Matthew 12:32 --- the Holy Ghost

[Dah-veeth]

Matt.12

1. [31] Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemyshall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghostshall not be forgiven unto men.
2. [32] And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, itshall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, itshall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

What is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? I believe what it means is to turn away from God and hate the light. If someone rejects the latest Manifestation of God or the latest Prophet, that is forgiveable if he/she loves God. If you love God, not believing a particular Prophet will be forgiven... I believe that is what these verses are saying... love God and you will be forgiven, hate God and you will not. I think there is a chapter about this by 'Abdu'l-Baha. If anyone knows where it is, they are very welcome to post it here

[Sean H.]

Originally Posted by Dah-veeth

Matt.12

1. [31] Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemyshall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghostshall not be forgiven unto men.
2. [32] And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, itshall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, itshall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

What is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? I believe what it means is to turn away from God and hate the light. If someone rejects the latest Manifestation of God or the latest Prophet, that is forgiveable if he/she loves God. If you love God, not believing a particular Prophet will be forgiven... I believe that is what these verses are saying... love God and you will be forgiven, hate God and you will not. I think there is a chapter about this by 'Abdu'l-Baha. If anyone knows where it is, they are very welcome to post it here

EXPLANATION OF BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

Question. -- "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)

Answer. -- The holy realities of the Manifestations of God have two spiritual positions. One is the place of manifestation, which can be compared to the position of the globe of the sun, and the other is the resplendency of the manifestation, which is like its light and radiance; these are the perfections of God -- in other words, the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit is the divine bounties and lordly perfections, and these divine perfections are as the rays and heat of the sun. The brilliant rays of the sun constitute its being, and without them it would not be the sun. If the manifestation and the reflection of the divine perfections were not in Christ, Jesus would not be the Messiah. He is a Manifestation because He reflects in Himself the divine perfections. The Prophets of God are manifestations for the lordly perfections -- that is, the Holy Spirit is apparent in Them.

If a soul remains far from the manifestation, he may yet be awakened; for he did not recognize the manifestation of the divine perfections. But if he loathe the divine perfections themselves -- in other words, the Holy Spirit -- it is evident that he is like a bat which hates the light.

This detestation of the light has no remedy and cannot be forgiven -- that is to say, it is impossible for him to come near unto God. This lamp is a lamp because of its light; without the light it would not be a lamp. Now if a soul has an aversion for the light of the lamp, he is, as it were, blind, and cannot comprehend the light; and blindness is the cause of everlasting banishment from God.

It is evident that the souls receive grace from the bounty of the Holy Spirit which appears in the Manifestations of God, and not from the personality of the Manifestation. Therefore, if a soul does not receive grace from the bounties of the Holy Spirit, he remains deprived of the divine gift, and the banishment itself puts the soul beyond the reach of pardon.

This is why many people who were the enemies of the Manifestations, and who did not recognize Them, when once they had known Them became Their friends. So enmity toward the Manifestation did not become the cause of perpetual banishment, for they who indulged in it were the enemies of the light-holders, not knowing that They were the shining lights of God. They were not the enemies of the light, and when once they understood that the light-holder was the place of manifestation of the light, they became sincere friends of it.

The meaning is this: to remain far from the light-holder does not entail everlasting banishment, for one may become awakened and vigilant; but enmity toward the light is the cause of everlasting banishment, and for this there is no remedy.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 127)


(PS have you heard of Ocean before?)

[Dah-veeth]

Thanks Sean!

I've had Ocean before, but my computer had problems with it. I use a WordPad .rtf file with the Book of Certitude, Gleanings, Tablets, and the Summons of the Lord of Hosts.

What this topic reminds me of is a passage in the Book of Certitude:

"How far from the grace of the All-Bountiful and from His loving providence and tender mercies it is to single out a soul from amongst all men for the guidance of His creatures, and, on one hand, to withhold from Him the full measure of His divine testimony, and, on the other, inflict severe retribution on His people for having turned away from His chosen One! Nay, the manifold bounties of the Lord of all beings have, at all times, through the Manifestations of His Divine Essence, encompassed the earth and all that dwell therein. Not for a moment hath His grace been withheld, nor have the showers of His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon mankind." -Baha'u'llah

[9Harmony]

Here's the online version of Ocean...

BahaiResearch.com: Search the Baha'i Writings and other World Religions

there's also this...

Baha'i Reference Library

and this...

http://www.ibiblio.org/Bahai/TrueSeeker/

[Dah-veeth]

Cool! I sometimes use reference.bahai.org but I wanted to let someone else post it

[Dah-veeth]

It's basically saying, in one sense, that good Jews who love God will be forgiven for not believing Jesus.... (you can say the same for any religion...) ..and it's saying that if you don't love God, on the other hand, if you blaspheme against the Holy Ghost (i.e. hate the light) then you won't be forgiven... so love God! Love the Light!