Blaspheming Against the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:29 

“Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”

What does Jesus mean? As my daughter says, we better be clear about this and make real sure we’re not doing it, whatever it is. It seems to me that if you have that attitude, you’re probably all right. But what is this unforgivable sin? 

Context 

I notice that just before Jesus talks about the eternal sin he says: “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.” That is a wide and wonderful promise.

When I go back a few more verses I notice two important groups of people disparaging Jesus. (Mk. 3:20-30)

His family says he’s out of his mind. Imagine, telling the son of God he is out of his mind. When you know the whole story it sure sounds like blasphemy.

The teachers of the law think Jesus is possessed by the devil and that is how he is doing his miracles. Again, you’d have to call that blasphemous.

So what is blasphemy?

Definition
To blaspheme is to insult the character of God, or the truth of Christian faith, or sacred things. It is to deliberately offend God and rob him of glory. The third commandment forbids it (Exodus 20:7).

There are several ways in which a person can blaspheme.*

• Slanderous words (Lev. 24:11, 15-16)
• Practicing idolatry (Neh. 9:18, 26)
• Oppressing the saints (Isa. 52:5)
• Denying Christ (1 Tim. 1:13)
• False teaching (1 Tim. 1:20)
• Insulting the poor (Jam. 2:6-7)
• Profession without practice (Rom. 2:24)

Jesus' family and the teachers of the law qualify. They are blasphemers.

But all of this can be forgiven according to Mark 3:28. If you have ever said the Christian faith is “nuts”, believers are “fools”, Jesus is NOT who he says he is, or God is (fill in the blank) … all this can be forgiven. This and more actually!

As grievous as it is to God (read Lev. 24 to see how serious!) a sorry heart can be forgiven. The contrite will be set free. Repentance delights God.

So what is it that cannot be forgiven? What is this eternal sin?

Unforgivable
Offending the Holy Spirit to the death. Put another way, God won’t forgive our refusal to be forgiven.

 
The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and leads people to repentance. The Holy Spirit makes the gospel’s words come alive. But if you ignore him or credit his work to Satan, you have no place to turn. The divine breath of conviction is the only way to God. (John 16:5-15; 1 Thess. 1:5)

In the words of Tom Wright: "It isn't that God gets specially angry with one sin in particular. It's rather that if you decide firmly that the doctor who is offering to perform a life saving operation on you is in fact a sadistic murderer, you will never give your consent to the operation".

Put simply, the eternal sin is final rejection. To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to reject his life giving work with your very last breath. It is to exhale a curse and die, when you could be breathing in the Spirit's eternal hope. There is no other source of life available.

Reversal
At the end of Mark’s Gospel Jesus is charged with “blasphemy” (Mark 14:64). The religious elite kill Jesus believing that he has offended God and committed an unforgivable sin. But Jesus’ resurrection proves them wrong and Jesus right!

They are not the blasphemy police any longer! Something has changed.

We might think that a simple reversal is called for. Since Jesus is right (not a blasphemer) and the religious leaders are wrong (making them the ones who have offended God) should they die? Is their sin unforgiveable and eternal?

Mark 3:28 anticipates this moment with the answer NO!

Only one thing is unforgivable. Even killing Jesus can be forgiven. But rejecting the invitation of God’s Spirit with your very last breath, that will leave you dead forever!

Questions

• How do you respond to the wide promise of God's forgiveness for blasphemers?
• How is Psalm 150:6 the reverse of Mark 3:29?

*Adapted from: New Dictionary of Theology: A Concise & Authoritative Resource, eds. Ferguson, Wright & Packer.