Have I Committed An Unforgivable Sin?

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin.” Mark 3:28, 29

One of the challenging statements of Jesus in the gospels is his statement that there is a sin that cannot be forgiven but is an “eternal sin.” The context of this statement by Jesus in Mark, chapter 3, was the reaction of the scribes to his ministry. As a way of explaining how he was able to do remarkable miracles, such as casting out demons, they proposed to the people that Jesus was doing his miracles through the power of the devil himself. It was by the power of Satan, they said, that Jesus was able to cast out demons.

Jesus replied to them with brilliant logic. He noted that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If Satan has risen up against himself, said Jesus, surely his kingdom is coming to an end. However, said Jesus, doesn’t it make sense that God would work against Satan? In order to enter a strong man’s house, one must first bind the strong man. That was what Jesus was doing in casting out demons; he was freeing people from the work of Satan in order for God to enter in.

It was in this context that Jesus made the comment about blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to blaspheme? It means to insult or speak evil against someone in a wicked and untruthful way. This is certainly what the scribes were doing, attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. In this context, the word blaspheme also meant to resist the work of the Holy Spirit. The scribes were resisting the work of God in their hearts, a work that would have led them to repentance. Because they refused repentance, they had no forgiveness for their sins.

What then is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? It is not the occasional bad thought or an instance of anger against God. It is not those sins that seem to stubbornly plague us from time to time or a one-time error. In fact, Jesus said that all manner of sins and blasphemies will be forgiven us. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the continual resistance to the work of the Holy Spirit that intends to lead us to repentance. Those who do not turn to Christ in repentance cannot find forgiveness.

What is the sin that does not find forgiveness, either in this life or in eternity? It is refusing to acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord. This is the one sin for which there is no forgiveness, and this is the sin, I believe, to which Jesus was referring. The scribes epitomized this sin. They did not believe in Jesus and refused to turn themselves to him.

Billy Graham once put it plainly. He said, “I have studied the words of Jesus very carefully, and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit simply means to deny the Holy Spirit’s witness to Jesus.” As another commentator put it, “Worrying about having committed the unforgivable sin is the best evidence that one has not committed it. Those who have committed it have so hardened their hearts that they do not worry that they have committed it.”

Thanks be to God for the great promise of forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Let us trust in him and know that, in him, we always have grace.