Unforgivable Sin?

Unforgivable Sin?

I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.

Mark 3:28-29

It is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come—and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance.

Hebrews 6:4-6

Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Luke 12:10

Along the highway, the driver sees sign after sign pointing to gas stations at every exit, but he keeps on going, ignoring the invitations to stop for gas. Finally a sign says, “Last gas for 23 miles.” The gas gauge is already below E, yet the driver keeps on driving because he’s unwilling to stop going in the direction he has been going and turn toward what he needs: gasoline.

In a sense, this illustrates what Jesus meant when he said there is a sin that cannot be forgiven—blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not a single event that is impossible to undo. It is not simply making an insulting remark about Jesus or the Holy Spirit. It is an ongoing act of resistance toward the Spirit’s convicting power. Anyone who turns toward God in repentance will be forgiven, but those who keep on driving away from him forfeit that offer.

The Holy Spirit holds up signs of warning and direction in our lives that point us toward Jesus and invite us into salvation. If we ignore those signs and continue to ignore them, we can’t expect to enter into God’s gracious forgiveness. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the goodness of Christ and our need to turn away from a life on empty, without God. Then he turns us toward a life of fullness and satisfaction in God.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What signs on the road would be dangerous to ignore?

Why do some people put off responding to the Holy Spirit?

How can a person be sure to avoid committing the unforgivable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit?