And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Jesus answered the charge that He drove out demons by the prince of demons after He had freed a blind and mute possessed man so that he both spoke and saw. He exposed that accusation as senseless, for Satan would not undo his own work, and every kingdom, city or house split against itself is laid waste and cannot last. His healings, which could not be denied or explained by natural causes, showed He was opposed to Satan, not in league with him, and cast out demons by the Spirit of God so that the kingdom of God had come. To credit that holy power to satanic agencies and willfully reject the Spirit's evidence cuts off the channel by which God reaches the heart, leaving no way for repentance and faith to come, and this is the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. Christ and Satan head two rival kingdoms with no middle ground, so His people must stand separate from sin and united with one another, since division brings weakness and delights the enemy while union with Christ and with one another brings strength and safety.
Context and Argument
The saying was given in answer after the healing of a man possessed by a devil who was blind and dumb, so that he both spoke and saw. The people were amazed and asked whether this was the Son of David, while the Pharisees for a second time brought the charge that devils were cast out only by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. Jesus knew their thoughts and laid bare the charge as senseless, without reason or evidence behind it.
The argument is that Satan would not work against his own work, for if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself. Every kingdom, city, or house divided against itself is brought to desolation and falls into ruin and cannot stand or last. Satan therefore could not be the source of the power driving out his own agents, and the accusation exposed itself as false.
This proves Christ was not in league with Satan but against him. He was doing His heaven-given work of mercy, speaking to those who would hear and helping those who would be helped, while the priests and rulers refused to join Him in relieving the afflicted and made His work hard by bitter opposition. The works of mercy gave clear evidence of His mission, yet that evidence was rejected.
The healings done before the accusers, which no man had done or could do, were a manifestation of the holy power of God. They could not be denied nor attributed to natural causes, proving He cast out devils by the Spirit of God and that the kingdom of God had come. The charge raised tumult over His words and works and brought keen reproach upon His brothers through their relation to Him. Alarmed at His bold statements and indignant denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, they induced Mary to unite with them to persuade or constrain Him to cease this manner of labor and be more prudent.
The surrounding instruction in Matthew 12:21-30 is truth that abides forever and is life eternal. It must be strictly heeded without losing one word, with meekness and lowliness and tenderheartedness joined to firmness as a rock to His teachings. No trust is to be placed in any lie or pretense, for trusting deception originating with the father of lies is done at the loss of eternal life. Straight paths must be made for the feet, and those who mislead the lame from safe paths and set at naught Christ's counsel will be held accountable.
Sin Against Spirit
To attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan cuts the soul off from the fountain of blessing. This was the plain answer given after healing a second time a possessed man who was blind and dumb, when the Pharisees reiterated the charge of casting out devils by the prince of the devils. Speaking against Jesus Himself without discerning His divine character can be forgiven, because through the Holy Spirit the person can still be brought to see error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ. But he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit places himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him, because it is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart. When men wilfully reject the Spirit and declare it to be from Satan they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them, so that when the Spirit is finally rejected there is no more that God can do for the soul.
The healings done before the accusers, which no man had done or could do, were a manifestation of God's holy power, which they could not deny nor attribute to natural causes. In unbelief they spoke of the Son of God as merely human and credited that holy power to satanic agencies, charging Him with being in league with hell and saying His works were the works of the devil. Their stubborn, sullen, ironhearted determination to close their eyes to all evidence and to use speech to abuse the world's Redeemer was sin against the Holy Ghost, the unpardonable sin. To accuse Him of driving out Satan's power by Satan's own power is self-contradiction, for a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. By resisting the evidence of Christ's divine power and mercy in attributing the Holy Spirit's work to Satan, they deliberately chose deception and yielded themselves to Satan's control. Their accusation had no reason or evidence behind it, and to reject the evidence of heaven in order to cling to wicked purposes is the sin against the Holy Ghost, for which there is no forgiveness in this world or the world to come.
The sin against the Holy Ghost is to ascribe to Satan what belongs to God or what the Holy Ghost has done. Those who said the shut door was of the devil committed this sin against their own lives and shall die the death. In foggy terrible fear and anguish of spirit they dare not admit the door is shut. So also Christ's work through the Spirit was blasphemed and credited to Satanic power in His miracles, even as converts increased and convincing evidence increased opposition.
