Mark 3:28-30 "The Unpardonable Sin"

Introduction

Remember last Sunday we saw that Jesus was being accused by the scribes of casting out evil spirits by the power of Beelzebul.

But this line of argumentation was a fallacy of logic because if it were true it would mean that Satan himself would be inflicting destruction on his own dominion over the Kingdom of Darkness.

This would make no sense because it would be self defeating.

This line of argumentation is not just a fallacy but it reveals something that is spiritually dark in the life of the person making such claims.

And our text this morning reveals to us the hopeless state of those who make such assertions. There is a divine rule in place that describes the spiritual darkness and the hopelessness that goes with it. Look back at verses 28-29 at the rule that Jesus reveals in our text this morning:

I. The Rule (28-29).

A. First of all notice that the rule is being declared with emphatic emphasis. Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you.” This indicates that Jesus is making the point that this truth is undeniable as a spiritual rule or standard in the divine order and judgment of God.

B. And the substance of the rule is dealing with the forgiving nature of God’s grace and mercy that every sin that man can commit can be forgiven except for one.

There is only one sin that cannot be forgiven. This is where we get the idea of it being called the “unpardonable sin” in Christian circles. And the sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. And because it is unforgivable Jesus describes it as an eternal sin.

Matthew 12 and Luke 12 tells us that someone can even blaspheme the Son of man, meaning Jesus, and that can be forgiven but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.

So you can blaspheme against the second person of the Godhead and be forgiven but you can not blaspheme against the third person and be forgiven because it is an eternal sin.

C. So I think it is critical that we know what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is if the consequences are eternally unforgivable and beyond the grace and mercy of God. So what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? what is Jesus referring to? The answer is seen in the logic of His rationale. Look back at your text to verse 30:

II. The Rationale (30).

A. So the rationale of Jesus is derived from the context. It ties us to the above verses of 22-27 and specifically to the accusation that the scribes made against Jesus regarding the source of the power that He exercised in casting out evil spirits in verse 22.

We need to understand that the Holy Spirit had empowered Jesus for His Messianic ministry back at His Baptism. And the ministry He has been doing is being done by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is how the whole of the Godhead is involved in the plan of redemption.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and He only operates in accord with the truth as He is empowering the advancement of the Kingdom. To equate the work of the Holy Spirit with the work of Satan is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

That term blaspheme means to slander, revile or to defame (BAGD).

And these scribes were doing this by saying that the Kingdom ministry of deliverance that Jesus was doing was being done by the power of Satan. So the implication was that they were saying that the power was of a demonic origin. And by doing so they were slandering the Holy Spirit by making false accusations about Him.

C. This would be typical of those who had blind eyes and were operating under divine judgment like many of the religious leaders were doing. Nearly all of them were operating under the irrevocable judgment of God and they couldn’t see the Kingdom for what it was even if they wanted to, which they didn’t want to because they were under the effects of their sin nature.

John’s gospel makes this clear for us in John 12:39–40. John tells us that the problem with the unbelief of some of the religious leaders was the irrevocable condemnation spoken of them in Isaiah. They could not believe John says in alluding to Isaiah 6:10:, “39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.””

A person has to be enabled by the Holy Spirit in order to be sensitive to the Spirit in order to be enabled to believe in Jesus Christ. Many of the religious leaders were under a declaration of judgment and they were left to their pursuit of the glory of their own vanity instead of the glory of God in Christ.

If you think that God’s ultimate plan is to saved humans from their sins, text like John 12 and Isaiah 6 make no sense.

But if His ultimate plan is to glorify Himself in His Son through the plan of redemption then text like John 12 and Isaiah 6 make a lot of sense. Because what the religious leaders meant for evil, God meant it for good.

All this is critical to our understanding of the unpardonable sin. Because it seems that Jesus is speaking His condemnation upon a group of people based on His understanding of the condemnation that was upon them from Isaiah 6:10. Which was an irrevocable judgment of their inability. God left them to the bondage of their own depravity to bring His purposes to pass; that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.

D. Blasphemy against the holy Spirit would be the pentacle of someone’s condemnation because they would attribute demonic activity to the only One who would be able to open their eyes to the truth of the Kingdom.

E. Christian we should always be careful with what we attribute to the evil one. Some thing are obvious but whenever we see the miraculous done in accord with truth proclamations we need to be very careful and use the utmost discernment when we speak.

But when we see the miraculous done in accordance with falsehood that is something that we should take notice of in our discernment. If we do not know the word of God we can easily be led astray by the supernatural.

This is why Jesus said in Matthew 12:39 “39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

The only miracle you need is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in accordance with the truth of the word of God and you have the Holy Spirit empowered gospel that is able to advance the Kingdom of God in the world to the glory of God.

Conclusion:

I believe this text would teach us that the only way the unpardonable sin can be committed would be when it is done under irrevocable judgment. It seems to me that this is the context that Jesus is speaking into.

But I also believe that no true believer would desire to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit or any person’s of the Godhead should be avoided at all cost. And it shouldn’t be something that we test the Lord in. But if you are an unbeliever and your heart is so cold and calloused that you would blaspheme any of the person’s of the Godhead you should cast yourself upon His mercy and cry out to Him.

You need a savior, you are in desperate need of His grace. Perhaps you have been chosen in Christ and you are not under irrevocable judgment. And maybe in His sovereign providence today is your day that your eyes are to be opened for you to believe the gospel for your salvation. Believe!

Believer He should of passed us by but He didn’t. He has lavished on us the abundance of His grace to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Come to Him and drink from the fountain of His grace to you in Christ. Confess and receive from Him. Let’s Pray!