Mark 3:28-30

C. THE UNPARDONABLE SIN 3:28-30

TEXT 3:28-30

Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 3:28-30

146.

What is meant by the word blaspheme?

147.

Why use the expression verily I say unto you? What does it mean?

148.

Is Jesus saying the sins of men will be forgiven them or could be forgiven?

149.

When Jesus warned concerning it, had anyone committed the eternal sin?

150.

Why is it impossible to forgive this sin? (Please attempt an answer of your own).

COMMENT

TIMEAutumn of 28 A.D.
PLACEAt home in Capernaum.

PARALLEL ACCOUNTSMatthew 12:31-37.

OUTLINE1. Forgiveness promised, Mark 3:28. Mark 3:2. One exception, Mark 3:29. Mark 3:3. The cause of such a severe warning, Mark 3:30.

ANALYSIS 3:28-30

I.

FORGIVENESS PROMISED, Mark 3:28.

1.

Promised with great certainty.

2.

To all the sons of men.

3.

All sins and blasphemies.

II.

ONE EXCEPTION, Mark 3:29.

1.

Applies to all.

2.

The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

3.

An eternal sin with no forgiveness.

III.

THE CAUSE OF SUCH A SEVERE WARNING, Mark 3:30.

1.

The Pharisees and scribes involved.

2.

The words, He hath an unclean spirit caused the warning.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

I.

FORGIVENESS PROMISED, Mark 3:28.

Mark 3:28-30. I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven. He hath an unclean spirit. We learn clearly from this place in what this fearful sin consists; the only one of all the evils which the sons of men commit which will not be forgiven. Those with whom the Lord was now remonstrating were in danger of committing it, because they said, He hath an unclean spirit, This was, in point of fact, almost equivalent to their calling the Lord an Incarnation of Satan.

II.

ONE EXCEPTION, Mark 3:29.

In order to see something of the wickedness of this sin we must realize that all our Lord's teaching was on the side of God and goodness, and all His miracles, especially that of the expulsion of evil spirits, were done to enforce such teaching, and to set forth the character of Godthe God Who sent Him, as at once a holy and benevolent God, desirous to free men from the yoke of all moral and spiritual as well as of all physical evil. To call the Spirit of such an One as our Lord an evil spirit was the extremest form of that wickedness denounced by the prophet when he said: Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20). For a man to have a mind which could deliberately ascribe such a spirit to the Saviour is, as far as man can, to cut himself off from redemptionto make the acceptance of redemption impossible to him. This will be more clearly seen if we remember certain words said on this occasion by the Lord, which are only given in St. Matthew, Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him, but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, A man might, through prejudice, speak against the claims of Jesus to be the Messiah, He might not be the Messiah whom he expected. He might be led away by false hopes of an earthly temporal Messiah, to reject the true one. Such an one might continue in infidelity, but the door of repentance and faith would be open to him, because, as Saul of Tarsus, what he did in rejecting Christ he did ignorantly and in unbelief. But if such an one had an opportunity of observing the Spirit of Christthe Spirit of goodness and love displayed in all His character and discourses, and enforced by His mighty deeds, all on the side of benevolence and holiness, and yet deliberately called such a Spirit the Spirit of Evil, then there was nothing left in him for Redemption to take hold of. He was reprobate in the deepest sense of the word. He had first given himself over, and then he was given over by God, to a reprobate mindthat is, to his own evil, absolutely evil, self. But if a person thus ascribed the works of Christ to the power of evil, would that not be blaspheming against the Son of Mannot against the Holy Spirit? No, we are told that both the teaching and the mighty works of Christ were done by the Spirit (Acts 1:2; Matthew 12:28). Christ taught very emphatically that He did nothing of Himself. He must, consequently, act by some spiritual power not His own. Was that power Divine or diabolical? Of God, or of God's enemy? If a man deliberately said it was from God's enemy he displayed an intensity of perverse and malicious wickedness almost incredible.

III.

THE CAUSE OF SUCH A SEVERE WARNING, Mark 3:30.

Some of the most acute observations on this difficult subject are to be found in Calvin's Commentary on the Synoptics. Shall any unbeliever curse God? It is as if a blind man were dashing against a wall. But no man curses the Spirit, who is not enlightened by Him, and conscious of ungodly rebellion against Him; for it is not a superfluous distinction, that all other blasphemies shall be forgiven, except that one blasphemy which is directed against the Spirit. If a man shall simply blaspheme against God, he is not declared to be beyond the hope of pardon, but of those who have offered outrage to the Spirit it is said that God will never forgive them. Why is this but because those only are blasphemers against the Spirit, who slander His gifts and power contrary to the conviction of their own mind?

Two observations on all this may not be out of place:
1. It is clear that no one can have committed the sin against the Holy Ghost who desires the influence of the Holy Ghost to deliver him from sin, and make him love God, for such an one must believe that the power exhibited in Christ was on the side of God and goodness. He must believe that Christ was actuated and impelled by a holy and good spirit, which must be from God.
2. Looked at in the light of this one exception to the forgiving power of God, how exceedingly broad and large is the promise implied in the 28th verse, Verily, I say unto you, ALL sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men. The one exception proves the universality of the rule. If any sinner has a mind to lay hold on the Divine mercy, no memory of past sin need deter him; and the state of mind which he has towards sin, and his desire of deliverance, forbids the idea that he has committed the one unpardonable sin. (M. F. Sadler).

FACT QUESTIONS 3:28-30

176.

What was meant by saying of the Lord, He hath an unclean spirit?

177.

What helps us to realize something of the wickedness of this sin?

178.

Show how the man who would attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan is reprobate in the deepest sense of the word.

179.

Would not speaking against the works of Christ be speaking against the Son of Man instead of against the Holy Spirit? Explain.

180.

What did Calvin's comments add to your understanding of this subject?

181.

When can one know he has not committed this sin? Could the sinner know he had committed this sin? Explain.