Rival Kingdoms Applied
Christ and Satan have two rival kingdoms in this world, and a line is to be drawn between believers and unbelievers. Satan is the ruler of the opposing kingdom, once an exalted angel in the heavenly courts who knows the refinement and courtesy and beauty of character belonging to those who obey God. He is not content with coarse and vulgar followers but is searching for masters. The church is failing to hold that line, showing little faith in the Word of God, with few conversant with the Scriptures and few having fervent love for God, and instead of converting the world is being converted by the world.
There is no middle ground in the service of Christ, for if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself and his kingdom cannot stand, since every kingdom, city, or house divided against itself is brought to desolation. God's elect must therefore show their colors and be a peculiar people separate from sin and departed from all iniquity. Since a divided kingdom cannot stand and Christ is not divided against Himself, His children who expect to live together in the same heaven must blend in unity now, devoting heart and mind and strength with unity of purpose to work so holy in God's sight. Union brings strength and success while disunion brings weakness, and God will not give His people success while evil-surmising and discord remain unswept away. Those who refuse to work in harmony dishonor God and need to cultivate brotherly love and tenderness of heart and repent.
Disunion among Christians is watched with gratification by the world and pleases infidelity, and the enemy of souls delights to see believers working at cross purposes. Satan points to church members under the banner of Christ hating one another and has nothing to fear from them while they spend more strength fighting one another than in warfare with his forces. Union with Christ and with one another is therefore the only safety in these last days. Satan's kingdom cannot be driven out by adopting Satan's own principles, for accusation used to oppose Satan follows those principles and will not succeed, and the fruits of such conduct reveal disloyalty to God's government. Satan may try to imitate the work of God, but the imitation falls short, and its bitter fruit contrasts with the fruit of God's Spirit, which distinguishes Satan's work from God's.
The spirit of Satan is revealed when a person separates from God and the heart is no longer under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit. That spirit oppresses fellow men with an influence contrary to truth and justice and righteousness. It is manifested in institutions in the relation of workers to one another and in the desire of one institution to control all others. Men entrusted with weighty responsibilities but having no living connection with God indulge the very same spirit as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and as the Jews in the days of Christ, doing despite to the Holy Spirit even after warnings from God have come again and again, reflecting the same opposition to God manifested by Christ's opponents. Satan opposes God's work, not his own, for if Satan cast out Satan his kingdom would be divided and could not stand, which applies to the belief that the powers of darkness can keep a person in sickness and that the Saviour can cast Satan out, with healing sought by faith.
Jesus answered the charge that He drove out demons by the prince of demons after He had freed a blind and mute possessed man so that he both spoke and saw. He exposed that accusation as senseless, for Satan would not undo his own work, and every kingdom, city or house split against itself is laid waste and cannot last. His healings, which could not be denied or explained by natural causes, showed He was opposed to Satan, not in league with him, and cast out demons by the Spirit of God so that the kingdom of God had come. To credit that holy power to satanic agencies and willfully reject the Spirit's evidence cuts off the channel by which God reaches the heart, leaving no way for repentance and faith to come, and this is the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. Christ and Satan head two rival kingdoms with no middle ground, so His people must stand separate from sin and united with one another, since division brings weakness and delights the enemy while union with Christ and with one another brings strength and safety.
Context and Argument
The saying was given in answer after the healing of a man possessed by a devil who was blind and dumb, so that he both spoke and saw. The people were amazed and asked whether this was the Son of David, while the Pharisees for a second time brought the charge that devils were cast out only by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. Jesus knew their thoughts and laid bare the charge as senseless, without reason or evidence behind it.
The argument is that Satan would not work against his own work, for if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself. Every kingdom, city, or house divided against itself is brought to desolation and falls into ruin and cannot stand or last. Satan therefore could not be the source of the power driving out his own agents, and the accusation exposed itself as false.
This proves Christ was not in league with Satan but against him. He was doing His heaven-given work of mercy, speaking to those who would hear and helping those who would be helped, while the priests and rulers refused to join Him in relieving the afflicted and made His work hard by bitter opposition. The works of mercy gave clear evidence of His mission, yet that evidence was rejected.
The healings done before the accusers, which no man had done or could do, were a manifestation of the holy power of God. They could not be denied nor attributed to natural causes, proving He cast out devils by the Spirit of God and that the kingdom of God had come. The charge raised tumult over His words and works and brought keen reproach upon His brothers through their relation to Him. Alarmed at His bold statements and indignant denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, they induced Mary to unite with them to persuade or constrain Him to cease this manner of labor and be more prudent.
