of Satan was illogical, as Jesus showed them. The Pharisees did not say such cures were of Satan when their sons cast out demons. Why arbitrarily say it now, in Jesus’ case? Why say it was God’s spirit when their sons did it, but deny the manifest operation of the holy spirit when Jesus did it? Why? Because they did not love the truth and did not want to be led to the truthful conclusion that they were false teachers and Jesus was the Messiah. To admit this would mean giving up many selfish practices. Too many selfish things were at stake for them.

So they resisted the true conclusion to which Jesus’ works should have led them. Let them speak against the Son of man if they wished; still they should have listened to the witness borne him by his works, works performed by the power of the holy spirit. Jesus said: “If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works.” (John 5:36; 10:37, 38, NW) When they said these miraculous works were done by Satan they sinned against the spirit. They blasphemed God’s spirit, saying it was of Satan. Willfully and for selfish reasons they resisted the display of its power. To such ones Stephen said: “Obstinate men and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, you are always resisting the holy spirit.”—Acts 7:51, NW.

It was this willful quality of the sin that made it unforgivable, because it made them unteachable, beyond correction, and opposed to God’s provision for forgiveness. As Jesus said: “Whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit has no forgiveness forever, but is guilty of everlasting sin.” (Mark 3:28-30, NW) There is no sacrifice to cover such willful sinning against the holy spirit, “not in the present system of things nor in that to come.” This does not mean such Pharisees will return in the thousand-year judgment day to find themselves still unforgiven; that would accomplish nothing. It means that the operation of God’s spirit will be very manifest then, as it was when Jesus was on earth, and that then, just as when Jesus was on earth, some will sin against the manifest operation of the holy spirit, and especially so at the end of the thousand-year reign when Satan will be loosed for the final test on earth’s inhabitants. Such sin will still be unforgivable, at that distant time.

Writes John: “If anyone catches sight of his brother sinning a sin that does not incur death, he will ask, and he will give life to him, yes, to those not sinning so as to incur death. There is a sin that does incur death. It is concerning that sin that I do not tell him to make request. All unrighteousness is sin; and yet there is a sin that does not incur death.” (1 John 5:16, 17, NW) If one sins in ignorance or because of human imperfections, forgiveness is available. But for willful sinning there is no sin-atoning sacrifice: “If we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and there is a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition.” (Heb. 10:26, 27, NW) Willful sin, with eyes wide open to the undeniable operation of God’s holy spirit or active force, is unforgivable and we should not pray for the forgiveness of such sinners. Even before Christ’s time intercession was not to be made for such ones. (Jer. 7:1-16; 11:14; 14:11) Willful sinners, insincere and unrepentant, set in their evil ways and unwilling to conform to God’s requirements, have “no forgiveness forever”; which means that when they die they go into second death.

So we see that one does not have to be of the anointed class to sin against the holy spirit, nor does he have to have God’s spirit upon him as do the “other sheep” class in order to sin against it. Many in Satan’s visible organization sin against the holy spirit by deliberately and willfully disobeying what they know to be written in God’s Word and by not conforming to the new world society when they see the manifest operation of God’s spirit upon his visible organization.

● What Has Religion Done for Mankind? on page 37, quotes Proverbs 8:22-31 according to the Moffatt translation, wherein it refers to Jehovah’s only-begotten Son as “his foster child”. Why is the Logos spoken of as a foster child?—H. J., New Jersey.

Because Jehovah filled his only-begotten Son with wisdom, the Son became the very symbol of wisdom and he speaks of himself as Wisdom in Proverbs chapter 8. In Pr 8 verse 30 where Moffatt uses the expression “foster-child” to refer to the Son, Moffatt is giving a literal translation of the word ah·móhn, which is from the Hebrew verb ahmán, meaning “to nourish, nurse, be guardian to”. In Isaiah 49:23 the participle of this verb, ah·méhn, is translated in the King James Version “nursing fathers”, and “nourishers” in the margin. At Isaiah 60:4 the word is rendered “nursed”. So when Moffatt refers to Wisdom as Jehovah’s foster child he means that this Son is a favorite child, nursed, nourished, cherished, guarded. Moffatt is not meaning to say Wisdom is an adopted child in the modern legal sense of foster child. How could he mean this, when in the preceding verses Moffatt’s translation shows Wisdom was created by Jehovah, formed and fashioned by Him as the “first of his creation”?

Announcements

PUBLISH UPLIFT AND COMFORT FOR THE POOR—Ps. 113:7, 8, AS.

Millions today are in a poverty-stricken condition. The inability of men to improve the lot of the oppressed masses and to lift their burdens makes relief seem unattainable. However, most disturbing is not the lack of material riches, but the spiritual poverty everywhere in evidence. Here the wise words of the Master Prophet come to mind: “Happy are those who are conscious of their spiritual need.” He knew of Jehovah’s promise to raise up the poor out of the dust and to lift up the needy. (Ps. 113:7, 8, AS) Literally millions of such poor people are to be found throughout the earth today. Help them during the month of March by taking the Watchtower magazine to those in your locality, and so publish uplift and comfort for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Present the Watchtower offer of a year’s subscription and three booklets for $1.

FAITHFUL TO DEATH

Friends of the truth throughout the earth will be interested to learn of the death of one who played a prominent part in the affairs of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society for many years, Clayton J. Woodworth. An editor and textbook writer before coming into the Society’s service; he first became a member of the Brooklyn Bethel family in 1912, renewing this membership after a necessary interruption August 1, 1919. He was the writer of the commentary on The Revelation contained in the noted The Finished Mystery which the Society published in 1917. For his part in this and other Society matters he was one of the seven brothers, including the Society’s then president, J. F. Rutherford, who were sent to Atlanta Federal Penitentiary on false charges at the climax of World War I in 1918 but were released in 1919 and exonerated thereafter.

Following his release in 1919 Brother Woodworth was made editor of the Society’s newly introduced magazine The Golden Age. He remained editor when the magazine’s name was changed to Consolation in 1937, to carry on as such until 1946. Because of advancing years he was relieved of this when the magazine was given a new change of name to Awake! For years he served as a member and director of the New York Corporation, People’s Pulpit Association and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc. He continued joyfully active at other duties assigned to him till his illness made this recently impossible. He died at the ripe old age of 81, loyal to the faith and unwaveringly devoted to the theocratic organization, on December 18, 1951, at 4 a.m. Interment of his remains took place at the burial plot of the Bethel family adjoining Radio Station WBBR on Staten Island, New York, at the same time with two other faithful Bethel family members who had died, hours apart, two days previous at the Bethel home. All three professed to be of the anointed remnant, and we rejoice in hope of their realization of Revelation 14:13.

BIBLE TRACTS

Truth-loving persons desire to see others also gain an accurate knowledge of God’s Word. To assist them we have provided some Bible tracts that fit conveniently into one’s pocket or purse. These small 6-page tracts can be kept readily accessible for passing to friends, acquaintances and others with whom one comes in contact in daily life. These tracts are different, enlightening, interesting. They are entitled: “What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?” “Hell-Fire,” “Jehovah’s Witnesses, Communists or Christians?” and “Awake from Sleep!” Pithy, revealing thought-arousing, they will serve excellently in setting these important matters straight in the minds of many. Any one of these four attractive and colorful tracts may be ordered in packages of 250 each, at 25c per package. Send order with remittance to 117 Adams Street, Brooklyn 1, New York.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES

Week of March 16: The Memorial—Are You Entitled to Partake? ¶1-22.

Week of March 23: The Memorial—Are You Entitled to Partake? ¶23-37; also, What About Those Not Partaking?