Leave Them Alone

Some of the saddest words that Jesus spoke to His disciples were, “Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. But if one blind person leads another, they will both fall into a pit.” Modern Language Bible, Matt. 15:14.

You may show beautiful pictures to the blind person and he cannot see them. You may show the strongest evidences for the truth from the Bible to the spiritually blind person, and he cannot see them. Therefore, Jesus told to His disciples to leave them alone. Why spend precious time in a work that is useless, while there were many others who could see the truth when it was presented to them.

There were many blind people whom Jesus could heal, even spiritually blind received their eyesight, but then there were blind that Jesus could not heal; their blindness was incurable because they had sinned against the Holy Spirit and eternal blindness had fallen upon them.

Therefore John writes about them, “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” 1 John 5:16.

There are millions of people in the world today who have committed the unpardonable sin. We may not always recognize them because many of them continue their religious profession like the Jewish leaders.

“Every additional evidence of the power of God that the Egyptian monarch resisted, carried him on to a stronger and more persistent defiance of God. Thus the work went on, finite man warring against the expressed will of an infinite God. This case is a clear illustration of the sin against the Holy Ghost. ‘Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ Gradually the Lord withdrew His Spirit. Removing His restraining power, He gave the king into the hands of the worst of all tyrants,–self.” R.H. July 27, 1897.

“The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent. Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward the rejection of salvation, and toward the sin against the Holy Spirit. In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation of mercy, we may commit the same error. We offer insult to the Prince of Life, and put Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe when we refuse to listen to His delegated messengers, and instead listen to the agents of Satan, who would draw the soul away from Christ. So long as one does this, he can find no hope or pardon, and he will finally lose all desire to be reconciled to God.” DA 324, 325.

Felix trembled as he listened to the words of Paul. The first time he heard the truth presented to him clearly. The Holy Spirit appealed to his conscience but he resisted it and finally said to Paul, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Sister White comments on him, “He had slighted his last offer of mercy. Never was he to receive another call from God.” AA 427.

Often we spend much time trying to convince a spiritually blind person to see the truth, but Paul writes to us, “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject.” Titus 3:10.

When Jesus saw that Judas had committed an unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit He did not try to convince him of his sin but said to him. “That thou doest, do quickly.” John 13:27. Immediately Judas left the company.

This was a shaking among the disciples. This is a work of God. Members in the church of God who have lost the Holy Spirit would only be a hindrance to the advancement of the work and therefore God will separate them from the faithful members.

“For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” Amos 9:9.

God is doing the shaking, not Satan, and not people.

When the ten tribes separated from the two tribes, it was not really Rehoboam who did it. We read in 2 Chronicles chapter 11 that this separation was from God. When the Jews were taken to Babylon, it was not by people but God did it. God said, My servant Nebuchadnezzar will take the people from Jerusalem and Judea to captivity.

In 1951, again, it was not Nicolici who separated the church, God did it. In the future we will see more shakings taking place. Again God will do it by using men as His servants. Sister White asks us to pray to God to purify the church by shaking.

“The mighty shaking has commenced and will go on, and all will be shaken out who are not willing to take a bold and unyielding stand for the truth and sacrifice for God and His cause.” EW 50.

May the Lord give us wisdom to know whom to leave alone and with whom we continue to work and make appeals for their salvation. AMEN.

Timo Martin, Canada