God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

unwilling to forgive, but in the sense that the sinner is militantly unwilling to receive forgiveness. The sin is not unpardonable because the atoning work of the Son is not sufficient for that sin, but because that sufficient work is wilfully demeaned, blocked, and detested by those for whom it would otherwise be entirely sufficient (Heb. 6.4-6). This sin is said to be unforgivable because as long as we are so deluded that we cannot repent, we cannot be forgiven, having close off the possibility of being forgiven by closing ourselves to the Spirit. Those guilty of such as sin are in the nature of the case unable to receive forgiveness. To this we should add that no one who fears committing this unpardonable sin, can not, in fact, have done so. It is only the active ministry of the Spirit in a life that makes a person aware of sin and anxious about its consequences. The person who has unalterably rejected the work of the Spirit will be deluded about the existence of their own sin and complacent about the consequences of their sin. ~ Thomas C. Oden. Life in the Spirit: Systematic Theology Vol. 3. p. 22. In Greek, as in for example, Spanish or German, every noun is either masculine, feminine, or neuter. Masculine nouns are referred to with masculine pronouns, feminine nouns with feminine pronouns, and neuter nouns with neutral pronouns. Therefore all nouns can become either a he, a she or an it. John 16.12, 14 - “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth,” etc. Here, though the word ( pneuma ), Spirit, is neuter, the word ( ekeinos ), He, is masculine; agreeing with the Divine Person rather than with the actual word “Spirit.”

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~E. W. Bullinger. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1898 [Rpt. 1968]. p. 701.

Some commentators suggest that Jesus’ statement that he would come to his disciples is a promise that he would appear to them physically in his post-resurrection body, while others believe that this is a promise to send the Spirit at Pentecost. In our view, the context of the passage makes it clear that Jesus is

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