Mark 3:29
In the Scriptures, both Christ (Mark 3:29) and John the Apostle (1 John 5:16) spoke of a “sin unto death” for which there was no forgiveness …Christ described this act as “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” (Mark 3:29). This might seem vague at first, but upon further study one will come to understand that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God that communicates with man (1 John 3:19; 24). It is the Spirit of Truth and the voice of all that falls within that realm (Truth is not fact or the sum of facts, but something that exists beyond the realm of fact); it is a voice that speaks deep within our hearts and instructs the soul. One might liken it to the tie that binds mother and child, man and nature…these are not facts that need to be proven, but things we “know” if we surrender to this voice, this Spirit that “bears witness” to that which is Holy and True. While understanding who the Holy Ghost is what He does explains part of what Christ meant, there still remains the issue of what exactly constitutes “blasphemy” against this Spirit…Paul, the apostle responsible for penning the bulk of Christian doctrine (under the divine inspiration of this same Spirit of Truth), sheds further light on what Christ was referring to. Looking into this further we find that what Christ was referring to was the essence of salvation.
Much like the popular TV game show Jeopardy, Christ’s statement concerning the unpardonable sin was an answer to something Paul would write later. Paul’s question was “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?“ (Hebrews 2:3). Christ’s answer was simple- we can’t. When a person is faced with the question of Christ – who He was (the Son of God) and what He did (offering Himself as the final sacrifice for human sin through His death on the cross and the promise of eternal life through His resurrection) – the Spirit of Truth, that voice deep within the heart will confirm the truth of Christ’s identity and our need for His salvation. To close your heart to this confirmation, to harden your heart against this conviction is to commit blasphemy against that Spirit that God has provided to every person regarding the question of Christ.
There are only 2 choices offered to men regarding Christ: acceptance and rejection. This is symbolized by the two thieves crucified alongside Christ. These two men were identical except for their response to Christ’s suffering… one refused to believe and hardened his heart; the other simply opened his heart and asked for salvation, to which Christ replied “this day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” There are only two choices offered to men regarding the voice of Truth: belief or blasphemy. Christ said that “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). As in the fashion previously described, Paul further clarified what Christ meant when he wrote; “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
With all the stress and bustle of modern day life it is all too easy to neglect the salvation Christ offers. We need to take the opportunity to contemplate the events that took place on that mountain outside Jerusalem some 2000 years ago and soften our hearts to that voice of Truth and believe that Christ was who he claimed to be. We need to, in own words, confess our sins in prayer to Him and ask to partake of the salvation He freely offers to us. While we may, as humans, be guilty of the most unspeakable cruelties and errors, it will not be for these sins that God the Father sentences any one of us to eternal damnation; it will be for the unforgivable sin of rejecting his Son and the sacrifice He willingly made for each of us on the cross.
In closing, allow me to echo Paul’s sentiment once again in regard to the immeasurable love of Christ and the unfathomable mercy available to us through the wonderful and terrible means that God provided for our justification: How can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
wisdomspout 