Jesus said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. I believe it is important to enter here the complete story.
Matthew 12:22Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31Wherefore 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. 32And 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.
Why is this passage so important? Let’s break it down. First, they accused Jesus of acting in the name of Satan. Continue to the part most people believe refers to the unpardonable sin. Jesus said blasphemy against Jesus, and sin can all be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.
Now, return to their accusations that what Jesus did was not of God but instead, by Satan. This is Blasphemy of the Holy Ghost.
How does this apply to the division of God’s people through denominationalism. It is plain to see that if one believes that the gifts of the Holy Spirit does not exist today, then if they do exist and are used and we say that is not God, then we commit blasphemy. If one says we must perform a certain act or behave a certain way to be a Christian, this is blasphemy. It is blasphemy because how one acts or what one does, does not save them. Jesus saves them. How they behave according to their interpretation of the scripture can only be judged by God. As in the scripture at the top of this page, new Christians would follow a particuar teaching by a man: (Paul, Peter, etc). Paul cautioned them that it was not himself, or Peter, or anyone else who saved them. It was Jesus, in His name.
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