew 12:24, we should refrain from praying for such individuals, as our prayers would contradict God’s commandments. As believers, we must understand that the Lord does not go against His word; therefore, if a commandment is given to us in the Bible, we should follow it. The Lord Jesus is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit; He is God and part of the Trinity. Consequently, we can never attribute the power of the Lord Jesus to anyone other than the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Himself.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we must recognize that the Lord Jesus provides us with an understanding of His Word when we earnestly seek it and take the time to meditate on it. The final chapter of 1 John specifically warns us to stay away from idols. Throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament, we find numerous warnings regarding idolatry, emphasizing that God is a jealous God and that His commandments clearly instruct us to avoid it. Idols can take many forms, so it is essential for us to pray for discernment to identify them (read our article: “Who is Your God?”). Additionally, as we should stay away from idols, we should also refrain from praying for individuals who are entangled in the sin that leads to death. We must exercise caution when praying for others to be forgiven of their sins, especially for unbelievers who publicly attack the work of our Lord Jesus, or for believers who criticize the work of the Lord Jesus being done through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This caution is particularly important when praying for those who claim that the baptism of the Holy Spirit, including the miracle of speaking in tongues, and other gifts of the Holy Spirit, have ceased. As devoted followers of the Lord Jesus, we should all seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit and believe that the Holy Spirit is indeed God within the Trinity. This baptism is available to all who sincerely seek Him from the depths of their hearts. For more information, please refer to our article: “Holy Spirit Baptism for a Christian.”
Meditation Tasks:
- Meditate on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and read our article: “Holy Spirit Baptism for a Christian.”