Candy
Have you ever wondered, as I have for a long time, what the unforgivable sin is? We may have come across many interpretations and studious opinions as well. If we go through the bible, we would find several passages in the New Testament that are frequently interpreted as referring to the unforgivable sin.
I had to ask the same question also to find an answer to feed my faith and anchor my soul for eternity. Jesus has been continuously quoted saying, there is one sin a person can do for which there is no forgiveness or pardon either in this age or in the age to come: blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.
But what does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?
Eternal or unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), as it is popularly called, is also known as the sin unto death. it is specified in several passages of the Synoptic Gospels, including Mark 3:28–29, Matthew 12:31–32, and Luke 12:10, as well as other New Testament passages including Hebrews 6:4–6, Hebrews 10:26–31, and 1 John 5:16.
Before we go any further, defining relevant words to our study would give better accuracy in the interpretation of the scripture.
The word “Sin” or “Sins” is from three Greek words: “hamartema,” “hamartia,” and “hamartano”. But our emphasis is Hamartema, which means evil deed, wrongdoing, moving the mark, missing the mark, or offense; described as an “act of disobedience,” “transgression,” or a “sin.”. It is found just six times in the New Testament (Mk. 3:28-29; 4:12; Rom. 3:25; 1 Cor. 6:18; 2 Pet. 1:9).
Blasphemy is from the Greek word “blasphemia” and it means the action or offense of SPEAKING sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk. It is also the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God.
For us to fully understand what Jesus was saying we have to go beyond verse 29 of the book of Mark 3 till verse 30 is read in context; “Because they said, He had an unclean spirit.”
The keyword in Mark 3:28-30, is the word, SAID! This is as important as the tense in which the word was used. The tense clearly showed it was imperfect tense. That means in translation, “They kept on saying.” Thus, it wasn’t just a matter of a sudden thoughtless word or an instant reaction. The state of their heart in attitude, bitterness, and impenitent was communicated in the “SAYING”.
A Hard Heart
Serafim Alexivich Slobodskoy, in his writing “The Eighth Article of the Creed,” said, “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is conscious and hardened opposition to the truth, “because the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6). Conscious and hardened resistance to the truth leads man away from humility and repentance, and without repentance, there can be no forgiveness. That is why the sin of blasphemy against the Spirit cannot be forgiven, since one who does not acknowledge his sin does not seek to have it forgiven.
The book of psalms 78:17-19, 22 and Hebrews 3:8-12 speak about the effect of a hardened heart through unbelief as it relates to the miraculous workings of God. John 12:37-41 quoted Isaiah the prophet in reference to how unbelief has made God give unto the people a hard heart.
The irony of a hard heart is that it justifies itself in its own eyes. There is nothing wrong in neither the eyes of a heart that is hard towards God nor the things of the Spirit.
A hard heart and a closed mouth are the remedies for its folly. A fool says there is no God, says the book of Proverbs. The mouth of a hard heart would always speak blasphemous words against the things of God.
A New Heart
As a remedy for this kind of situation, God said through His prophets, I will give them a new heart and I will write my laws in their heart. This is the reality of the NEW CREATION in Christ Jesus. The heart of the new man in Christ is given to God. This is why he is awakened to the things of the Spirit and the spiritual realm.
The man that is not reconnected to God is at risk to “Blaspheme against the Spirit,” because he knows not what he speaks of. A religious mindset is also given to such a disposition because of traditions of men that make the “Word of God of no effect”.
As we said earlier, it is in the saying not just in the once said. The heart that has a doubt can speak from a place of uncertainty. But that is different from a heart that has gotten to the stage considered by God as hard.
Am I Guilty?
The next question on our minds could be, have we committed the Unforgivable sin? The genuine answer to that question is in the question itself. By that I mean, for you to have a conscience to ask simply means you have not committed the unforgivable sin. David says in Psalms, as the deer pants after water, so do my soul pant after the Lord. A good heart bores a good and healthy conscience. Job says the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.
Our hearts may not all be perfect after God in all things, but it is still turned towards God. Reaching out to God in all things is proof that we are still in the clear when it comes to eternal sin.
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. Jesus responds to His disciple regarding the Holy Spirit and said, He Shall guide you into all truth. If we speak ill of the one that is the Spirit of Truth, how then can anyone walk in the light of the truth? If we walk not in the light, we are sure walking in darkness even as God is clothed in light. In the darkness, no one can ask for forgiveness nor receive forgiveness from the Spirit.
A Seared Conscience
Let me take a moment and say the unforgivable sin isn’t something that someone commits randomly. There is always a progression to the actual posture of blasphemy. The progression starts with unbelief with doubts shrouded with so many questions. In the time it grows into being indifferent with unanswered questions and little humility to want to learn. Ultimately, the indifference metastasized into a malicious attitude that became so hateful and vengeful. The hard heart can turn the feeble heart away from God.
When God convicts us of sin and presents us with the Gospel, it’s dangerous to neglect it, especially if our procrastination becomes chronic. We resist and resist and resist. After a while, we can become so hard-hearted and sin-hardened that we grow calloused to our soul. Our ears can’t receive the truth. Our minds shake off the conviction of the Spirit. We become cynical of conscience. And although the grace of God is still available to us, we push away from it. [1]
This is the posture Apostle Paul calls having a seared conscience; a conscience that is not pricked at the nudging of the Spirit anymore. At these times we begin to entertain the devil who comes as the angel of light, ascribing to him the reverence of divine statues as unto God.
In conclusion
The thought of an unforgivable sin has haunted sensitive people in every Christian century, and maybe it has haunted you. The purpose of writing this article is to be clear in saying that if you’re bothered in your spirit that you may have committed a sin God will not forgive, the very fact that you have anxiety over that is evidence you’ve not committed the sin. I also wrote this to let you know that If God is still working in your heart; it’s not possible to have committed the unpardonable sin or the eternal sin. Finally, the very fact that you’re reading this article is a tremendous indication you’ve not committed the unforgivable sin described in the Gospel of Mark.
Reference
- 10 Things You Need to Know about the Unforgivable Sin
Dr. David Jeremiah, Turning Point
https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/10-things-you-need-to-know-unforgivable-sin.html
