The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
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Committing the Unforgivable Sin
By Joel B.
To me there is nothing more horrifying than making a mistake that can’t be undone. Sometimes we wish we would’ve thought to use a pencil with an eraser instead of an ink pen so we could simply go back and fix our mistakes. This may not be the case for everyone. In fact, in December, 2006, The Rational Response Squad began their blasphemy challenge that is still going on today. This challenge is to risk condemning yourself to hell by creating a video in which at some point you deny the Holy Spirit. As frightening as this sounds, these people are not committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit that the Bible is referring to or committing an unforgivable sin.
To identify the nature of the unforgivable sin, which is a form of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, we must first look in the book of Mark. In Mark 3:22-30 there is a scenario in which the scribes accuse Jesus of casting out demons through Beelzebub. He then explains to them that this can’t be the case because a kingdom can’t stand if it is divided against itself. He ends this with a stern warning that they are in danger of eternal damnation for accusing Him of having an unclean spirit. What does this all mean? Well you have to understand that the scripture is not just referring to Satan’s kingdom, but God’s kingdom as well, and to accuse Christ of having a demon would be like saying his kingdom is divided. Furthermore in Mark 3:28, we are also told that all other manner of sins will be forgiven.
This brings me to my next point. If there is only one sin that is unforgivable and it is about division, we need to look at what else the Bible has to say about such a matter. In Heb 6:4-6 it speaks of such a sin and adds some important details. The person must have been enlightened, they must have been partakers of the Holy Spirit, and they must have fallen away. These people can’t be forgiven because they would subject Christ to open shame again. So blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is actually an act of apostasy by intentionally rejecting the Spirit which Eph 4:30 says seals us until the Day of Redemption. They are dividing themselves from the kingdom they belong to.
Blasphemy in any of its forms is a terrible thing. It is a shame when groups think they have to try to provoke the Christian population by blaspheming our God. Maybe they think it’s funny or are trying to impress their friends. However, the good news is that the Gospel remains relevant for the unbeliever, and enlightened Christians aren’t likely to try and join Satan’s kingdom.
When reading the account in Mark, the accusation against Christ leaves one to shutter when they stepped over the line by accusing Him of operating as a deceiver when they refuse to accept Him as the long awaited Messiah. Yet Christ
showed such composure and addressed their horrific allegation by demonstrating His grace towards them, giving a warning for anyone who would cross over that line knowingly fully well who He is and have received the knowledge of this truth but purposely chose to become a turncoat.
When comparing this with the passage in Hebrews it clarifies what Christ meant and helped me to see something in Christ’s actions that I didn’t notice before. How challenging it is to show others a gracious attitude when we are faced with unkind remarks. It’s actually impossible if it wasn’t for Christ in us.