GOD'S insurance policy of His Holy Spirit can not "lapse," and, therefore, become "void," except under certain conditions. To prevent this unspeakably sad experience, the Lord warns those who have received the Spirit, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Instead of grieving the heavenly Messenger away, our daily prayer should be, "Lord, cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me." Note the expression, "grieve not the Holy Spirit." The only thing that will cause its departure is to "grieve" it away, and even then it will take its departure sorrowfully, not willingly. In speaking of the Spirit, we have said "it," but "it" is Christ. He says: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." Could opportunity be offered to us of greater privilege than to entertain, and be entertained by, the Creator and the Saviour of men? If we had lived when He was here as a man, with our present feelings toward Him, would we not gladly have received Him to our homes? But to-day is accorded to us the greater privilege of receiving Him into our hearts. Who will not entertain Him, and be entertained by Him?
Too often Christ is treated as a "wayfaring man," and is received for a night, but bidden to take His departure in the morning. Too many let Him knock unheeded, till He finally takes His departure, never to return, and such will be among that class from whose lips will be wrung the words, expressive of the keenest anguish which it is possible for the human heart to experience, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."
"To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." The only thing that can ever cause the loss of the soul of any member of our race is to resist the Spirit of God. There is no possibility of loss of eternal life to those who will ever and always yield to its pleadings and to its keeping power.
The All-Power Waits.
The Spirit's presence brings the power of a risen Saviour into our hearts, to prepare us for His service and for victory over sin and death. This energy is the "all power, both in heaven and in earth," and Jesus is with us to impart it, or, rather, it is the momentary impartation of the life of the Christ dwelling in us. Now, while mercy lingers, and while "the Spirit and the Bride say, Come," all have opportunity of heeding the sweet voice of mercy, and drinking freely of the water of life. But there will be a sad parallel to the experience of those who resisted the Spirit in the "days of Noah." The Holy Spirit, the heavenly Guest, was withdrawn, ceased to plead, and men could find no repentance. When the time comes, as it surely will, ere the coming of the Just One, when His voice, pleading with sinners, is hushed forever, there will be the most terrible spiritual famine the world has ever known. Many will then wander to earth's remotest bounds to catch once more the sound of that thrice-welcome voice, but it is hushed forever. How much importance ought we to attach to this Agency in the plan of salvation? "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?"
The Sin Against the Holy Ghost.
Some one will desire to ask, "What is the sin against the Holy Ghost?" It is certainly not a greater sin than can be committed against the Father and Son, for even the Spirit is subject to their direction, and is not, therefore, greater than they. As we have already noticed, the Holy Spirit is God's only Agency for touching and converting the hearts of men, and when this is continually and effectually resisted, the individual so doing has rejected God's means of saving, and therefore there is no salvation for him; and yet this is not an arbitrary matter in the plan of God; He would still save the lost one if He could, but he has virtually refused to be redeemed.
Another way in which the unpardonable sin is committed, is to wilfully, in the light of reasonable Scripture evidence to the contrary, attribute the work of God to Satan. Still another is to sin wilfully—defiantly—against God, after having received a knowledge of the truth, to tread underfoot the Son of God, and to count the blood of the covenant, wherewith the individual was sanctified, an holy thing, and to do "despite to the Spirit of grace."
It is doubtful if this terrible sin is ever committed by the one just beginning his departure from God, but it is the ultimate of a gradual resistance of the Spirit and rejection of light. We understand that the only reason, even then, that the sin committed is unpardonable is because the person so doing has rejected God's only means of reaching the sinner, which is by the tender, melting influence of the Spirit, and therefore he can not repent and be converted.
"Some one will knock when the door is shut,
Hear a voice saying, 'I know you not,'
Shall you? Shall I?"