The surrounding instruction in Matthew 12:21-30 is truth that abides forever and is life eternal. It must be strictly heeded without losing one word, with meekness and lowliness and tenderheartedness joined to firmness as a rock to His teachings. No trust is to be placed in any lie or pretense, for trusting deception originating with the father of lies is done at the loss of eternal life. Straight paths must be made for the feet, and those who mislead the lame from safe paths and set at naught Christ's counsel will be held accountable.
Sin Against Spirit
To attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan cuts the soul off from the fountain of blessing. This was the plain answer given after healing a second time a possessed man who was blind and dumb, when the Pharisees reiterated the charge of casting out devils by the prince of the devils. Speaking against Jesus Himself without discerning His divine character can be forgiven, because through the Holy Spirit the person can still be brought to see error and repent. Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ. But he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit places himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him, because it is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart. When men wilfully reject the Spirit and declare it to be from Satan they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them, so that when the Spirit is finally rejected there is no more that God can do for the soul.
The healings done before the accusers, which no man had done or could do, were a manifestation of God's holy power, which they could not deny nor attribute to natural causes. In unbelief they spoke of the Son of God as merely human and credited that holy power to satanic agencies, charging Him with being in league with hell and saying His works were the works of the devil. Their stubborn, sullen, ironhearted determination to close their eyes to all evidence and to use speech to abuse the world's Redeemer was sin against the Holy Ghost, the unpardonable sin. To accuse Him of driving out Satan's power by Satan's own power is self-contradiction, for a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. By resisting the evidence of Christ's divine power and mercy in attributing the Holy Spirit's work to Satan, they deliberately chose deception and yielded themselves to Satan's control. Their accusation had no reason or evidence behind it, and to reject the evidence of heaven in order to cling to wicked purposes is the sin against the Holy Ghost, for which there is no forgiveness in this world or the world to come.
The sin against the Holy Ghost is to ascribe to Satan what belongs to God or what the Holy Ghost has done. Those who said the shut door was of the devil committed this sin against their own lives and shall die the death. In foggy terrible fear and anguish of spirit they dare not admit the door is shut. So also Christ's work through the Spirit was blasphemed and credited to Satanic power in His miracles, even as converts increased and convincing evidence increased opposition.
Rival Kingdoms Applied
Christ and Satan have two rival kingdoms in this world, and a line is to be drawn between believers and unbelievers. Satan is the ruler of the opposing kingdom, once an exalted angel in the heavenly courts who knows the refinement and courtesy and beauty of character belonging to those who obey God. He is not content with coarse and vulgar followers but is searching for masters. The church is failing to hold that line, showing little faith in the Word of God, with few conversant with the Scriptures and few having fervent love for God, and instead of converting the world is being converted by the world.
There is no middle ground in the service of Christ, for if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself and his kingdom cannot stand, since every kingdom, city, or house divided against itself is brought to desolation. God's elect must therefore show their colors and be a peculiar people separate from sin and departed from all iniquity. Since a divided kingdom cannot stand and Christ is not divided against Himself, His children who expect to live together in the same heaven must blend in unity now, devoting heart and mind and strength with unity of purpose to work so holy in God's sight. Union brings strength and success while disunion brings weakness, and God will not give His people success while evil-surmising and discord remain unswept away. Those who refuse to work in harmony dishonor God and need to cultivate brotherly love and tenderness of heart and repent.
Disunion among Christians is watched with gratification by the world and pleases infidelity, and the enemy of souls delights to see believers working at cross purposes. Satan points to church members under the banner of Christ hating one another and has nothing to fear from them while they spend more strength fighting one another than in warfare with his forces. Union with Christ and with one another is therefore the only safety in these last days. Satan's kingdom cannot be driven out by adopting Satan's own principles, for accusation used to oppose Satan follows those principles and will not succeed, and the fruits of such conduct reveal disloyalty to God's government. Satan may try to imitate the work of God, but the imitation falls short, and its bitter fruit contrasts with the fruit of God's Spirit, which distinguishes Satan's work from God's.
The spirit of Satan is revealed when a person separates from God and the heart is no longer under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit. That spirit oppresses fellow men with an influence contrary to truth and justice and righteousness. It is manifested in institutions in the relation of workers to one another and in the desire of one institution to control all others. Men entrusted with weighty responsibilities but having no living connection with God indulge the very same spirit as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and as the Jews in the days of Christ, doing despite to the Holy Spirit even after warnings from God have come again and again, reflecting the same opposition to God manifested by Christ's opponents. Satan opposes God's work, not his own, for if Satan cast out Satan his kingdom would be divided and could not stand, which applies to the belief that the powers of darkness can keep a person in sickness and that the Saviour can cast Satan out, with healing sought by faith.