Mark 3:28-35
28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
The first time you read this passage and understand that there is such a thing as an unforgivable sin, you may begin to fear that somehow you have indeed committed that very sin. This is understandable. As sinners, we deal with guilt all of the time. So, if we hear of a sin, we very easily can begin to feel that since we feel guilt, we are guilty of that sin.
But, we must also remember that Satan will use our sense of guilt to drive us to despair. Satan will cause proper guilt to transform into an overactive conscience leading to despair. In this case, the despair would be horrible indeed. For, in the case of the unforgivable sin, there is no recourse, no second chance, and no forgiveness possible.
So, what is the unforgivable sin? According to this scripture reading, it is “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” What does that mean? The context of this reading was of people who were rejecting Jesus, even though they knew who He was. This was even in the face of HIs undeniable miracles and God’s Word that said such miracles were a sign of the true Messiah. The rejection of the Holy Spirit’s work to preach the truth of Jesus to their hearts and give them faith was complete. They called the Holy Spirit an unclean spirit. There could be no more total, mindful, rejection of Jesus and the Grace of God than that. They had placed themselves outside of God’s Grace and forgiveness.
So, have you indeed committed the unforgivable sin? To sin against the Holy Spirit is to reject His Work, to reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior, even though you know who He is, and to treat the Holy Spirit with blasphemous contempt. Such a person has no remorse for unbelief and no concern over the unforgivable sin. If you have more questions about this matter, this would be a good opportunity to call your pastor and discuss your concerns with him personally.
The Holy Spirit preaches that Jesus is true God and true man, who came into the world to save us. The Holy Spirit teaches all that Jesus did, including His death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and His resurrection from the dead on the third day. God the Holy Spirit gives faith to all who believe in Jesus, confess their sins and receive God’s forgiveness. Without the gifts of the Holy Spirit we would be lost indeed. Therefore we thank Him for preaching to us still through God’s Word and granting us faith to trust in Jesus.
Let us pray,
I thank you, O Holy Spirit, for having mercy on me, proclaiming the Love of the Father, the gifts of my Savior Jesus, and granting me faith to believe the Gospel. I ask for your continued spiritual gifts so that will I remain strong in faith and receive the gift of eternal life. Grant power to those who proclaim the Gospel to others, that their message may have your power to grant saving faith. I ask this in Jesus name. AMEN
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.