10 September | EVERYONE
"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.” Mark 3:28,29
A man wrote to me not long ago concerned about his spiritual situation. He had been unfaithful to his marriage vows and considered that he had committed the sin against the Holy Spirit. There are many people who, like this gentleman, do not understand what blasphemy or sin against the Spirit means. Some believe that the sinner insists so much on walking in their evil ways that there comes a time when God tires of forgiving them.
To think that God can one day tire of forgiving reflects a lack of understanding of divine mercy. God is love, and if forgiveness is a manifestation of His love, it cannot end. However, sin against the Holy Spirit is one of the clearest and most categorical biblical truths. Blasphemy against the Spirit is not unforgivable because God has grown weary of enduring human rebellion and refuses to forgive. It is so because the sinner, from so much playing with sin and rationalizing it or pretending to justify it, stops taking it seriously and finally hardens to the point of no longer seeking forgiveness. Reasonably, the Lord cannot force anyone to receive forgiveness against their will.
Jesus spoke of blasphemy against the Spirit to a group of religious people who thought that sin consisted only of serious moral problems, such as adultery, theft, and murder but downplayed sins of the soul, such as pride, greed, and others hidden in the dark corners of the heart.
The divine message is for human beings of all times—for you and me, for those who know Bible truths, and for those who have never known the gospel. That is why the warning is, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 3:15).
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The sad thing about downplaying sin is that you relapse into it more easily and it enslaves you without you realizing it. You lose your moral perception and do not gauge the evil it causes in yourself and others until it is too late. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice right now!