Daily Devotional For Thursday, November 6, 2025
Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to read these devotionals. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we pick up with Matthew 12:30-32:
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” (NASB).
The point of verse 30 is that it is impossible to be neutral with God. You are either with God or against Him. If you are not actively following Him, then you are actively against Him. Anyone who attempts to be neutral or straddle the fence will discover they are choosing to be separated from God. The terms “gather” and “scatters” are biblical terms that refer to being faithful (gathers) and being an apostate (scatters). There is no such thing as a spiritual neutral zone as in times of actual warfare as was established with North & South Korea or between North and South Vietnam.
When we come to verse 31, “Therefore I say to you . . .” is the New Testament equivalent of “Thus says the Lord . . .” The words that follow are authentically from the Lord, truthful, trustworthy and serve as a warning. Many people read this verse and miss Jesus’ point here. Sin and blasphemy are forgivable offences. Blasphemy is a form of sin but here they are separated. Why? Sin refers to the full gamut of what is immoral, ungodly, unholy and unrighteous in terms of thoughts and actions.
Blasphemy here refers to a conscious denouncing and rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Blasphemy refers to the deviant attitude that speaks out against God, defames Him and mocks Him. The Old Testament punishment for blasphemy was death by being stoned to death (Lev. 24:16). The Bible says that in the last days this will be common in the world (Rev. 13:5-6, Rev. 16:9, and Rev. 17:3. Jesus says that all sin and even blasphemy are forgivable if confessed and repented from in one’s life.
The Apostle Paul says that at one time he was a blasphemer (1 Tim. 1:13-14. As a result of this, he claims that of all people, he was the “chief or worst of all sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Peter was guilty of blasphemy (Mark 14:71). We are all guilty of the sin of blasphemy when we compromise in our faith or go along with the crowd to be accepted or even play down our relationship with the Lord. This is why 1 John 1:9 is so important.
BUT, there is one sin that is not forgivable by God – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What is this? It is the rejection of the deity of Jesus as Savior and Lord after looking at all the evidence. This is the stubborn refusal to believe even when the evidence is overwhelming that Jesus is who He claimed to be. It is permanently calling God a liar, and Jesus a con artist and the Gospel as being deceitful and deceptive. We see this in the Gospels as the Pharisees personally witnessed Jesus’ miracles and heard His teaching and still rejected Him. Many of the miracles they witnessed Jesus do, they personally had taught the people that when the Messiah came, only He would be able to do this. So, instead of stepping out in faith they hardened their stubborn hearts and turned against them. So, they “had their reward.” And what is that? Look at Jesus’ words in Matt. 7:21-23. On the religious leaders, New Testament scholar William Hendrikson writes this:
“For penitence they substitute hardening, for confession plotting. Thus, by means of their own criminal and completely inexcusable callousness, they are dooming themselves. Their sin is unpardonable because they are unwilling to tread the path that leads to pardon. For a thief, an adulterer, and a murderer there is hope. The message of the gospel may cause him to cry out, “O God be merciful to me, the sinner.” But when a man has become hardened, so that he has made up his mind not to pay any attention to the ... Spirit, ... he has placed himself on the road that leads to perdition” (Source: William Hendrickson, The Exposition Of the Gospel According to Matthew, p. 529).
People who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit cut themselves off from God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness, NOT because God does not offer these 3 to them – but because they adamantly rejected Him. Because the Jews and the Pharisees rejected Jesus, He told them that there was coming a day when the Temple would be totally destroyed. We see this in Jesus’ words in Luke 21:5-6, “Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, (6) “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down” (NASB). This was unthinkable but in 70 AD, Rome totally destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
There comes a point where the Bible says that such obstinate rejection of Jesus makes it impossible for them to come to Christ and to salvation (Heb. 6:4-6). Pastor and author John MacArthur illustrates this point this way:
“During World War II, an American naval force in the North Atlantic was engaged in heavy battle with enemy ships and submarines on an exceptionally dark night. Six planes took off from the carrier to search out those targets, but while they were in the air a total blackout was ordered for the carrier in order to protect it from attack. Without lights on the carrier’s deck the six planes could not possibly land, and they made a radio request for the lights to be turned on just long enough for them to come in. But because the entire carrier, with its several thousand men as well as all the other planes and equipment, would have been put in jeopardy, no lights were permitted. When the six planes ran out of fuel, they had to ditch in the freezing water and all crew members perished into eternity” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 314). There comes a time when God turns His “lights” off for that person and they will die in the darkness of their sin and go to hell forever.
Assignment: Do you consistently live out your Christian faith without reservations? When are you most vulnerable to compromise and deny Christ as Peter did? Do you know anyone like this and if so, are you consistently praying that they would come to the Light of Christ and be saved? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: Hebrews 10:26-27, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please help me to never deny You, reject Your truth for another lie. Please forgive me when and where I have done this. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly