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What is the Unpardonable Sin? (Mark 3:22-30)

by Wayne Davies  
11/09/2014 / Bible Studies

In Mark 3:22-30 we read about an encounter between Jesus and the leaders of first century Judaism. Jesus was in Galilee, traveling from town to town, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, teaching the Word of God, and demonstrating his divine power by healing the sick and driving out demons.

Then some "teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem" offer their opinion of this miracle worker from Nazareth. "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons" (Mark 3:22).

These men could not deny Jesus' miracles. But somehow they had to account for then. So they came to the conclusion that Jesus got his power from the devil. He was possessed by Beelzebub (an ancient name for Satan), "the prince of demons". Or he was possessed by an evil spirit (Mark 3:30).

It is in this context that Jesus makes his well-known statement: "All the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin" (Mark 3:28-29).

Jesus is saying that there is a sin that will never be forgiven. This sin is described simply as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

What is this sin? And why isn't this sin forgivable? People have been asking this questions for centuries. We all want to know what it is.

The context of this passage tells us exactly what it is. The unpardonable sin is the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. This is what it means to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit was prominent in the ministry of Jesus. When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit came down on him like a dove and the Father spoke from heaven, saying to Jesus, "You are my Son" (Mark 1:11).

Jesus was empowered by the Spirit of God because he was the Son of God. He said so himself: "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Luke 11:20). And the Pharisees and other religious leaders rejected that claim outright and announced their belief that Jesus was the servant of Satan rather than the servant of God.

Can a person commit the unpardonable sin today? Absolutely. Like the Pharisees, if anyone refuses to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and remains in that state of unbelief until death, then the sin of rejecting Christ will never be forgiven. The sin is unpardonable because once we die and face God on Judgment Day, it will be too late for faith. Our eternal destiny is determined by the choice we make in this life regarding the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. If we accept him as the Son of God, we avoid the unpardonable sin. If we reject him as the Son of God, we commit the unpardonable sin and this sin becomes eternal because the consequences of that sin are eternal punishment.

For Christians, knowing the meaning of Mark 3:29 should be the source of much comfort, joy and hope. Since we have embraced Jesus as King and accepted his claim to be God, it is impossible for a true believer in Jesus to commit the unpardonable sin.

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